Grazing vs. mowing: A meta-analysis of biodiversity benefits for grassland management

Tälle, Malin; Deák, Balázs; Poschlod, Peter; Valkó, Orsolya; Westerberg, Lars; Milberg, Per

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2016.02.008

Cited by 295 publications

(251 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…By hand mowing, it was also possible to give an advantage to introduced species by avoiding cutting them before seed ripening. Grazing is usually associated with a higher trampling disturbance than hand mowing (Tälle et al 2016, Tóth et al 2016 resulting in the failure of germination of the sown species on the grazed Görbeszék kurgan. Based on these findings, for the effective introduction of target species by seed sowing, either hand mowing or soil preparation by raking or smooth harrowing is necessary (Klaus et al 2017).…”

Section: Seed Sowingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mowing by hand proved to be the best management option in the first few years, because in this way, the mowing of young transplanted individuals which are at a life stage highly sensitive to disturbance could be avoided. Later on, both grazing and mowing can be viable management options, depending on site characteristics, grassland type and available resources (Tälle et al 2016).…”

Section: Implications For Nature Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation – plant introduction and practical restoration on ancient burial mounds

Valkó¹,

Tóth²,

Kelemen³

et al. 2018

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Linking the conservation of cultural heritage and natural values provides a unique opportunity for preserving traditional landscapes and receives an increased awareness from stakeholders and society. Ancient burial mounds are proper objects of such projects as they are iconic landscape elements of the Eurasian steppes and often act as refugia for grassland specialist species. The aim of this project was to reintroduce grassland plant species to burial mounds for representing them as cultural monuments with the associated biodiversity for the public. The effectiveness of seed sowing, transplanting greenhouse-grown plants and individuals from threatened populations on burial mounds in Hortobágy National Park, Hungary was tested. The following questions were answered: (1) which method is the most effective for species introduction? (2) which species can establish most successfully? (3) how does management affect the species establishment rates? It was found advisable to use a combination of seed sowing and transplanting greenhouse-grown plants. Sowing was found as a cost-effective method for introducing large-seeded species, whilst introduction of greenhouse-grown transplants warranted higher establishment rates for a larger set of species. Transplanting adult individuals was more reliable regardless of management regimes, however this method is labour-intensive and expensive. Intensive management, like mowing with heavy machinery and intensive grazing, should be avoided in the first few years after introduction. The authors CONSERVATION IN PRACTICE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalOrsolya Valkó et al. / Nature Conservation 24: 65-80 (2018) 66 highlighted the fact that introducing characteristic grassland species on cultural monuments offers a great opportunity to link issues of landscape and biodiversity conservation. This project demonstrated that, by the revitalisation of cultural monuments, cultural ecosystem services can also be restored.

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Section: Seed Sowingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For Nature Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation – plant introduction and practical restoration on ancient burial mounds

Valkó¹,

Tóth²,

Kelemen³

et al. 2018

Self Cite

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“…This is due to their multifunctional character in producing not only agricultural commodities but also maintaining biodiversity, soil and water quality, supporting recreation, and adding to resilience to environmental change [1,2]. Two types of grasslands have received particular attention in land use research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Saastamoinen

Herzon

Särkijärvi

et al. 2017

Land

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Abstract:In several regions in Europe, the horse is becoming a common grazer on semi-natural and cultivated grasslands, though the pasturing benefits for animals and biodiversity alike are not universally appreciated. The composition of ground vegetation on pastures determines the value of both the forage for grazing animals as well as the biodiversity values for species associated with the pastoral ecosystems. We studied three pastures, each representing one of the management types in southern Finland (latitudes 60-61): semi-natural, permanent and cultivated grassland. All have been grazed exclusively by horses for several decades. We aimed to evaluate feeding values and horses' welfare, on the one hand, and impacts of horses on biodiversity in boreal conditions, on the other. Though there were differences among the pastures, the nutritional value of the vegetation in all three pastures met the energy and protein needs of most horse categories through the whole grazing season. Some mineral concentrations were low compared to the requirements, and supplementation of Cu, Zn and Na is needed to balance the mineral intake. Only minor injuries or health problems were observed. All metrics of biological values, as well as number of species eaten by horses, were particularly high in a semi-natural pasture compared to other pasture types. The highest ratio of species cover preferred by horses to the total cover was found in the permanent pasture, while at the regularly re-seeded pasture, there was a particularly high cover of species, indicating low biodiversity values on grassland. There was, therefore, a trade-off between the quantity of forage and biological values in pastures, but not in quality. The results provide clear indication both for the suitability of the studied pasture types to horses and for grazing of horses for biodiversity management. In each pasture type, specific management is needed to simultaneously achieve objectives of adequate pasturing and biodiversity. The short duration (only one grazing season) must be considered when applying the results.

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“…Cutting is one of the main ways to utilize and manage grassland [11] [12], this way can supply the forage for livestock in winter and next spring and make sure them live through the long and cold winter [13], and cutting once per year is advisable in Songnen grassland [11] [14], because cutting two times a year would lead some harmful effects on the yield and environment of the grassland even adding the fertilizer and water to the grassland [15] [16]. So the farmer usually harvests the forage from later summer to early winter in order to gain the maximal yield and quality，and this is the best time for making hay of Songnen grassland because of the good weather, and the height of the remaining stubble usually is 4 -5 cm [5].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Autumn Cutting Date on Regrowth, Turning Green, Yield and Quality of <i>Leymus chinensis</i> Grassland in Songnen Plain, Northeast China

Song¹,

Wuyunna²,

Zhou³

2018

AJPS

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Abstractwere about ten species in the L. chinensis community in the 1 m × 1 m plot. The L. chinensis and Kalimeris integrifolia regrew rapidly after autumn cutting in 2016. In the second year, the coefficients of the community similarity were high between the different cutting time treatments. The density, height, aboveground biomass, stem/leaf ratio, and crude protein of L. chinensis were not significant at the turning green stage and harvesting stage, the companion species of L. chinensis community contained higher crude protein, but the crude protein of the plant community were not significant. Thus, considering the weather factor for haymaking, the harvest dates should be concentrated from the middle ten days of August to the first ten days in September.

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Grazing vs. mowing: A meta-analysis of biodiversity benefits for grassland management

Cited by 295 publications

References 77 publications

Cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation – plant introduction and practical restoration on ancient burial mounds

Cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation – plant introduction and practical restoration on ancient burial mounds

Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Effect of Autumn Cutting Date on Regrowth, Turning Green, Yield and Quality of <i>Leymus chinensis</i> Grassland in Songnen Plain, Northeast China

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Grazing vs. mowing: A meta-analysis of biodiversity benefits for grassland management

Cited by 295 publications

References 77 publications

Cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation – plant introduction and practical restoration on ancient burial mounds

Cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation – plant introduction and practical restoration on ancient burial mounds

Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Effect of Autumn Cutting Date on Regrowth, Turning Green, Yield and Quality of &lt;i&gt;Leymus chinensis&lt;/i&gt; Grassland in Songnen Plain, Northeast China

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Effect of Autumn Cutting Date on Regrowth, Turning Green, Yield and Quality of <i>Leymus chinensis</i> Grassland in Songnen Plain, Northeast China