Integrating Extensive Livestock and Soil Conservation Policies in Mediterranean Mountain Areas for Recovery of Abandoned Lands in the Central Spanish Pyrenees. A Long‐Term Research Assessment

Abstract

Land abandonment is a global issue with important implications in Mediterranean mountain areas. Abandoned Mediterranean croplands start a process of secondary succession that is initially colonized by grasslands, shrubs and forest. In Mediterranean mountain areas, the process is very slow, so the shrubs remain for decades, preventing livestock from accessing pastureland. Therefore, farmers have to burn or clear the shrubs in order to provide pasture, a practice that has recently been encouraged by several regional governments in Spain. Data from experimental plots of the Aísa Valley Experimental Station in the Spanish Pyrenees allow to evaluate the effects of burning and clearing shrubs on physical and chemical soil properties, runoff production and soil erosion rates. The results suggested that clearing shrubs returned more positive results than burning, as it improved soil quality and slowed soil erosion while producing slightly higher runoff coefficients, which is very important in Mediterranean environments where water is a scarce resource. Clearing shrubs improves soil characteristics by increasing organic matter and CN ratio, which promote the expansion of herbaceous species with a high pastoral value. The results suggested that the policy of clearing shrubs is suitable for managing abandoned lands in Mediterranean mountain areas. Further studies at catchment scale will be needed to confirm the impact of substituting shrubs for meadows and to understand the connectivity of the flows measured from pedon and slope to the watershed scale. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Agriculture Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Hydrological Response in Istria (Croatia)

“…Long-term studies are needed to understand the impacts of land-use practices on soil erosion [15][16][17], especially in areas where such studies are missing as in the Adriatic region of Croatia. The works carried out were mainly focused on areas with different management over time [8,18,19].…”

Vegetation, Wildlife, and Livestock Responses to Planned Grazing Management in an African Pastoral Landscape

“…Rangelands are important for biodiversity conservation and livestock production and support the livelihoods of millions of peoplemany of them among the world's poor (Campos et al, 2016;Nadal-Romero et al, 2016). However, many rangelands are severely degraded because of anthropogenic and climatic factors, with grave consequences for people and wildlife (Lu et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2016).…”

“…However, many rangelands are severely degraded because of anthropogenic and climatic factors, with grave consequences for people and wildlife (Lu et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2016). Poor grazing management is often cited as a major contributor to rangeland degradation (Lesoli, 2011;Kiage, 2013;Carter et al, 2014;Nadal-Romero et al, 2016;Tóth et al, 2016) and can seriously impair rangeland sustainability (Ibáñez et al, 2014). Therefore, there is a need for sustainable grazing management practices that enhance ecological and socio-economic values of rangeland systems.…”

Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation in Abandoned Croplands on the Loess Plateau

“…The cultivation of primary vegetation has likely resulted in the depletion of soil carbon about one half to two thirds, compared with the amount maintained under natural vegetation (Le Quéré et al, 2009). The reverse process such as conversion of agricultural land to grassland contributes significantly to carbon accumulation in soils (Guo & Gifford, 2002;Novara et al, 2014;Preger et al, 2010;Nadal-Romero et al, 2016b;Novara et al, 2017). Globally, it has been estimated that cropland soils have a potential to sequester carbon of 0.4-0.9 Pg C per year through improved agricultural management, restoration of degraded lands and extensive use of abandoned lands (Lal, 2004;Paustian et al, 2000;Lasanta et al, 2015).…”