Plant biodiversity of mountain grasslands as influenced by dairy farm management in the Eastern Alps

Pornaro, Cristina; Spigarelli, Chiara; Pasut, Davide; Ramanzin, Maurizio; Bovolenta, S.; Sturaro, Enrico; Macolino, Stefano

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2021.107583

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Maintaining the traditional mountain forage-based systems and improving forage self-sufficiency have positive effects on landscape quality as well as on the conservative functions of managed areas ( 43 , 44 ). Several studies ( 45 , 46 ) show that the increase in forage self-sufficiency at the farm level is often linked to a decrease in the overall biodiversity of grasslands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

et al. 2021

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The multidimensional concept of animal welfare includes physical health, good emotional state, and appropriate behavior of the animals. The most recent methods for its assessment are inspired by the Welfare Quality, a project compiling animal-, resource-, and management-based measures. Recently, animal welfare assessment has also considered the human factor in a so-called “One Welfare” approach. The One Welfare framework highlights the interconnections between animal welfare, human well-being, and the environment. The concept seems to fit particularly well to mountain areas where the relationship between human, animals, and the environment is stronger. In such disadvantaged areas, farmers' well-being plays a key role in maintaining livestock farming profitably and sustainably. This study aims to investigate the relationship between farmers' satisfaction, animal welfare outcomes, and overall farm performance in 69 small-scale dairy farms in the Eastern Alps. Animal welfare assessment consisted of animal-based measures and was performed using the methodology proposed by the European Food Safety Authority for this type of farm. Moreover, the farmers were interviewed to retrieve data on farm characteristics and on their level of satisfaction toward workload, land organization, relationship with the agricultural/non-agricultural community, and the future of local agriculture. The results show that good animal welfare can be obtained in a mountain farming system. Clinical indicators show a low prevalence of diseases and of very lean cows as opposed to integument alterations. The workload is not perceived as a problem in traditional farms (i.e., tie-stall and with no participation in quality-certification schemes). Animal welfare is higher in those farms where farmers have a positive engagement with both the agricultural and non-agricultural community and where farmers are satisfied with their land organization. A One Welfare approach could be applied on a larger scale to fully understand the links between animal and human well-being in mountain areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

et al. 2021

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“…The pastures in the common lands ended up disappearing or becoming relict in most of the areas except the highest altitudes during the whole study, although their decline accelerated during P2. The conservation of these habitats has also attracted little attention although previous studies detected that they can hold even higher plant biodiversity than meadows (Pornaro et al, 2021). Their negative trends are linked to the disappearance of the multispecies herds, especially the small ruminants, the support to less rustic cows and horses, as well as the simplification of the livestock movements, which excluded rotational grazing and the use of less accessible areas as the workforce also dropped.…”

Section: Changes In the Pasturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of socioeconomy and land management in the evolution of agrosilvopastoral landscapes in Northern Spain: The case study of Redes Biosphere Reserve

Díaz

García

2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Agrosilvopastoral systems are multifunctional, complex, and knowledge-intensive systems with the potential to deliver multiple ecosystem services. However, their future is hindered by socio-ecological factors which influence the dynamics of the associated landscapes by modifying how the natural resources are used over time and across the territory. An integrated analysis of the most influential factors and the associated dynamics urges due to the strategic potential of these systems to provide locally adapted ecosystem services to face both local and global challenges. We investigated the changes in the demography, productive activities and the strategies of land use, and how they influenced the landscape dynamics, in the Redes Biosphere Reserve. Datasets with demographic, socioeconomic, and landscape parameters from 1956, 1985, and 2016 were created. Landscape metrics were calculated for the whole Reserve and for six areas covering the bioclimatic variability. Historical data, interviews with the local population, and repeated images were used to reconstruct the land uses and the landscape maps in each period. The number of inhabitants declined 60% from 1956 to 2016, and only 4.7% are less than 15 years old nowadays. The human group’s capacity to maintain sustainable and productive activities is highly questionable. During the same period, the number of farms decreased by 80% and the herds evolved from multispecific (63% cattle and 37% small ruminants) to monospecific ones (around 88% cattle). The complex land management strategies simplified: subsistence agriculture almost disappeared and the diversity of livestock and agroforestry strategies also decreased. The landscape metrics revealed the most drastic changes in the lowlands associated with the construction of two water reservoirs and the disappearance of croplands and open chestnut forests. At middle altitudes, around 43% of the hay meadows disappeared and the remaining grasslands are only grazed, whereas grazed grasslands declined by 77% at the highest altitudes. Two drivers repeated across the three bioclimatic scenarios: expansion of dense woodlands (average 220%) and shrublands (295%). All these changes led to the reduction of the landscape diversity and the simplification of the mosaic, with possible environmental implications. Integrated approaches including environmental and socioeconomic measures are needed to preserve the landscapes and associated services.

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Ecosystem Services and Livestock Systems in Mountain Areas

Ronchi,

Ramanzin

2024

Biodiversity Laws, Policies and Science in Europe, the United States and China

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Plant biodiversity of mountain grasslands as influenced by dairy farm management in the Eastern Alps

Cited by 8 publications

References 54 publications

Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

Role of socioeconomy and land management in the evolution of agrosilvopastoral landscapes in Northern Spain: The case study of Redes Biosphere Reserve

Ecosystem Services and Livestock Systems in Mountain Areas

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