Recognising the potential role of native ponies in conservation management

Abstract

Population control of feral horses has been the subject of public debate in many parts of the world in recent years due to wide-reaching ecological and societal impacts. However, the feral populations in these high-profile cases are not 'native' but are instead descended from animals which escaped from or were released by settlers. This paper considers i) the potential role of indigenous equids as conservation grazers within native ecosystems currently in poor condition, and ii) the value of supporting semi-wild native ponies specifically. We argue that the high ecological overlap between ponies and cattle reported in a range of studies means that they should be considered as alternative tools for conservation management, particularly in scenarios where there is a need to reduce the dominance of plant species avoided by more-selective small ruminants such as sheep. Semiwild ponies could be particularly suited to conservation grazing because their genomes have been predominately shaped by natural and not artificial selection, meaning they may have adaptations no longer present in domesticated equids. With agricultural and environmental policy in the EU and UK under major review, it is anticipated that the wider delivery of public goods, rather than primary production, will be prioritised under future subsidy payment schemes. Recognising the value of native ponies as conservation grazers would broaden the range of routes by which land managers could achieve biodiversity gain, while simultaneously supporting at-risk equine genotypes.

Green Assets of Equines in the European Context of the Ecological Transition of Agriculture

“…This may be explained by their physiology. The absence of rumination permits more time for feed intake [22]; less methane emissions compared to cattle (100 kg/CH 4 /dairy cow in Western Europe [23], more specifically: 117.9 kg CH 4 /dairy cow/year in France [24], and 18.0 kg CH 4 /horse/year in Western Europe [23] and 20.7 kg CH 4 /horse/year in France [24]); and no limitation of intake capacity due to rumen volume [25]. Consequently, the global intake capacity of equines can be bigger than that of cattle [16] as equines graze longer than cattle [26].…”

“…Equines are able to preserve and maintain pastoral biodiversity [15] by grazing in areas abandoned by agriculture. This process is identified as a specific threat to habitats and species by the European Union, as the invasion of some plants left non-grazed by livestock leads to landscape closure [25].…”

“…For a long time, and still today, natural and human selection have affected breeds, including those that live in semi-natural or particularly harsh conditions [25]. Human beings selected the most suitable breeds for different uses (traction, meat production, racing, and sport), leading to a high variety of sizes, formats, and phenotypes of equines sorted into breeds.…”

“…A breed may be defined as a breeding pool of individuals that share a common phenotype (which is typically purely morphological, i.e., coat color, height, etc.) [25]. Worldwide, in 2011, there were 397 equine breeds according to the Universal Equine Life Number (the international lifelong identification number for equine, www.ueln.net).…”

“…This kind of breed development is not sufficient to ensure economic viability [41]. However, these programs conserve invaluable environmental services and cultural heritage [25,42].…”