Sheep grazing in the North Atlantic region: A long-term perspective on environmental sustainability

Ross, Louise; Austrheim, Gunnar; Asheim, Leif Jarle; Bjarnason, Gunnar; Feilberg, Julie; Fosaa, Anna Maria; Hester, Alison J.; Holand, Øystein; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg S.; Mortensen, Lis; Mysterud, Atle; Olsen, Erla; Skonhoft, Anders; Speed, James D. M.; Steinheim, Geir; Thompson, D. B. A.; Thorhallsdottir, Anna G.

doi:10.1007/s13280-016-0771-z

Cited by 60 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Up to 80% of Icelandic ecosystems can be classified as rangelands (Arnalds et al 2001), and approximately 43% of the land area is used for grazing today (Agricultural University of Iceland, unpublished database, Ross et al 2016); thus proper land management is of outmost importance. The long-standing debate about sheep grazing in Iceland is reflected by the vast number of opinion pieces written throughout the years.…”

Section: Future Outlook -A Management-driven Research Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For centuries, sheep grazing has been a major component of agricultural systems in the North Atlantic region, and has strongly shaped landscapes and biodiversity (Ross et al 2016). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The environmental impact of sheep grazing varies within the region due to differences in climate, ecosystem properties and, to a lesser extent, grazing management (Ross et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In grazed areas, graminoids become dominant while woody species and grazing and trampling-intolerant forbs and mosses decline (Pakeman & Nolan 2009, Austrheim et al 2014. However, the impacts of sheep grazing depend on grazing pressure (Austrheim et al 2016) and environmental conditions (de Bello et al 2006), such as climate, and the presence of other herbivores (Albon et al 2007). For instance, grazing is generally more harmful (enhancing erosion) in alpine areas than in lowlands (Dahl et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the ecological impacts of extensive sheep grazing in Iceland

Marteinsdóttir¹,

Barrio²,

Jónsdóttir³

2017

IAS

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The sustainability of sheep grazing in Iceland has been repeatedly questioned as in some areas high stocking rates have been associated with extensive soil erosion and ecosystem degradation. We synthesized all available information on the effects of sheep grazing on vegetation, soil properties and other organisms in the rangelands of Iceland, with special focus on the grey literature. We compiled 347 documents, but only 44 contained extractable data, reporting on 16 studies. The scarcity of studies prevented us from drawing general conclusions for most ecological variables across environmental conditions, but some consistent trends were found. The extent of bare ground was significantly higher in grazed areas and grazing affected plant community structure. The potential for increased soil erosion in grazed areas remains a problem in Icelandic rangelands. A better understanding of the ecological impacts of sheep grazing is required to inform sustainable grazing practices adapted to the local conditions of this region.Keywords: extensive grazing, rangeland, soil erosion, sustainable management, tundra YFIRLIT Áhrif sauðfjárbeitar á íslensk vistkerfiSjálfbaerni sauðfjárbeitar á Íslandi hefur oft verið dregin í efa enda tengja margir beit við mikla jarðvegseyðingu og hnignun vistkerfa. Hér tökum við saman þaer rannsóknir sem birtar hafa verið um áhrif sauðfjárbeitar á vistkerfi íslenskra úthaga. Alls fundust 16 rannsóknir, birtar í 44 skjölum, flest á skýrsluformi. Fyrir flestar vistfraeðibreytur voru rannsóknirnar of fáar til að draga maetti almennar ályktanir útfrá þeim. Safngreining (e. meta analysis) sýndi þó að beit hefur áhrif á uppbyggingu plöntusamfélaga og eykur rof í gróðurþekjunni. Úthaginn verður þar af leiðandi viðkvaemari fyrir jarðvegsrofi. Ljóst er að afla þarf betri þekkingar á áhrifum beitar á vistkerfi íslenskra úthaga svo tryggja megi sjálfbaera sauðfjárbeit sem haefa aðstaeðum á hverju svaeði fyrir sig.

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Section: Future Outlook -A Management-driven Research Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For centuries, sheep grazing has been a major component of agricultural systems in the North Atlantic region, and has strongly shaped landscapes and biodiversity (Ross et al 2016). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The environmental impact of sheep grazing varies within the region due to differences in climate, ecosystem properties and, to a lesser extent, grazing management (Ross et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Assessing the ecological impacts of extensive sheep grazing in Iceland

Marteinsdóttir¹,

Barrio²,

Jónsdóttir³

2017

IAS

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“…The pressures on biodiversity are increasing, and the situation is dramatic for habitats and species in some areas (see Framstad (ed.) 2015, Naturvårdsverket 2015, Ross et al 2016, Virkkala 2016, and the Red Lists). This calls for an expanded view of nature conservation, and in this context, ecological restoration of species, habitats, and landscapes is an important supplement to traditional protection.…”

Section: On-going Policies For Restoration Priority In the Nordic Coumentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration priorities and strategies

Hagen¹,

Kotiaho²,

Kareksela³

et al. 2016

TemaNord

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Herbivory and climate as drivers of woody plant growth: Do deer decrease the impacts of warming?

Vuorinen

Rao

Hester

et al. 2020

Ecological Applications

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Vegetation at ecotone transitions between open and forested areas is often heavily affected by two key processes: climate change and management of large herbivore densities. These both drive woody plant state shifts, determining the location and the nature of the limit between open and tree or shrub‐dominated landscapes. In order to adapt management to prevailing and future climate, we need to understand how browsing and climatic factors together affect the growth of plants at biome borders. To disentangle herbivory and climate effects, we combined long‐term tree growth monitoring and dendroecology to investigate woody plant growth under different temperatures and red deer (Cervus elaphus) herbivory pressures at forest–moorland ecotones in the Scottish highlands. Reforestation and deer densities are core and conflicting management concerns in the area, and there is an urgent need for additional knowledge. We found that deer herbivory and climate had significant and interactive effects on tree growth: in the presence of red deer, pine (Pinus sylvestris) growth responded more strongly to annual temperature than in the absence of deer, possibly reflecting differing plant–plant competition and facilitation conditions. As expected, pine growth was negatively related to deer density and positively to temperature. However, at the tree population level, warming decreased growth when more than 60% of shoots were browsed. Heather (Calluna vulgaris) growth was negatively related to temperature and the direction of the response to deer switched from negative to positive when mean annual temperatures fell below 6.0°C. In addition, our models allow estimates to be made of how woody plant growth responds under specific combinations of temperature and herbivory, and show how deer management can be adapted to predicted climatic changes in order to more effectively achieve reforestation goals. Our results support the hypothesis that temperature and herbivory have interactive effects on woody plant growth, and thus accounting for just one of these two factors is insufficient for understanding plant growth mechanics at biome transitions. Furthermore, we show that climate‐driven woody plant growth increases can be negated by herbivory.

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Sheep grazing in the North Atlantic region: A long-term perspective on environmental sustainability

Cited by 60 publications

References 63 publications

Assessing the ecological impacts of extensive sheep grazing in Iceland

Assessing the ecological impacts of extensive sheep grazing in Iceland

Restoration priorities and strategies

Herbivory and climate as drivers of woody plant growth: Do deer decrease the impacts of warming?

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