The potential for using goats to control Genista scorpius shrubs in European black pine stands

Celaya

Small Ruminant Research

et al. 2012

a b s t r a c tGoats have developed in harmony with local conditions of climate, terrain, vegetation, and even pathogens over centuries in many areas, while they have been blamed of causing environment degradation in other ones. The paper summarizes the situation of goat's population worldwide, the status of the breeds and the multiple implications of their conservation, the interactions of goats with other animal species (wild or domestic) and the main issues regarding the consequences of goat grazing from the environmental point of view. It underlines that most of the environmentally harmful effects of goat grazing arise from improper management practices at very high grazing pressures whereas goat grazing can be a useful tool for conservation if managed adequately. Moderate grazing pressures can be compatible with high levels of biodiversity and provide externalities, whereas high intensity at short term can be a valuable tool for weed control. Goat genetic heritage is seriously threatened and requires more studies and greater support from national and international institutions, in parallel with other efforts in rural development, especially for remote areas which hold an outstanding reservoir of livestock diversity adapted to the local conditions and managed by impoverished communities. A multidisciplinary approach of scientists, policy makers, rangeland managers and local communities is required for the design of future sustainable management plans.

Section: Bush Encroachment and Fire Risk Reductionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Goat grazing, its interactions with other herbivores and biodiversity conservation issues

Celaya

Small Ruminant Research

et al. 2012

Landscape and Urban Planning

“…The remaining lands were cultivated for cereals and grasslands (García- Ruiz and Lasanta, 1990). The abandonment of agricultural lands and the low livestock pressure caused a significant increase in shrubs, mainly on low hillsides, where Genista scorpius covers most of the abandoned fields and creates a highly homogeneous landscape , which is at great risk of fire (Valderrábano and Torrano, 2000).…”

Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Using landscape ecology to evaluate an alternative management scenario in abandoned Mediterranean mountain areas

Lasanta

Gonzalez‐Hidalgo

Vicente‐Serrano

et al. 2006

109

The main characteristic of landscape evolution in the Pyrenees during the 20th century is the increased presence of shrubs in old fields. Revegetation is mainly recorded on medium and low slopes because of land abandonment. The increase in shrubs causes the loss of grazing resources during winter, landscape homogenization and an increase in fire risk. The objective of this paper was to create a scenario for land use change by combining Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Landscape Ecology Analysis (LEA). To improve the present seasonal imbalance in pastoral resources, the scenario proposes to convert shrubland areas to grasslands without an excessive increase in soil erosion or landscape fragmentation. The results obtained indicate that the strategy produces greater landscape diversity and an increase in annual pasture resources (16.7%), which exceeds 60% of total in winter. The effects of landscape fragmentation on biodiversity, fire risk control and the imbalance of pastures are discussed. The scenario would improve extensive livestock farming, which is the most important economic activity in this area and other Mediterranean mountains.

“…2). Shrubs in these Mediterranean environments constitute a primary food source for ungulates (Martínez 1988(Martínez , 1990(Martínez , 1995(Martínez , 1997García-González and Cuartas 1989, 1992a, 1992bFandós 1991;Cuartas and García-González 1992;Valderrábano and Torrano 2000). Indeed, ungulates at our study sites browsed on some types of shrubs more frequently Note: Nonsignificant interactions were pooled with the error terms to increase dfs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Ungulate damage on Scots pines in Mediterranean environments: effects of association with shrubs

Gómez¹,

Hódar²,

Zamora³

et al. 2001

Can. J. Bot.

Abstract:The spatial structure of plant communities as well as the quality and abundance of neighbours can strongly influence the intensity of herbivory suffered by a plant. In this paper, we study the effect of the association with shrubs on the ungulate herbivory suffered by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. nevadensis Christ., Pinaceae) saplings in two isolated, fragmented populations in southeastern Spain. For this, we monitored herbivory on saplings with regard to the microhabitat in which they grew. We distinguished pines growing in open interspaces, on the edge of shrubs and within the canopy of shrubs, and also we distinguished four functional types of shrubs: thorny shrubs, nonthorny shrubs, thorny scrubs, and nonthorny scrubs. Our results show that association with shrubs increases the damage inflicted on Scots pine saplings. In fact, saplings growing in the open patches, far from the shrubs, escaped from herbivory more frequently and incurred less damage than did saplings growing close to shrubs. However, herbivory was also reduced when pine saplings were completely surrounded by shrubs, since then they served as a mechanical barrier. The type of neighbouring shrub did not affect the overall damage suffered by pines, despite the fact that the ungulates damaged the nonthorny scrubs more intensely than the other kinds of shrubs. Consequently, saplings have an advantage when growing within the canopy of shrubs; these constitute key microsites for pine recruitment in these Mediterranean forests.Key words: associational resistance, associational susceptibility, mammalian herbivory, Mediterranean high mountain, neighbouring effects, Pinus sylvestris var. nevadensis.Résumé : La structure spatiale des communautés végétales ainsi que la qualité et l'abondance des voisins peuvent fortement influencer l'intensité de l'herbivorie subie par les plantes. Les auteurs ont étudié l'effet de l'association avec des arbustes sur l'herbivorie subie de la part des ongulés par de jeunes plants de pin sylvestre (Pinus sylvestris var. -nevadensis Christ., Pinaceae) dans deux populations isolées et fragmentées du sud-est de l'Espagne. A cette fin, ils ont suivi l'herbivorie chez les jeunes plants en relation avec le microhabitat où ils poussent. Ils ont distingué les pins poussant dans les espaces ouverts, près d'arbustes et sous la canopée des arbustes, et ont également identifié 4 types fonctionnels d'arbustes : arbustes épineux, arbustes non-épineux, rebuts (scrubs) épineux, rebuts non-épineux. On observe que l'association avec les arbustes augmente le dommage subi par les jeunes plants de pin sylvestre. En fait, les jeunes plants poussant dans les espaces ouverts, loin des arbustes, échappent à l'herbivorie plus souvent et subissent moins de dommages que les jeunes plants poussant près des arbustes. Cependant, l'herbivorie est également réduite lorsque les jeunes plants de pin sont complètement entourés d'arbustes, qui servent alors de barrière mécanique. Le type d'arbuste avoisinant n'affecte pas les dommages en général s...