An Integrated Approach to Modeling Grazing Pressure in Pastoral Systems: The Case of the Logone Floodplain (Cameroon) |
| |
Authors: | Mark Moritz Eric Soma Paul Scholte Ningchuan Xiao Leah Taylor Todd Juran Saïdou Kari |
| |
Institution: | (1) Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA;(2) Kitabi College of Conservation & Environmental Management (KCCEM), Gikongoro, Rwanda;(3) The Centre d’Appui a la Recherche et au Pastoralisme (CARPA), Maroua, Cameroon |
| |
Abstract: | The discussion about the impact of pastoral systems on ecosystems has been profoundly shaped by Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons”
argument that held pastoralists responsible for overgrazing the range. Recent studies have shown that grazing ecosystems are
much more complex and dynamic than was previously assumed and that pastoralists adaptively manage these systems. However,
we still have little understanding how everyday herding affects ecosystems at the landscape level. We conducted a study of
daily herd movements and grazing strategies in a mobile pastoral system in the Logone floodplain, Cameroon. We integrated
GPS/GIS technology, video recordings of animal behavior, and ethnographic methods to develop a more accurate measurement of
grazing pressure that takes into account both livestock densities and grazing behavior. We used the resulting grazing pressure
data to evaluate existing conceptual models of grazing pressure at a landscape level. We found that models that predict that
grazing pressure is skewed towards the direction of water most accurately reflect the situation in the Logone floodplain in
the dry season. However, we found that the higher grazing pressure is not only the result of a higher density of cattle but
also a change in the grazing behavior of animals after watering. Finally, we caution that the models of grazing pressure in
the dry season cannot simply be extrapolated to the landscape level because mobile pastoralists do not remain in one central
place. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|