Intensity of livestock grazing in relation to habitat use by brown hares (Lepus europaeus)

There is very limited information concerning livestock (sheep and goats) and brown hare Lepus europaeus interaction when both coexist. The effect of the intensity of livestock grazing on seasonal habitat use by hares, in a typical Mediterranean rangeland, was evaluated using the pellet-count method. Lightly grazed pastures were less preferred by hares compared with moderately grazed ones, whereas ungrazed pastures were used less intensively than grazed ones. Because livestock grazing reduces the quantity of standing biomass proportionally to its grazing intensity, forage resource was not the driving force for pasture selection. The increased use of moderately grazed pastures by hares in relation to lightly and ungrazed ones, where vegetation was more abundant, could be attributed to their reduced herbage height and density. This behaviour is probably a tactic that hares follow for predator avoidance, because they are more likely to detect visually approaching predators when feeding in a biotope with a limited herbaceous layer. The conclusion of this research is that livestock and brown hare coexistence may be compatible and beneficial rather than competitive when stocking rates do not exceed grazing capacity, leading to the conclusion that proper livestock grazing and hare population management can be feasible in practice.     

Influence supplementary feeding on bark browsing by red deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cervus elaphus</Emphasis>) under experimental conditions

The effect of various supplementary feeds on bark browsing was studied in red deer under controlled conditions. Fifteen female red deer were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments (n = 3 animals each): meadow hay as a control (C), combinations of meadow hay with grass silage (GS), maize silage (MS), maize silage with oats (MSO) or a pelleted concentrate (PC). The deer were kept in enclosures where we offered fresh spruce stems daily. The experiment consisted of two periods. In the first period (A), the animals had free access to food during 24 h, while in the second period (B), the access was restricted to night hours only. In both periods, the supplementary feeds were available ad libitum. Mean daily consumption of browsed bark in the control group in period A was 1,053 g while in the remaining groups it ranged from six to 20 g. In period B, simulating the conditions in disturbed hunting areas, bark consumption in all groups increased considerably, the highest increase being found in groups GS (430 vs. 19 g/day) and MS (101 vs. 6 g/day). In period A, the highest dry matter (DM) intake including browse was found in group MS (2,816 g/day) and the lowest one in group GS (2,307 g/day). In period B, the highest (2,763 g/day) and the lowest (2,153 g/day) DM intake was observed in groups PC and MSO, respectively. If red deer is fed supplementary, meadow hay should be combined with maize silage, grass silage or concentrate to reduce bark browsing in forests. The bark browsing rate may increase considerably if red deer are disturbed or their grazing cycle is impaired.     

Modeling Historic Rangeland Management and Grazing Pressures in Landscapes of Settlement

Defining historic grazing pressures and rangeland management is vital if early landscape threshold crossing and long–term trajectories of landscape change are to be properly understood. In this paper we use a new environmental simulation model, Búmodel, to assess two contrasting historical grazing landscapes in Myvatnssveit Iceland for two key periods—the colonization period (ca. Landnám, a.d. 872–1000) and the early eighteenth century a.d. Results suggest that there were spatial and temporal variations in productivity and grazing pressure within and between historic grazing areas and indicate that land degradation was not an inevitable consequence of the livestock grazing introduced with settlement. The results also demonstrate the significance of grazing and livestock management strategies in preventing overgrazing, particularly under cooler climatic conditions. The model enables detailed consideration of historic grazing management scenarios and their associated landscape pressures.     

The impact of large herbivores on floral composition and vegetation structure in the Naukluft Mountains, Namibia

Floral composition and vegetation structure were investigated on the Naukluft Mountain Plateau to determine (i) whether or not grazing has had an impact on the flora of the Naukluft Mountains during the last two decades and (ii) if so, whether vegetation recovery is influenced by the nature of the rainy season. Vegetation subjected to grazing to large herbivores and vegetation excluded from grazing for 18 and 19 years was compared. Based on classification (TWINSPAN) and ordination (detrended and canonical correspondence analysis) of 20, 10 × 10 m stands within and outside exclosures in two seasons, a clear difference in floristic composition between grazed and not grazed areas was indicated. Although neither the height of the vegetation, not the growth form spectrum differed significantly between grazed and not grazed sites, leaf-succulents were much more abundant when grazing was excluded. This suggests that changes in the vegetation due to grazing pressure have occurred in the last two decades, but the degree of grazing impact is not severe and may be part of the natural savanna ecosystem of the Naukluft Mountains. Whether this trend also occurs in other vegetation types in the Naukluft Mountains remains to the investigated. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rangeland as a Common Property Resource: Contrasting Insights from Communal Areas of Central Eastern Cape Province,South Africa

This paper explores the grazing management systems in operation in communal areas of central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, through two contrasting case studies from the region. Considerable differences in current management systems are identified and are shown to depend primarily on the degree of control that can be exercised by communities over communal grazing resources. This in turn can be related to the social and ecological heterogeneity that characterises the region and how this influences pressure on grazing resources at the local level. On the basis of this study three broad levels of grazing management system are identified in these communal areas. These are: complete lack of management with grazing taking place in an ‘open-access’ manner; grazing being controlled on a community basis and grazing taking place on private land and being controlled entirely by the landowner. Many aspects of these scenarios find reflection in struggles over common property which are taking place in other parts of Africa. Understanding the variation in these systems from both a social and ecological perspective will be fundamental in challenging previous management paradigms, and facilitating the development of effective common property institutions for grazing management systems in communal areas of South Africa.