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Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
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Biodiversity in rangelands is decreasing, due to intense utilization for livestock production and conversion of rangeland into cropland; yet the outlook of rangeland biodiversity has not been considered in view of future global demand for food. Here we assess the impact of future livestock production on the global rangelands area and their biodiversity. First we formalized exist- ing knowledge about livestock grazing impacts on biodiversity, expressed in mean species abundance (MSA) of the original rangeland native species assemblages, through metaanalysis of peer-reviewed literature. MSA values, ranging from 1 in natural rangelands to 0.3 in man-made grasslands, were entered in the IMAGE-GLOBIO model. This model was used to assess the impact of change in food demand and livestock production on future rangeland biodiversity. The model revealed remarkable regional variation in impact on rangeland area and MSA between two agricultural production scenarios. The area of used rangelands slightly increases globally between 2000 and 2050 in the baseline scenario and reduces under a scenario of enhanced uptake of resource-efficient production technologies increasing production [high levels of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology (high-AKST)], particularly in Africa. Both scenarios suggest a global decrease in MSA for rangelands until 2050. The contribution of livestock grazing to MSA loss is, however, expected to diminish after 2030, in particular in Africa under the high-AKST scenario. Policies fostering agricultural intensification can reduce the overall pressure on rangeland biodiversity, but additional measures, addressing factors such as climate change and infrastructural development, are necessary to totally halt biodiversity loss.
dose-response model | intactness | land use
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Climate Science Documents
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Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness
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The search for predictions of species diversity across environmental gradients has challenged ecologists for decades. The humped-back model (HBM) suggests that plant diversity peaks at intermediate productivity; at low productivity few species can tolerate the environmental stresses, and at high productivity a few highly competitive species dominate. Over time the HBM has become increasingly controversial, and recent studies claim to have refuted it. Here, by using data from coordinated surveys conducted throughout grasslands worldwide and comprising a wide range of site productivities, we provide evidence in support of the HBM pattern at both global and regional extents. The relationships described here provide a foundation for further research into the local, landscape, and historical factors that maintain biodiversity.
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Climate Science Documents
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Producer Adoption of Native Grass Forages
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Pat Keyser (Center for Native Grasslands, University of Tennessee) describes opportunities for practitioners to better partner with livestock producers to adopt native grass forages and advance working lands conservation. What is good for the cows is good for native species too. This webinar was presented as part of the Mississippi Flyway Summit in September 2020.
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Training
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Videos and Webinars
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Virtual tour: Native Warm Season Grass Grazing
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Join a tour of pasture lands that use native warm season grasses to provide good grazing for livestock and invaluable habitat, food, and shelter for native wildlife. The video highlights the benefits of different native grasses and how quickly these grasses can benefit working lands.
Developed and provided by Ohio NRCS, Ohio State University Extension, the Madison Soil and Water Conservation District, and Quail/Pheasants Forever. Released September 2020.
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Videos and Webinars
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Winter Grazing - a Better Way to Feed
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In this video, three livestock producers describe how extending the grazing season with winter grasses has saved them time and money, while also improving the environment; and they demonstrate the methods they used to achieve these savings. Sponsored by the NRCS - East National Technology Support Center.
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Videos and Webinars
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Burning in the Growing Season
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Learn about the opportunities of using prescribed fire during the growing season in the warm Summer and Fall months. Prescribed fire can help livestock operations extend good forage later into the year. This factsheet designed for landowners and producers interested in prescribed fire and the practitioners that support them.
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Publications, fact sheets, training materials
