FEATURE
Figure 4 . A homogenous landscape optimised for livestock production ( A ), and ( B ) a heterogeneous landscape for livestock production and biodiversity conservation .
Periodic , intense trampling – Savory ’ s ‘ hoof-effect ’ – is regarded by regenerative grazers as a sine qua non for restoring and maintaining ecosystem processes and productive , profitable ranches . Although trampling can improve seedbeds for germination and open swards to allow easier foraging by some ground-dwelling birds , few organisms appear to enjoy being trodden on , torn , shredded , or in other ways disturbed by the sharp hooves of dense herds or flocks of livestock . As the comedian , Dave Barry wisely quipped , “ Life is anything that dies when you stomp on it .” Trampling can destroy or reduce the intact grass and herbaceous canopies required by many invertebrates and birds for hunting , foraging , and nesting ( e . g ., web-building spiders , ground-breeding birds ), or shelter from predators . Indigenous forbs and biological soil crusts can be markedly reduced by recurrent trampling . Therefore , periodic palliative recovery rests of a year or more , longer than those currently used
References in ReGM systems ( i . e ., many weeks to months ), could be essential to maintain viable populations of plants , invertebrates , and animals in grazing areas .
One of the conclusions of the review ( Morris 2021b ) was that , similar to the inconsistent effects of Holistic grazing on vegetation structure and composition and livestock production , multi-taxa biodiversity does not always respond positively to ReGM wherever it is applied . Regenerative grazing is not a silver bullet to simultaneously achieve both conservation and production . Another important conclusion was that fashioning a productive and resilient landscape best suited to livestock will not inevitably create the heterogeneous habitats required to harbour and conserve a wide range of living creatures . However , because ReGM systems exert quite strong control over the timing , place , and duration of livestock impacts , they could be modified to create more biodiverse grazing areas by becoming more holistic , adaptive , and strategic .
Grazing and trampling by large herds moving quickly are just one of the many spatially and temporally variable impacts at play in ‘ natural ’ ecosystems ( Franke and Kotze 2022 ). Fire , often eschewed by Holistic and now Regenerative grazers is another important disturbance with which many plants and animals in more mesic grasslands have evolved and are still dependent on . Excluding fire exacerbates selective grazing and plant dominance , even under ReGM ( Figure 3 ), whereas the synergistic application of burning and grazing can engender a [ shifting ] heterogeneous landscape mosaic ( Fuhlendorf and Engle 2001 ). A greater variety of special habitats could also be created by shifting from the relentless application of high density , short-duration stocking to allow animals to linger longer in some places to deliberately create small ‘ overgrazed ’ bare patches that some burrowers and foragers require , letting animals loiter in some large areas to provide moderate , variable impacts , and to set aside sensitive ( and overused ) areas for long restorative rests or for woody refuges .
A dense , nutritious , and productive grass sward with high cover , most suitable for livestock production , would not necessarily promote biodiversity . Therefore , creating conservation-friendly ranches ( Figure 4 ) would take some different thinking and careful strategic planning , combined with thorough monitoring to assess whether a grazing landscape has been formed that indeed provides “… room for many things .”
“ How the shape of the fire ’ s wake is echoed by livestock , noses to the new green shapes the uneven scatter of habitats , the shatter of seeds to renewed soil : a landscape with room for many things .” “ The Choice of Fire Grazers ” by Cedar Brant ( in Smith et al . 2021 ).
Franke AC , Kotzé E . 2022 . High-density grazing in southern Africa : inspiration by nature leads to conservation ? Outlook on Agriculture January 24 https :// doi . org / 10.1177 / 00307270221075060
Fuhlendorf SD , Engle DM . 2001 . Restoring heterogeneity on rangelands : ecosystem management based on evolutionary grazing patterns . BioScience 51 : 625-632 https :// doi . org / 10.1641 / 0006-3568 ( 2001 ) 051 [ 0625 : RHOREM ] 2.0 . CO ; 2
Morris CD . 2019 . Key forbs indicate the condition of mesic grassland . Grassroots November 2019 , 19 ( 4 ): 7-8 . Morris CD . 2021a . To kill a grassland forb . Grassroots July 2021 21 ( 2 ): 9-11 .
Morris CD . 2021b . How biodiversity-friendly is Regenerative Grazing ? Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9:816374 . https :// doi . org / 10.3389 / fevo . 2021.816374
Schurch MP , McManus J , Goets S , Pardo LE , Gaynor D , Samuels I , Cupido C , Couldridge V , Smuts B . 2021 . Wildlife-friendly livestock management promotes mammalian biodiversity recovery on a semi-arid Karoo farm in South Africa . Frontiers in Conservation Science 2:652415 . https :// doi . org / 10.3389 / fcosc . 2021.652415
Smith AP , Epstein K , Gosnell H . 2021 . Grazing the Fire – poetry of rangeland science : a review
11 Grassroots Vol 22 No 2 July 2022