European grasslands encompass a wide range of habitats that vary greatly in terms of their management, agricultural productivity, socio-economic value and nature conservation status, reflecting local differences in physical environment and economy, the effects of traditional practices and impacts of recent management. Widespread loss of biodiversity, as well as other environmental problems, hav...

Livestock grazing effects on herbaceous vegetation diversity and ecosystem function are summarized from peer-reviewed literature. Ecosystem responses are linked to grazing management via residual dry matter (RDM), which is alternatively called litter or mulch. Residual dry matter is the dead herbaceous aboveground biomass remaining on a site at the time of autumn germination in annual grassland...

In the arid and semi-arid regions of Northeast Asia, grassland degradation has become a major environmental and economic problem, so sustainable utilization of resources is crucial in terms of not only supporting the local and animal production but also thinking about the global environment. Especially in Mongolia and North China, grassland degradation has mainly been induced by artificial fact...

Livestock grazing potentially has substantial influence on fuel characteristics in rangelands around the globe. However, information quantifying the impacts of grazing on rangeland fuel characteristics is limited, and the effects of grazing on fuels are important because fuel characteristics are one of the primary factors determining risk, severity, continuity, and size of wildfires. We investi...

This paper reports the construction and testing of a historical environmental simulation model, Búmodel (bú: Icelandic farm estate or enterprise). The model permits the investigation of historical grazing management under variable environmental conditions in Iceland through the prediction of spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation biomass and utilisation. Input parameters of the model are e...

Adding value to feeder cattle through feedlot retained ownership is a marketing alternative most producers often overlook. Universities, private consultants, cattle buyers and feedlot owners/managers have flooded the cattle industry with information pertaining to retained ownership. Yet producers are reluctant to view this as a marketing alternative. Most of this reluctance is due to a lack of ...

The Technosystem intensive grazing system, now called TechnoGrazing™, was developed by Rangitikei farmer, Harry Wier, during the past 25 years and is being adopted successfully on New Zealand pastoral farms. The TechnoGrazing concept is a most effective advance in subdivision and grazing management, achieving very intensive and efficient pasture utilisation, with a quantum leap in animal produc...

Finding an optimal balance between livestock production and grazing impact on animal diversity is important for the development of sustainable grazing systems. This paper tests the hypothesis that extensification of grazing management enhances animal diversity. Similar treatments were applied over a period of three years to sites in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. There were three treatments...