Work

Assessing the persistence of semi-natural species-rich grasslands under changes in grazing practices: Insights for grassland restoration

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Grazing practices are well-known to shape plant populations and communities in semi-natural grasslands. The restoration of these ecosystems relies heavily on maintaining traditional extensive grazing systems, which have persisted for centuries or even millennia. However the changes of grazing practices in relation to climate change and socio-economic factors can result in biodiversity loss, shifts in vegetation composition, soil degradation, and declines in ecosystem services and habitat quality. This study aimed to understand the medium-term (3-16 years) effects of changes in grazing practices by examining two sheep grazing methods in the semi-natural rangelands of Southern France: traditional herding with shepherds and herding dogs, and the more recent practice of fenced free grazing, which emerged at the beginning of the 21st century to reduce labor costs. Surveys were conducted at six paired study sites over three years, assessing vegetation, mesological data, and plant traits. Traditional herding created five vegetation zones with characteristic grassland species resulting from grazing pressure gradient according to distance from sheepfold. Shifting from traditional herding to fenced grazing, led to a homogenization of plant communities, an increase in presence and abundance of more xero-mesophilous species, reducing heterogeneity and differentiation along the grazing intensity gradient between zones inherited by traditional herding. These findings highlight the ecological implications of altered grazing regimes for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functionality, and long-term grassland persistence. They provide critical insights into designing adaptive and sustainable restoration strategies for degraded grasslands under changing environmental and socio-economic conditions.

Source: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2025.110169

Authors: Christel Vidaller, Thierry Dutoit

Institutions: Aix-Marseille Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale

Language: English

Topic: Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,190