Track 1-13: Monitoring and Managing Grass and Forage Biomass Resources at the Landscape Level
Description
The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is highly valued for its diversity of flora and fauna, and the dynamic hydrological regime, combined with heterogeneous topography, has resulted in a mosaic of diverse habitats types in terms of species and physical structure. However, the Pantanal floodplains are also important for beef cattle production due to the abundance of forage resources. Cattle prefer grazing near water bodies because these areas have high quality forage as a result of flooding regimes (Santos et al. 2002). Many wetlands go through a wet/dry cycle that is essential to maintain their productivity and function. In drier years, wetland drawdown provides optimal conditions for a diverse range of forage species, and in these conditions cattle can graze continuously leading to pasture degradation. It is therefore essential to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of forage production and consumption.
In this study we assessed and monitored vegetation, from long-term permanent plots located at the edge of one of the pond habitats intensively grazed by cattle, in order to evaluate degradation and quantify indicators of resilience (Briske et al. 2006).
Citation
Santos, Sandra A.; Perotto-Baldivieso, Humberto L.; and Young, Dylan, "Resilience and Degradation in a Tropical Wetland Overgrazed by Cattle" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 11.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/22/1-13/11
Included in
Resilience and Degradation in a Tropical Wetland Overgrazed by Cattle
The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is highly valued for its diversity of flora and fauna, and the dynamic hydrological regime, combined with heterogeneous topography, has resulted in a mosaic of diverse habitats types in terms of species and physical structure. However, the Pantanal floodplains are also important for beef cattle production due to the abundance of forage resources. Cattle prefer grazing near water bodies because these areas have high quality forage as a result of flooding regimes (Santos et al. 2002). Many wetlands go through a wet/dry cycle that is essential to maintain their productivity and function. In drier years, wetland drawdown provides optimal conditions for a diverse range of forage species, and in these conditions cattle can graze continuously leading to pasture degradation. It is therefore essential to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of forage production and consumption.
In this study we assessed and monitored vegetation, from long-term permanent plots located at the edge of one of the pond habitats intensively grazed by cattle, in order to evaluate degradation and quantify indicators of resilience (Briske et al. 2006).
