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Grazing intensity and vegetation change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. A. Milne
J. A. Milne
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB9 2QJ
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Abstract

Change in the semi-natural vegetation of the hills and uplands of the UK is a relatively slow process. Whilst exogenous influences, such as climate and air quality, can influence the rate of change, the principal means whereby more rapid change can occur is through the actions of man in managing such resources to meet a range of objectives. Burning and grazing by large herbivores are the two most important management practices adopted and their interaction is central to the maintenance of vegetation in its current state and to its direction of change. This paper reviews how vegetation change associated with grazing occurs, how it can be measured, what the critical levels of grazing are for the most abundant species and what the implications of grazing are for nutrient supply for animal production systems.

Type
Research Article
Information
BSAP Occasional Publication , Volume 18: Livestock Production and Land Use in Hills and Uplands , January 1994 , pp. 23 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Production 1994

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