Do goats preserve the forest? Evaluating the effects of grazing goats on combustible Mediterranean scrub

Applied Vegetation Science

Volumn 16, Issue 1, 2013, Pages 63-73

  Mancilla Leyton J M ^a   Pino Mejias R ^a   Martin Vicente A ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SEVILLE   (Spain)

Author keywords

Do ana; Flammability; Forest fires; Phytovolume; Silvopastoral systems

Indexed keywords

ANIMALIA; CAPRA HIRCUS; CERVIDAE;

EID: 84872421299     PISSN: 14022001     EISSN: 1654109X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1654-109X.2012.01214.x     Document Type: Article

References (80)

1. Agee, J.K., Bahro, B., Finney, M.A., Omi, P.N., Sapsis, D.B., Skinner, C.N., van Wagtendonk, J.W. & Weatherspoon, C.P. 2000. The use of shaded fuelbreaks in landscape fire management. Forest Ecology and Management 127: 55-66.
2. Alados, C.L., Pueyo, Y., Giner, M.L., Navarro, T., Escos, J., Barroso, F., Cabezudo, B. & Emlen, J.M. 2003. Quantitative characterization of the regressive ecological succession by fractal analysis of plant spatial patterns. Ecological Modelling 163: 1-17.
3. Antrop, M. 1993. The transformation of the Mediterranean landscapes: an experience of 25 years of observations. Landscape and Urban Planning 24: 3-13.
4. Baeza, M.J. & Vallejo, V.R. 2008. Vegetation recovery after fuel management in Mediterranean shrublands. Applied Vegetation Science 11: 151-158.
5. Belsky, A.J. 1992. Effects of grazing, competition, disturbance and fire on species composition and diversity in grassland communities. Journal of Vegetation Science 3: 187-200.
6. Briske, D.D., Fuhlendorf, S.D. & Smeins, F.E. 2003. Vegetation dynamics on rangelands: a critique of the current paradigms. Journal of Applied Ecology 40: 601-614.
7. Celaya, R., Martínez, A. & Osoro, K. 2007. Vegetation dynamics in Cantabrian heathlands associated with improved pasture areas under single or mixed grazing by sheep and goats. Small Ruminant Research 72: 165-177.
8. Concepción, E.D., Díaz, M. & Baquero, R.A. 2008. Effects of landscape complexity on the ecological effectiveness of agri-environment schemes. Landscape Ecology 23: 135-148.
9. Daget, P. & Poissonet, J. 1971. Une méthode d'analyse phytologique des prairies, critères d'application. Annales Agronomiques 22: 5-41.
10. De Queiroz, A. 1993a. For consensus (sometimes). Systematic Biology 42: 368-372.
11. De Queiroz, J.S. 1993b. Range degradation in Botswana: myth or reality? Pastoral Development Network Paper, No. 35b. Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, UK.
12. Devendra, C. & McLeroy, G.B. 1987. Goat and sheep production in the tropics. Longman Scientific and Technical, SG.
13. Dougill, A. & Cox, J. 1995. Land degradation and grazing in the Kalahari: new analysis and alternative perspectives. Pastoral Development Network Paper, No. 38c. Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, UK.
14. Dregne, H.E. & Willis, W.O. 1983. Dryland agriculture. Agronomy No. 23, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, US.
15. EFFIS 2010. The European Forest Fire Information System Newsletter. Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra, IT.
16. Elvira, L. & Hernando, C. 1989. Inflamabilidad y energía de las especies de sotobosque. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias, Madrid, ES.
17. Emanuelsson, U. 2009. The rural landscapes of Europe: how man has shaped European nature. Swedish Research Council Formas, Värnamo, SE.
18. Etienne, M., Derzko, M. & Rigolot, E. 1996. Browse impact in silvopastoral systems participating in fire prevention in the French Mediterranean region. In: Etienne, M. (ed.) Western European silvopastoral systems. pp. 93-102. INRA, Paris, FR.
19. Facelli, J.M. & Springbett, H. 2009. Why do some species in arid lands increase under grazing? Mechanisms that favour increased abundance of Maireana pyramidata in overgrazed chenopod shrublands of South Australia. Austral Ecology 34: 588-597.
20. Franca, A. 2001. The future of the Green Mediterranean. Environmental Defence Office of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Alghero, IT.
21. Frandsen, W. 1983. Modelling big sagebrush as a fuel. Journal of Range Management 36: 596-600.
22. Gall, C. 1981. Goat production. Academic Press, London, UK.
23. Goel, G., Makkar, H.P.S. & Becker, K. 2008. Changes in microbial community structure, methanogenesis and rumen fermentation in response to saponin-rich fractions from different plant materials. Journal of Applied Microbiology 105: 770-777.
24. Granados, M., Martin, A. & Garcia Novo, F. 1988. Long-term vegetation change on the stabilized dunes of Doñana National Park (SW Spain). Vegetatio 75: 73-80.
25. Green, L.R. & Newell, L.A. 1982. Using goats to control brush regrowth on fuel breaks. General Technical Report PSW-59. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experimental Station, Forest Service, USDA, Berkely, CA, US.
26. Grime, J. 1979. Competition and the struggle for existence. In: Anderson, R.M., Turner, B.D. & Taylor, L.R. (eds.) Population dynamics. pp. 123-140. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, UK.
27. Guillén, M.D., Cabo, N. & Burillo, J. 1996. Characterisation of the essential oils of some cultivated aromatic plants of industrial interest. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 70: 359-363.
28. Hacker, R.B. 1984. Vegetation dynamics in a grazed mulga shrubland community. II. The ground storey. Australian Journal of Botany 32: 251-261.
29. Harper, J.L. 1969. The role of predation in vegetational diversity. In: Woodwell, G.M. & Smith, H.H. (eds.) Diversity and stability in ecological system. pp. 48-62. Brookhaven Symposion in Biology 22. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Brookhaven, NY, US.
30. Henkin, Z., Seligman, N.G., Noy-Meir, I., Kafkafi, U. & Gutman, M. 1998. Rehabilitation of Mediterranean dwarf-shrub rangeland with herbicides, fertilizers, and fire. Journal of Range Management 51: 193-199.
31. Huntly, N. 1991. Herbivores and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 22: 477-503.
32. IESA/CSIC 2008. Ecobarómetro de Andalucía 2008. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Sevilla, ES.
33. Jáuregui, B.M., Celaya, R., García, U. & Osoro, K. 2007. Vegetation dynamics in burnt heather-gorse shrublands under different grazing management with sheep and goats. Agroforestry Systems 70: 103-111.
34. Juhren, M.C. 1966. Ecological observations on Cistus in the Mediterranean vegetation. Forest Science 12: 415-426.
35. Keeley, J. 1986. Resilience of Mediterranean shrub communities to fires. In: Dell, B., Hopkins, A.J.M. & Lamont, B.B. (eds.) Resilience in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. pp. 95-112. Dr. W. Junk, Dordrecht, NL.
36. Lasanta, T., González-Hidalgo, J.C., Vicente-Serrano, S.M. & Sferi, E. 2006. Using landscape ecology to evaluate an alternative management scenario in abandoned Mediterranean mountain areas. Landscape and Urban Planning 78: 101-114.
37. Launchbaugh, K., Brammer, B., Brooks, M.L., Bunting, S., Clark, P., Davison, J., Fleming, M., Kay, R., Pellant, M., Pyke, D.A. & Wylie, B. 2008. Interactions among livestock grazing, vegetation type, and fire behavior in the Murphy Wildland Fire Complex in Idaho and Nevada, July 2007. United States Geological Survey Technical Report 1214: 1-42.
38. Livingstone, I. 1991. Livestock management and "overgrazing" among pastoralists. Ambio 20: 80-85.
39. Mace, R. 1991. Overgrazing overstated. Nature 349: 280-281.
40. Magadlela, A.M., Dabaan, M.E., Bryan, W.B., Prigge, E.C., Skousen, J.G., D'Souza, G.E., Arbogast, B.L. & Flores, G. 1995. Brush clearing on hill land pasture with sheep and goats. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 174: 1-8.
41. Magurran, A.E. 1988. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, US.
42. Mancilla-Leytón, J.M., Fernández-Alés, R. & Martín Vicente, A. 2011. Plant-ungulate interaction: goat gut passage effect on survival and germination of Mediterranean shrub seeds. Journal of Vegetation Science 22: 1031-1037.
43. Martín, J.A. & Huss, D.L. 1981. Goats much maligned but necessary. Rangelands 3: 199-201.
44. Martín, A., Mancilla-Leytón, J.M., Parejo, C., Fernández Alés, R. & Leiva, M.J. 2011. The function of goat grazing in Doñana Natural Park. Options Méditerranéennes. Série A: Séminaires Méditerranéens, 100: 173-178.
45. McNaughton, S.J. 1983. Compensatory plant growth as a response to herbivory. Oikos 40: 329-336.
46. Milchunas, D.G., Lauenroth, W.K. & Chapman, P.L. 1992. Plant competition, abiotic, and long-term and short-term effects of large herbivores on demography of opportunistic species in a semiarid grassland. Oecologia 92: 520-531.
47. Milchunas, D.G., Lauenroth, W.K. & Burke, I.C. 1998. Livestock grazing: animal and plant biodiversity of shortgrass steppe and the relationship to ecosystem function. Oikos 83: 65-74.
48. Mitchell, E. 1991. Brush control with goats. The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Inc., Pinkerton, CA, US.
49. Montero, G., Candela, J.A. & Rodriguez, A. 2004. El pino piñonero (Pinus pinea L.) en Andalucía. Ecología, distribución y selvicultura. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Sevilla, ES.
50. Morand-Fehr, P., Bourbouze, A., Le Houérou, H.N., Gall, C. & Boyazoglu, J.G. 1983. The role of goats in the Mediterranean area. Livestock Production Science 10: 569-587.
51. Morvan, D. & Dupuy, J.L. 2004. Modeling the propagation of a wildfire through a Mediterranean shrub using a multiphase formulation. Combustion and Flame 138: 199-210.
52. Moreira, F., Rego, F.C. & Ferreira, P.G. 2001. Temporal (1958-1995) pattern of change in a cultural landscape of northwestern Portugal: implications for fire occurrence. Landscape Ecology 16: 557-567.
53. Moreno, J.M., Vázquez, A. & Vélez, R. 1998. Recent history of forest fires in Spain. In: Moreno, J.M. (ed.) Large forest fires. pp. 159-185. Backhuys, Leiden, NL.
54. Mosquera-Losada, M.R., Fernández-Núñez, E. & Rigueiro-Rodríguez, A. 2006. Pasture, tree and soil evolution in silvopastoral systems of Atlantic Europe. Forest Ecology and Management 232: 135-145.
55. Nelson, R. 1988. Dryland management - the desertification problem. Environmental Department Working Paper 8. World Bank, New York, US.
56. Noy-Meir, I. 1995. Interactive effects of fire and grazing on structure and diversity of Mediterranean grasslands. Journal of Vegetation Science 6: 701-710.
57. Noy-Meir, I. 1998. Effects of grazing on Mediterranean grasslands: the community level. In: Papanastasis, V.P. & Peter, D. (eds.) Ecological basis of livestock grazing in Mediterranean ecosystems. pp. 27-39. Proceeding of the international occasional symposium of EGF 4, Commission of European Communities, Thessaloniki, GR.
58. Ojeda, F. 2001. El fuego como factor clave en la evolución de plantas mediterráneas. In: Zamora, R. & Pugnaire, F.I. (eds.), Ecosistemas Mediterráneos. Análisis funcional. pp. 319-349. CSIC/AEET, Madrid, ES.
59. Pausas, J.G. 2004. Changes in fire and climate in the eastern Iberian Peninsula (Mediterranean basin). Climatic Change 63: 337-350.
60. Perevolotsky, A., Landau, S., Kababya, D. & Ungar, E.D. 1998. Diet selection in dairy goats grazing woody Mediterranean rangeland. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 57: 117-131.
61. Perevolotsky, A. & Seligman, S.G. 1998. Role of grazing in Mediterranean rangeland ecosystems. BioScience 48: 1007-1017.
62. Puchala, R., Min, B.R., Goetsch, A.L. & Sahlu, T. 2005. The effect of condensed tannin-containing forage on methane emission by goats. Journal of Animal Science 83: 182-186.
63. Ramos, M.E., Robles, A.B. & Castro, J. 2006. Efficiency of endozoochorous seed dispersal in six dry-fruited species (Cistaceae): from seed ingestion to early seedling establishment. Plant Ecology 185: 97-106.
64. Reinhardt, E.D., Keane, R.E., Calkin, D.E. & Cohen, J.D. 2008. Objectives and considerations for wildland fuel treatment in forested ecosystems of the interior western United States. Forest Ecology and Management 256: 1997-2006.
65. Rigueiro-Rodríguez, A., Mosquera-Losada, M.R., Romero-Franco, R., González Hernández, M.P. & Villarino-Urtiaga, J.J. 2005. Silvopastoral systems as a forest fire prevention technique. In: Mosquera-Losada, M.R., McAdam, J. & Rigueiro-Rodríguez, A. (eds.) Silvopastoralism and sustainable land management. pp. 380-387. CABI, Wallingford, UK.
66. Röder, A., Hill, J., Duguy, B., Alloza, J.A. & Vallejo, R. 2008. Using long time series of Landsat data to monitor fire events and post-fire dynamics and identify driving factors. A case study in the Ayora region (eastern Spain). Remote Sensing of Environment 112: 259-273.
67. Roy, J. & Sonié, L. 1992. Germination and population dynamics of Cistus species in relation to fire. Journal of Applied Ecology 29: 647-655.
68. Ruiz-Mirazo, J., Robles, A.B. & González-Rebollar, J.L. 2011. Two-year evaluation of fuelbreaks grazed by livestock in the wildfire prevention program in Andalusia (Spain). Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 141: 13-22.
69. Torrano, L. & Valderrábano, J. 2005. Grazing ability of European black pine understorey vegetation by goats. Small Ruminant Research 58: 253-263.
70. Valderrábano, J. & Torrano, L. 2000. The potential for using goats to control Genista scorpius shrubs in European black pine stands. Forest Ecology and Management 126: 377-383.
71. Valdés, B., Talavera, S. & Fernández-Galiano, E. 1987. Flora vascular de Andalucía Occidental. Vols I-III. Ed. Ketres, Barcelona, ES.
72. Valette, J.C. 1990. lnflammabilités des espèces forestières méditerranénnes, conséquences sur la combustibilité des formations forestières. Revue Forestiere Française 42: 76-92.
73. Valette, J.C. 1997. Inflammabilities of Mediterranean species. In: Balabanis, P., Eftichidis, G. & Fantechi, R. (eds.) Forest fire risk and management. pp. 51-64. Porto Carras, Chalkidiki, GR.
74. Vallejo, R., Aronson, J., Pausas, J.G. & Cortina, J. 2006. Restoration of Mediterranean woodlands. In: van Andel, J. & Aronson, J. (eds.) Restoration Ecology: The new frontier, pp. 193-209. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK.
75. Varela Redondo, E., Calatrava Requena, J., Ruiz Mirazo, J., Jiménez Piano, R. & González Rebollar, J.L. 2007. Valoración económica del pastoreo en términos de costes evitados en labores de prevención de incendios forestales. In: Moreno, J.M., Myers, R. & Moore, P. (eds.) Wildfire 2007. 4th International Wildland Fire Conference. pp. 58-64. Organismo Autonómico de Parques Nacionales, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Sevilla, ES.
76. Vélez, R. 1990. Algunas observaciones para una selvicultura preventiva de incendios. Revista Ecología, special issue: 561-571. ICONA, Madrid, ES.
77. Vélez, R. 2000. La defensa contra incendios forestales: Fundamentos y experiencias. MacGraw Hill, Madrid, ES.
78. Vélez, R. 2009. Cambio global e incendios forestales: perspectivas en la Europa Meridional. Recursos rurais: revista oficial do Instituto de Biodiversidade Agraria e Desenvolvemento Rural (IBADER) 5: 49-54.
79. Villalón, C., Marcos, E. & Tárrega, R. 2001. Influencia de la estructura en la inflamabilidad y combustibilidad en ecosistemas de matorral. In: Junta de Castilla, y León (ed.) Reunión de Soria del Grupo de Trabajo de Ordenación de Montes. pp. 36-41. Sociedad Española de Ciencias Forestales, Madrid, ES.
80. Wagner, R., Flynn, J. & Gregory, R. 1998. Public perceptions of risk and acceptability of forest vegetation management alternatives in Ontario. The Forestry Chronicle 74: 720-727.