Abstract
The literature indicates that grazing small ruminants, when adequately managed, contributes to grassland biodiversity maintenance. On the other hand, milk and cheese from grazing animals show higher nutritional and aromatic quality than those from stall-fed animals. The relationship between the two issues has rarely been addressed. This article provides information for a discussion of this relationship. First, two case studies are reported. Local breeds of small ruminants fed by grazing on pastures within the Special Area of Conservation “Monti Foy” in the Northwestern Basilicata region (Italy), with a stocking rate of 4.0 LU ha−1 year−1, showed the best effectiveness for the maintenance of grassland botanical biodiversity. Milk and cheese from pasture-fed goats showed higher contents of beneficial fatty acids, phenols, and vitamins A and E; higher degree of antioxidant protection; and richer volatile compound profiles, in particular for terpenes content. Finally, some recommendations for the management of grazing systems in similar mountain areas are offered, including a viable approach for land managers to preserve the grassland biodiversity of pastures and provide high-quality products that are valuable both for their nutritional quality and for their contribution to the economic sustainability of mountain communities.
Highlights
The grazing system has been an important component of the Mediterranean environment for millennia; it represents a valid tool for managing and preserving that environment [1,2,3]
In mountain areas characterized by forests/shrubs and meadows, well-managed pastoral activity could be considered a tool for landscape preservation, fire prevention [13], and grassland biodiversity maintenance, contributing to the overall economic benefit of mountain communities
The results reported here supported by the aforementioned studies on goat grazing behavior [17, 21], together with the elements of the traditional management system in that area, led the authors to grazing practice recommendations that include the use of local-breed sheep and goats because they are capable of exploiting natural resources in a sustainable manner that protects the environment [as emerged from previous studies reviewed by [18]]
Summary
The grazing system has been an important component of the Mediterranean environment for millennia; it represents a valid tool for managing and preserving that environment [1,2,3]. Several authors have pointed out the importance of a correct livestock management on overgrazed or undergrazed areas, in order to preserve or increase the floristic richness and the nutritional value of grassland [8,9,10] and forage and to improve the animal productive performances (milk yield) [11]. In mountain areas characterized by forests/shrubs and meadows, well-managed pastoral activity could be considered a tool for landscape preservation, fire prevention [13], and grassland biodiversity maintenance, contributing to the overall economic benefit of mountain communities
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