To graze or not to graze: A core question for conservation and sustainable use of grassy ecosystems in Brazil

Abstract

Differently from commonly used forest conservation strategies, the absence of disturbance in non-forest-ecosystems can result in loss of biodiversity. Grassy ecosystems characterize extensive areas in all biomes in Brazil, offering great contribution to biological diversity and providing ecosystem services on which society depends. Palaeoecological evidence indicates these ecosystems evolved under the influence of grazing and fire, and these disturbances have been essential for controlling the dominance of woody vegetation. While the need for fire to maintain grassy biomes has been recently discussed, grazing as a management tool for conservation is still little accepted by the local scientific community and by decision-makers. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of the current literature on grazing management and its effects on grassy ecosystems in Brazil. Based on a review of the role of grazers prior and after European colonization, and a synthesis on grazing effects across different systems, we call for the evaluation of grazing as a management tool for biodiversity conservation in Brazil’s grassy systems. Grazing should be an interesting management strategy especially in Legal Reserves with grassy vegetation types, as it can ally conservation with livestock production. To achieve these potentially complementary objectives, a research agenda needs to be developed to devise adaptive management strategies for Legal Reserves. In this, relevant stakeholders should be included and both the ecological conditions of the ecosystem in question and the socioeconomic determinants considered.