Grazing Areas Research Articles

Explaining transhumance-related violence: Fulani Ethnic Militia in rural Nigeria

The growing incidence of farmer-herder conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa raises questions about its underlying causes. In Nigeria, for example, where both terrorism and farmer-herder conflicts have increased, questions arise about the roles of Boko Haram, vis-à-vis climate, natural disaster, grazing resources, market and policy-related constraints to grazing. To explain the causes of transhumance-related violence, we conceptualize push factors, which increase the spread of pastoral activities away from historical grazing areas; pull factors, which attract pastoralists to previously less-grazed areas; and escalating factors which explain increased pastoral violence in the latter. We further develop a theoretical location choice model to explain the grazing location decisions of herdsmen and violence resulting from resistance from destination communities. Using the Nigerian Fulani Herdsmen situation as a case study, we confirm the expected influences of hypothesized resource-related causal factors and the escalating roles of some economic, policy, market and land use challenges. Specifically, we empirically find that Boko Haram attacks escalate farmer-herder conflicts by intensifying the effects of drought, natural disasters, high temperature and other grazing constraints on herdsmen. We also explore possible policy solutions to the growing human casualty from violent attacks.

Impacts of climate warming on reindeer herding require new land-use strategies

Climate in the Arctic has warmed at a more rapid pace than the global average over the past few decades leading to weather, snow, and ice situations previously unencountered. Reindeer herding is one of the primary livelihoods for Indigenous peoples throughout the Arctic. To understand how the new climate state forces societal adaptation, including new management strategies and needs for preserved, interconnected, undisturbed grazing areas, we coupled changes in temperature, precipitation, and snow depth recorded by automatic weather stations to herder observations of reindeer behaviour in grazing areas of the Laevas Sámi reindeer herding community, northern Sweden. Results show that weather and snow conditions strongly determine grazing opportunities and therefore reindeer response. We conclude that together with the cumulative effects of increased pressures from alternative land use activities, the non-predictable environmental conditions that are uniquely part of the warming climate seriously challenge future reindeer herding in northern Sweden.

Dermatopathy caused by Tephrosia noctiflora intoxication in cattle

An outbreak of a disease characterized by emaciation, dermatitis with erythema, alopecia, foul-smelling exudation, crusting, hyperpigmentation, lichenification, and edema of fore- and hindlimbs, chest and dewlap is described affecting cattle in the State of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. Microscopically, the main lesions were characterized by diffuse dermatitis with infiltration of lymphocytes, histiocytes, parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and acanthosis. The plant Tephrosia noctiflora, which exhibited signs of consumption, infested the grazing areas of cattle. To test its toxicity, T. noctiflora was harvested, dried in the shade, crushed and sourced at a concentration of 50% mixed with commercial food for three guinea pigs. The main clinical signs in guinea pigs included weight loss and multifocal, moderate to severe areas of alopecia, diffuse erythema of the skin, vaginal edema and hematuria. Microscopically, lymphocytic and histiocytic dermatitis, parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and acanthosis were noted in guinea pigs. This experiment confirms that T. noctiflora is the cause of outbreaks of dermatitis observed in cattle grazing in areas infested by this plant.

Beneficial effects of livestock exclusion on tree regeneration, understory plant diversity, and soil properties in semiarid forests in Iran

AbstractZagros forests in western Iran have been impacted by severe fuelwood removal, traditional agricultural systems, non‐timber products removal, and livestock grazing. These conditions have led to the forest area diminishing from 10 to 6 million hectares over the last six decades. This study was conducted to understand the consequences of livestock exclusion on understory plant diversity, forest tree regeneration, and soil physicochemical properties in semiarid forests. We selected four neighbouring areas, including those subject to livestock exclusion and to grazing, in the Zagros oak forests of Iran. Ten randomized sampling plots (400 m2) were established, and all plant species were recorded in each area. A soil physicochemical analysis indicated a significant improvement in soil nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and organic matter in the livestock exclusion area compared to the grazing area. The Shannon–Wiener diversity and species richness was also significantly higher in the livestock exclusion areas compared to the grazed. Grazing tolerant species like Poa bulbosa were abundant in grazing areas, while palatable and nitrogen‐fixing species disappeared. The tree regeneration rate was significantly higher in the exclusion areas compared to the grazing areas, and its values were 0.079 and 0.006 per square metre in the exclusion and grazing areas, respectively. The results of the present study provided evidence that exclusion had a significant effect on improving soil chemical properties, understory plant diversity index, and sapling regeneration. However, the regeneration rates were still low, and therefore, livestock exclusion alone may not be enough to promote forest restoration. Therefore, to better understand plant diversity and tree regeneration in the Zagros forests, livestock exclusion and other factors such as soil seed bank and socio‐economic status of people should be considered.

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Increasing Illegal Livestock Grazing over Three Decades at Moyowosi Kigosi Game Reserve, Tanzania

The global increase of livestock has caused illegal intrusion of livestock into protected areas. Until now, hotspot areas of illegal grazing have rarely been mapped, long-term monitoring data are missing, and little is known about the drivers of illegal grazing. We localized hotspots of illegal grazing and identified factors that influenced spatio-temporal patterns of illegal grazing over three decades in the Moyowosi Kigosi Game Reserve (MKGR), Tanzania. We used questionnaires with local pastoralists (N = 159), georeferenced aerial survey data and ranger reports from 1990–2019 to understand the reasons for illegal grazing in the area. We found that hotspots of illegal grazing occurred initially within 0–20 km of the boundary (H (3) = 137, p < 0.001; (H (3) = 32, p < 0.001) and encroached further into the protected area with time (H (3) = 11.3, p = 0.010); (H (2) = 59.0, p < 0.001). Further, livestock herd sizes decreased with increasing distance from the boundary (R = −0.20, p = 0.020; R = −0.40, p = 0.010). Most interviewees (81%) claimed that they face challenges of reduced foraging land in the wet season, caused by increasing land used for cultivation, which drives them into the MKGR to feed their livestock. We conclude that there is spatio-temporal consistency in the illegal livestock intrusion over three decades, and hotspot areas are located along the boundary of the MKGR. We suggest focusing patrols at these hotspot areas, especially during the wet season, to use limited law enforcement resources effectively.

The Fear of Ethnic Domination: Explaining the Persistence of Natural Resource Conflicts in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Peasant-pastoralist conflicts are prevalent in postcolonial Africa—especially in the Sahel. Typically confined to rural areas, these conflicts have taken on ethnic, religious, and regional dimensions, engendering food and human insecurity as well as paralysing economic development in weak African states with fragile democratic experiments. Whilst volumes explaining the causes and consequences of the conflicts through environmental security and political ecology theoretical frameworks are not uncommon, the reasons for the conflicts’ intractability are largely underexplored. This article draws on the ontological security theoretical framework and Nigerian experiences to contend that peasant-pastoralist conflicts’ persistence owes not so much to environmental security or political ecology but to ethnic fears and historically accumulated prejudices which portend ethnic groups as existential threats. With the case of the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) policy which—despite its intention to ensure food security, enhance employment opportunities, and integrate the belligerent parties—was abruptly suspended, I contend that the policy failure was due in large measure to the ontological insecurity amongst ethnic groups that derives from the warring parties’ complex historical interactions. For ethnic groups in the Middle Belt and southern geopolitical zones comprehend pastoralists’ mobility as a hidden strategy to dominate the territories, and change the identities, of other ethno-religious groups. The consequence of these suspicions is the rejection of governmental policy initiatives geared toward resolving the conflicts. Ultimately, I argue that negotiations which break down inflexible attachments to demonising narratives and support mutual security-seeking amongst various groups are requisite for bridging ontological insecurities between pastoralists and peasants in Nigeria.

Clinico-hematobiochemical and Pathological Study of Acute Nutritional Muscular Dystrophy of Adult Buffalo Calves at Basrah, Iraq

Clinical, biochemical and pathological studies of adult buffalo calves at Basrah, Iraq were conducted on 64 suspected calves with muscular dystrophy, and other 10 clinically healthy animals was served as controls. Suspected calves have a history of recent turnout of exercise and reared in lush green grazing areas. Diseased calves showed different clinical signs, include sudden onset of dullness, Loss of appetite, lateral recumbence and difficulty to rise , panting with mouth breathing, Irregular heartbeats on auscultation, and acute death within 24hrs. However, Macrocytic normochromic anemia was detected by the hematological examinations. A significant hypo -thrombocytopenia and a significant difference of clotting factor indices were also indicated. Moreover, the results of the biochemical changes showed a statistically significant decrease (P<0.05) in α-tocopherol, Glutathione peroxidase, Whereas, a significant increase (P<0.05) in the values of Aspartate aminotrasferase (AST), Creatine kinase(CK) and Troponin I in the diseased animals than controls has been indicated. The cross pathological results of carcasses indicated enlargement of the heart which appears spherical-like in shape. There were small white patches on the epicardial surface. However, petechial hemorrhages on the epicardial surface were also indicated. The histopathological findings revealed mild to severe diffuse vacuolar changes (degeneration) in the myocardial fibers, a thrombotic mass revealed to inflammatory cell infiltration, and areas of severe fibrosis accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration which revealed to interstitial diffuse fibro-myocarditis was also detected. It was concluded that acute dystrophy of cardiac muscles has a harmful effect on diseased calves mostly terminated with sudden death.

Natural regeneration status of exclosures and open grazing areas in Northern Ethiopia

Land degradation is widespread and a serious threat affecting the livelihoods of many. It was found that the prospect of restoring degraded lands is technically promising using area exclosure. Data on vegetation were gathered from 90 quadrants from exclosures of different ages and 30 from adjacent free grazing lands. The seedling and sapling inventory were done by two subplots of 2 x 5 m established at the beginning and the end of the baseline on opposite sides of the main plot. A total of 27 sapling species belonging to 16 families was recorded. Sapling density ranges from 1000 to 21,000 saplings per ha (3197 ± 720). Fabaceae is the dominant family in the sapling. Similarly, a total of 17 seedling species belonging to 11 families was recorded. The overall seedling density ranges from 1000 to 12,000 seedlings per ha (2897 ± 980). Like sapling, fabaceae is the dominant family in the seedling. Analysis of seedling and sapling density indicated that both exclosures and free grazing areas were found to be dominated by few species. Local communities’ participation, incorporation of indigenous ecological knowledge, is crucial for long-term success of rehabilitation activities.

Grazing influences biomass production and protein content of alpine meadows

Alpine grasslands are essential for carbon sequestration and food supply for domestic and wild herbivores inhabiting mountainous areas worldwide. These biomes, however, are alternatively threatened by the abandonment of agricultural and livestock practices leading to a fast-growing shrubification process while other mountain grasslands are suffering from the impacts of overgrazing. The functioning of alpine meadow ecosystems is primarily driven by climatic conditions, land-use legacies and grazing. However, although it is critically important, the role of large herbivores on the aboveground biomass and protein content of palatable plants is poorly understood for most alpine meadows. In this work, we explore the effects of grazing on grassland vegetation at two different spatial and temporal scales in the Eastern Pyrenees, Spain. Remote sensing was used to assess the effect of high and moderate grazing (HG and MG respectively) on grass biomass using the leaf area index (LAI) at the meso-scale (patches between 2.3 and 38.7 ha). We also explored the impact of null (NG), overgrazing (MO, mimicked overgrazing) and high (HG) grazing intensities at local scale setting eighteen 1 m2 exclusion boxes in six meadows (three boxes each) commonly used by domestic and wild ungulates. Historical satellite data showed that LAI values are greater in high than in low grazed areas (HG, mean = 0.66, LG, mean = 0.55). Along the same lines, high and moderate grazing pressures improved biomass production at the local-scale (HG, mean = 590.3 g/m2, MO, mean = 389.3 g/m2 and NG, mean = 110.8 g/m2). Crude protein content reached higher values under MO pressure than under HG pressure. Our results confirm that grazing intensity exerts significant changes on the above-ground biomass production and the protein content of plants consumed by domestic (cattle and horses) and wild ungulates (Southern Chamois, Rupicapra pyrenaica). We can conclude that ungulates sustain biomass and nutritive values of grass exerting a negligible effect on biomass and protein content of woody vegetation. Our results will inform management guidelines to support profitable grazing activities and promote conservation of the open landscapes in the alpine ecosystems under the current global change scenario.

Contribution of Soil Type to Quantity and Nutritional Value of Grass Species on the South African Highveld

The biggest threat to cattle production in most South African communal areas is poor management of grazing, which negatively affects vegetation and soil structures. This study was conducted to assess the spatial variation of grass species density, production potential and quality in Breyten (Hutton soil type), Davel (Avalon soil type), and Wesselton (Clovelly soil type) communal rangelands in the highveld region of Mpumalanga province. Three 100 m transects per grazing area, placed at 50 m intervals (0, 50, and 100 m) were used to collect soil samples at 200 mm depth. A 100 m permanent line point method, replicated three times (50 m apart) per site, was used to identify and collect grass species samples. Grass species were classified according to life form, palatability, ecological status, and abundance. Grasses species were also harvested for chemical composition and in vitro ruminal dry matter degradability determination. Soils from the study areas had an acidic pH range (3.5–4.5). Hutton soil had the highest (p &lt; 0.05) nitrate (N-NO3) concentration (0.770 mg/kg) compared to Clovelly (0.030 mg/kg) and Avalon (0.533 mg/kg) soil types. Thirty-one grass species composed of 28 turf perennials, two weak perennials and one perennial creeping grass were identified across the study areas. About 16% of identified grass species were classified as highly palatable, 39% as moderately palatable, and 32% as unpalatable. Across all the soil types, Digitaria eriantha had the highest (p &lt; 0.05) crude protein (CP) (106.5 g/kg DM) content when compared to other grass species. In the Avalon soil type, D. eriantha had the lowest (p &lt; 0.05) neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (696.4 g/kg DM). Across all soils, D. eriantha, Aristida congesta, Eragrostis curvula, Eragrostis gummiflua, and Eragrostis plana grasses had the same (p &gt; 0.05) 48-h in vitro ruminal dry matter degradability Hutton soil had a higher proportion of common and dominant grass species as well as more palatable species with higher crude protein content than Avalon and Clovelly soils. However, for all three rangelands, there is a need for supplementary feeding to enhance the production efficiency of livestock given that the nutritive value of grasses was low.

Geoecological estimate of grassland use in the desert and semi-desert zone of the Republic of Kalmykia

In the Republic of Kalmykia, natural grassland and hayfields is a pivotal structural component of the ecosystem occupying 2/3 of the total regional land available. Developed pastoralism mirrors the representativeness of the region in terms of socio-economic and environmental issues of arid territories. Intensive use of grassland in the last century led to the development of pasture digression that is regarded not only as a key integral component, but also a desertification factor. The major livestock farms are located in the most arid regions of the republic, which entails the risks of growing degradation and desertification processes. To encourage effective and sustainable economic activity, greater clarity is needed to understand the processes to occur on the land grazed by or suitable for grazing by livestock. To avoid a possible negative scenario, it is proposed to use advanced methods of monitoring forage lands – data of Earth’s remote sensing. The monitoring outcomes gathered in a 2000-to-2020 time span are presented herewith. Normalized difference vegetation indices are calculated for each target year. The highest average NDVI values are observed in the spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October) months. The grazing areas with different NDVI values that contribute to different productivity rates of the vegetation cover, were identified: less than 0.2 – greenless, from 0.2 to 0.4 – sparse vegetation, more than 0.4 – dense vegetation. The paper establishes areas of grazing acres varying in vegetation canopy in the semi-desert and desert zones. In 2000, 5.6% (over 0.4) of the total grazing area yielded the most productive value, with the value of NDVI 0.2-0.4 to make up 90.9%. In 2010, there was a trend towards a decrease in the productive area: a zone with more than 0.4 was 166.06 km2 or 0.5%, with 0.2-0.4 1,650.28 km2 or 4.9%. In 2015, the indicators increased significantly and the area of the productive NDVI value over 0.4 amounted to 83.23%, but in 2020 there was a sharp decrease in the area with live green vegetation to 3.1%.

Local Integration as a Durable Solution? Negotiating Socioeconomic Spaces between Refugees and Host Communities in Rural Northern Uganda

With a growing number of displaced people, there is a need for robust approaches to coping with displacement. Uganda has a progressive refugee policy that promotes freedom of movement and the socioeconomic rights of the refugees. Specifically, refugees are often allocated land to settle and cultivate rural settlements, and the integrated social service provision facilitates interaction with host communities. However, there remain challenges in creating sustainable livelihoods for refugees in rural settlements. There exist significant tensions over shared resources such as land, water, woodlots, and grazing areas. Based on a survey of 416 households and key informant interviews with South Sudanese refugees in selected settlements in the Adjumani district, the paper highlights refugees’ access to social and economic spaces as critical pathways to sustainable livelihoods and integration. Uganda’s progressive policy expands the opportunity space; however, refugees still encounter significant barriers in accessing the socioeconomic spaces.

Traditional rangeland management can conserve insect pollinators in a semi-arid rangeland, northern Tanzania

Globally, pollinators are threatened by land-use changes, including habitat degradation. East African rangelands are under pressure due to livestock population increase and overutilization, which lead to degradation of vegetation and soils. While traditional grazing management is widely used to restore vegetation, little is known how this affects insect pollinators. We investigated whether differently managed rangeland areas harbor different insect pollinator abundance, richness and diversity in Simanjiro, Tanzania. We established twelve blocks in four grazing areas under different management categories (private and communal enclosures, wet and dry season grazing lands) and used pan traps and sweep nets to collect insect pollinators. We collected a total of 1977 insects, representing 44 families and 239 species. Beetles were most frequently trapped, with 646 (33%) individuals, followed by 522 bees (26%). Pollinator abundance was twice as high in the private enclosure compared to the communal dry grazing area (χ2 = 27.63, P < 0.001). We found a strong positive correlation between floral and pollinator abundances (r = 0.68, P = 0.015) but not for pollinator species richness and diversity. Bee species abundance and diversity were also significantly higher (χ2 = 68.00, P < 0.0001) in enclosures compared to open rangelands and were significantly influenced by season (χ2 = 220.73, P < 0.0001). Apis mellifera (honey bee) and Lasioglossum of the subgenus Ipomalictus were the most abundant bee species with 107 (21%) and 105 (20%) individuals, respectively. We noticed a significant interaction between season and management on influencing bee pollinator numbers (χ2 = 19.84, P = 0.0002). We conclude that traditional rangeland management can strongly influence pollinator abundance and communities. Our study will aid in developing rangeland management strategies to promote conservation of and enhance pollinator availability in tropical rangelands.

Effects of animal grazing on vegetation biomass and soil moisture on a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

AbstractGrasslands play a very important role in the water and carbon cycle of arid and semi‐arid areas, where they are the main type of steppe globally. With this said, research into grassland ecological processes mostly consists of single‐factor controlled experiments such as precipitation, temperature or grazing, and few studies have investigated the effects of synergistic interactions between multiple factors on grassland hydrological, soil and vegetation processes. In this study, we set up a prohibited grazing area in a typical area of the Xilingole Steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. Vegetation (species richness (SR), above‐ground biomass (AGB), below‐ground biomass (BGB), etc.), precipitation and the soil moisture of 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm and 30 cm depths were observed continuously from 2015 to 2018. The results indicate that the species number in areas where grazing is prohibited is higher than where it is grazed, and the number and species of dominant species changes with grazing prohibition time. The AGB and BGB of prohibited areas is higher than grazed areas, and the variance rate of AGB increased rapidly (20% and 45%) at the first 2 years and then stabilized (52% and 55%), but BGB's variance rate increased slowly from 12% to 20%. The soil moisture content in the study area is higher in the surface layer than in the deeper layers. In the grazing prohibition zone, the above ground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) were both significantly correlated with volumetric water content (VWC) at the 0.01 level. In grazing areas, there was no significant correlation between AGB and soil moisture, and the coefficient of determination between BGB and VWC was 0.6127 (p &lt; 0.01). SR did not have a significant relationship with soil moisture but indirectly response to it through BGB, especially in prohibited site. These results are important for understanding water cycle processes, grazing management and address food security issues across steppe in arid and semi‐arid regions.

Patterns and Drivers of Rodent Abundance across a South African Multi-Use Landscape.

Simple SummaryWildlife ecological patterns are driven not only by environmental and biological contexts, but also by landscape-management schemes that shape those contexts. The present study aims to determine the effect of different environmental factors (including management schemes) on the occurrence patterns of a southern African small mammal community. Based on a landscape where three land-use contexts that differ in their levels of human presence and/or where activities coexist (private ecotourism reserve, mixed farms and traditional communal areas), and by using a body-size-based approach (i.e., using two size-based rodent groups—medium and small—as models), we found that the mean relative abundance of medium-sized species did not differ across the management contexts, but small species’ mean relative abundance was higher in the game reserve. The overall variation in rodent abundance was negatively affected by ungulate presence (possibly linked to a decrease in food availability) and by human presence (increased disturbance). Rodent abundance seems to be influenced by environmental gradients that are directly linked to varying management priorities across land uses, meaning that these communities might not benefit uniformly by the increased amount of habitat promoted by the commercial wildlife industry.South Africa’s decentralized approach to conservation entails that wildlife outside formally protected areas inhabit complex multi-use landscapes, where private wildlife business (ecotourism and/or hunting) co-exist in a human-dominated landscape matrix. Under decentralized conservation, wildlife is perceived to benefit from increased amount of available habitat, however it is crucial to understand how distinct management priorities and associated landscape modifications impact noncharismatic taxa, such as small mammals. We conducted extensive ink-tracking-tunnel surveys to estimate heterogeneity in rodent distribution and investigate the effect of different environmental factors on abundance patterns of two size-based rodent groups (small- and medium-sized species), across three adjacent management contexts in NE KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a private ecotourism game reserve, mixed farms and traditional communal areas (consisting of small clusters of houses interspersed with grazing areas and seminatural vegetation). Our hypotheses were formulated regarding the (1) area typology, (2) vegetation structure, (3) ungulate pressure and (4) human disturbance. Using a boosted-regression-tree approach, we found considerable differences between rodent groups’ abundance and distribution, and the underlying environmental factors. The mean relative abundance of medium-sized species did not differ across the three management contexts, but small species mean relative abundance was higher in the game reserves, confirming an influence of the area typology on their abundance. Variation in rodent relative abundance was negatively correlated with human disturbance and ungulate presence. Rodent abundance seems to be influenced by environmental gradients that are directly linked to varying management priorities across land uses, meaning that these communities might not benefit uniformly by the increased amount of habitat promoted by the commercial wildlife industry.

ANALYSIS OF PERCEIVED CAUSES AND FACTORS INFLUENCING VEGETABLE FARMERS-PASTORALISTS CONFLICTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

The study was carried out on analysis of perceived causes and factors influencing vegetable farmers-pastoralists conflicts in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 360 respondents from the study areas of Northern, Southern and Central Senatorial districts of Kaduna State. Data were collected through structure questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive (mean, frequency distribution, percentages and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (logistics regression). The results showed that 80.6% and 91.6% of the vegetable farmers and pastoralists were found to be male, majority (80.2%) and (86.1%) were married farmers and pastoralists, respectively. Also, the vegetable famers and pastoralists had relatively higher education of 34.1% and 31.8%, respectively. A grand mean of 3.79 was revealed as the perceived causes of vegetable farmers-pastoralists conflicts meaning there was persistence conflicts in the study area. So, the results disclosed the major causes of farmer-pastoralists conflicts to include influx of migrant herders/transhumance and night grazing (= 4.32), inadequate grazing reserve (= 4.25) and destruction of crop by animals (= 4.24) as perceived by vegetable farmers. However, the pastoralists perceived major causes of conflicts to include inadequate grazing reserve (= 4.44), destruction crops by animals (= 4.21) and encroaching grazing reserves (= 4.11). The results of logit regression on factors influencing farmers-pastoralists showed that age, and widow, number of livestock were found to be positively significant (P≤0.01), respectively. Household size, educational level and farm size were significant (P≤0.05) in influencing conflicts. The coefficient (-0.16) of number of livestock was found to be negative but significant (P≤0.01) implying that as number of livestock increases, the tendency to participate in a conflict also increases.it was concluded that vegetable farmers-pastoralists conflicts in the study was mostly influenced by age, education level, household size, farm size and number of livestock. The study recommended that grazing areas should be provided for pastoralists as a means of preventing farmers and pastoralist conflicts like the ranching (ruga) policy by the federal government and private partners.

Gastrointestinal parasitic infections of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Sarawak Borneo: Prevalence, risk factors, and farming practices.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors for gastrointestinal (GI) parasites in buffaloes from various areas of Sarawak, and to assess current management practices of GI parasites among farmers. Faecal samples were collected from 15 farms and 129 animals, as well as data on farm and animal-based characteristics. A total of 129 faecal samples were examined for GI parasites using a modified McMaster and sedimentation. Association between potential risk factors and the prevalence of GI parasites was investigated using Chi-square statistic. The prevalence of Paramphistomum sp., strongyles, and coccidia were 75.2% (95% CI±7.5), 52.7% (95% CI±8.6) and 48.1% (95% CI±8.6), respectively. Farms which had a grazing area less than 50 acres in size had significantly higher prevalence of strongyles (70.5%, χ2 = 8.34, P = 0.004) and paramphistomes (88.6%, χ2 = 6.46, P = 0.01) relative to farms with a larger grazing area (43.5% and 68.2%, respectively). Prevalence of strongyles was lower in farms that did not implement a cut- and-carry system (45.6%, χ2 = 4.17, P = 0.04) in comparison to those that did (64%). The prevalence of paramphistomes was higher on farms with more than 40 animals (80.6%, χ2 = 3.18, P = 0.05) relative to farms with fewer animals. The majority of farmers surveyed (67.9%) showed awareness of GI parasite infection and reported that they recognized the associated symptoms. Most farmers practised deworming, and ivermectin was the most commonly used anthelminthic (60.4%); only 1.9% of farmers used albendazole. Overall this study revealed a high prevalence of GI parasites in buffalo in Sarawak. Although farmers report they are aware of parasitic diseases, further education is still required. This could include how they can successfully implement on-farm changes to reduce the prevalence of GI parasites in their herds.

Ectoparasite diversity in pets and livestock from Puducherry, India

ABSTRACT Ectoparasites in livestock and pets are associated with the transmission of diseases of veterinary and public health importance. The paucity of data on the ectoparasite diversity of pet and domestic animals in Puducherry is the basis for our study. Ectoparasites in animals brought to the veterinary dispensaries in Puducherry were retrieved and identified morphologically. Molecular confirmation of the ectoparasites was done by amplifying and sequencing the genes cytochrome oxidase I (COI), 16s rRNA and 18s rRNA. A total of 792 animals were screened and 2625 ectoparasites were retrieved. The most common ectoparasite retrieved was ticks (n = 2140) followed by fleas (n = 326) and lice (n = 180). Eight tick species belonging to two genera were collected: Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rh. simus, Rh. bursa, Rh. (Boophilus) annulatus, R. (Boophilus) microplus, Rh. haemaphysaloides, Haemaphysalis intermedia and Ha. bispinosa. Three sucking lice, Haematopinus quadripertusus, H. tuberculatus, Linognathus africanus, and two chewing lice, Heterodoxus spiniger and Trichodectes canis were found infesting the animals. Ctenocephalides felis felis was the only flea species observed to infest the animals. Common grazing areas and stray animals contributed to wide dispersal of the ectoparasites on different hosts. A longitudinal study might uncover the influence of season on ectoparasite prevalence and diversity in Puducherry.

Land-use harmonization datasets for annual global carbon budgets

Abstract. Land-use change has been the dominant source of anthropogenic carbon emissions for most of the historical period and is currently one of the largest and most uncertain components of the global carbon cycle. Advancing the scientific understanding on this topic requires that the best data be used as input to state-of-the-art models in well-organized scientific assessments. The Land-Use Harmonization 2 dataset (LUH2), previously developed and used as input for simulations of the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), has been updated annually to provide required input to land models in the annual Global Carbon Budget (GCB) assessments. Here we discuss the methodology for producing these annual LUH2-GCB updates and extensions which incorporate annual wood harvest data updates from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations for dataset years after 2015 and the History Database of the Global Environment (HYDE) gridded cropland and grazing area data updates (based on annual FAO cropland and grazing area data updates) for dataset years after 2012, along with extrapolations to the current year due to a lag of 1 or more years in the FAO data releases. The resulting updated LUH2-GCB datasets have provided global, annual gridded land-use and land-use-change data relating to agricultural expansion, deforestation, wood harvesting, shifting cultivation, regrowth and afforestation, crop rotations, and pasture management and are used by both bookkeeping models and dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) for the GCB. For GCB 2019, a more significant update to LUH2 was produced, LUH2-GCB2019 (https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1851, Chini et al., 2020b), to take advantage of new data inputs that corrected cropland and grazing areas in the globally important region of Brazil as far back as 1950. From 1951 to 2012 the LUH2-GCB2019 dataset begins to diverge from the version of LUH2 used for the World Climate Research Programme's CMIP6, with peak differences in Brazil in the year 2000 for grazing land (difference of 100 000 km2) and in the year 2009 for cropland (difference of 77 000 km2), along with significant sub-national reorganization of agricultural land-use patterns within Brazil. The LUH2-GCB2019 dataset provides the base for future LUH2-GCB updates, including the recent LUH2-GCB2020 dataset, and presents a starting point for operationalizing the creation of these datasets to reduce time lags due to the multiple input dataset and model latencies.

Knowledge and perception of community about causes of cattle abortion and case-control study of brucellosis as cause of abortion in Jimma zone, Ethiopia.

BackgroundAbortion, causes by several infectious and non‐infectious factors is one of the most critical health problems of cattle in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess knowledge and perception of the community about potential causes of abortion and case‐control study of brucellosis as a cause of abortion in cattle of study districts.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted between October 2016 and October 2017 in selected districts of the Jimma zone using a questionnaire survey. Based on the questionnaire survey, we also carried out a case‐control study (141 cases and 282 controls) to confirm whether the most frequently mentioned disease (brucellosis) is associated with abortion. The blood samples were collected from both cases and controls cattle groups and then serum was separated. The presence of antibody against Brucella organism in serum was first tested by Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and all RBPT positive samples were confirmed using the Complement Fixation Test (CFT).ResultsFrom a total of 180 randomly selected respondents, the majority (59.4%) of them attributed abortion to infectious diseases. Based on the questionnaire survey, brucellosis, leptospirosis and listeriosis were identified as the major infectious causes of abortion in the areas. Physical injuries, shortage of feed and toxic substances were observed as less important non‐infection causes of abortion in the study areas. This study also identified improper disposal of aborted materials and birth products, use of communal bulls, sharing communal grazing areas and water sources which favour disease transmission. Exposure to Brucella organism was higher among cases (6.4%) than controls (2.8%) with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.042).ConclusionBrucellosis is the most important infectious cause of cattle abortion in this study. Thus, important to conduct appropriate control methods and increasing public awareness of the zoonotic transmission of brucellosis are suggested. This finding also recommended the need for further study to isolate and characterise brucellosis as a cause of abortion in cattle.