Livestock Reduction Research Articles

A Diné History of Navajoland by Klara Kelley, Harris Francis

Reviewed by: A Diné History of Navajoland by Klara Kelley, Harris Francis Jon Reyhner A Diné History of Navajoland. By Klara Kelley and Harris Francis. (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2019. Pp. 344. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.) Klara Kelley, an ethnohistorian, and Harris Francis, a Diné (Navajo) cultural resource consultant, provide some interesting detail from Diné oral history, but the authors mention on the first page of their introduction that they only tell “pieces” of this history (3). This partial approach results in a decidedly uneven book in three areas: Diné history, the book’s own purpose, and its lack of attention to science. The first is Diné history. While Kelley and Francis include interesting chapters on Diné trading post operators and coal mine workers, many other aspects of Diné history are missing: influential Diné leaders Peter McDonald and Peterson Zah do not appear in the index, for example. Also, in the authors’ focus on oral history collected from Diné informants, an important side of the long and conflicted Diné relationship with the U.S. government is either largely left out or, when included, often slanted. For instance, like many historians, the authors comment on “boarding school miseries” suffered by Diné children (24). However, others have found that many Diné appreciated the educational opportunities boarding schools provided them (see Jon Reyhner and Jeanne Eder, American Indian Education: A History, University of Oklahoma Press, 2017). Second, Kelley and Francis write of their purpose, “We have made [End Page 467] this book first and foremost for Diné youngsters,” telling them to “Learn Diné traditional stories and other traditions about the places on the land” (271). However, it can be argued that in the process they are perpetuating some questionable discourse, such as that reported by Deborah House, who took Navajo Studies classes and taught at Diné College in the 1990s. In her book, Language Shift among the Navajos: Identity Politics and Cultural Continuity (University of Arizona Press, 2002), House writes, “[N]on-Navajo students (Anglo, Hispanic, and others) were encouraged to disparage their own upbringing and cultural experiences. Furthermore, their language, literature, religion, family life, and ethnic identities are routinely, and at times painfully, denigrated and devalued by Navajo and non-Navajo instructors, administrators, and other students” (38). House heard about the importance of revitalizing Diné language and culture as is encouraged by Kelley and Francis, but she saw very little being done. An ideal Navajo lifestyle promoted in some classes—“sheepherding and growing a small garden, living in a hogan, and driving a team of horses” (House, 87)—was not really viable anymore, especially because of the great increase in the Navajo population in the last 150 years. Kelley and Francis mention the Diné population growth only near the end of their book and admit, “there’s no going back to the old stockraising way of life” (266). Third, Kelley and Francis seem to distrust science. Along with the “Long Walk,” when many Navajos were forcefully sent to a concentration camp in eastern New Mexico near the border with Texas and kept there from 1864 to 1867, the federal government’s enforced livestock reduction of the 1930s and 1940s, justified with scientific evidence, was especially traumatic for the Diné. In much the same way climate change is questioned today, Kelley and Francis mistrust the science that the government used then to justify livestock reduction, writing, “Supposedly, overgrazing was destroying the land by erosion” (19). In doing so, the authors help promote the idea found in Diné oral histories (see Ruth Roessel and Broderick Johnson’s Navajo Livestock Reduction: A National Disgrace, Navajo Community College, 1974) that the lack of rain was caused by livestock reduction mandated by U.S. government officials. But the continued challenge that livestock reduction sought to resolve can be seen in a May 6, 2018, Washington Post report by Kristine Philips on the drought-caused death of nearly two hundred Diné horses. The authors also take exception to the many archeologists who find evidence that the Diné were late arrivals to the area they now inhabit. This dispute was central to the contentious land litigation between the Navajo and Hopi tribes. While A Diné History of Navajoland...

Pathways of megaherbivore rewilding transitions: typologies from an Andean gradient

In most of the planet, large herbivore communities have been replaced by livestock, but this process is reversing in many places. Here, we outline and review the pathways of “megaherbivore rewilding transitions” in three social-ecological-systems of subtropical Argentina. In the extensive arid high-elevation Puna plateau we observed a “rapid rewilding pathway” where the reduction of livestock was accompanied by the recovery of native camelid populations from near extinction in a few decades. In the forest-grassland ecotone, decreasing livestock favored higher fire frequency, probably limiting the speed of native herbivore recovery in an “increasing fire pathway”. In lowland montane forests, the recovery of native herbivore communities appears to be lagged by fragmentation, local extinctions and human pressure, representing a case of “connectivity-limited rewilding”. These typologies exemplify the complexity of outcomes resulting from livestock diminishing density, and provide a framework to understand and optimize processes of large herbivore rewilding according to different social-ecological contexts.

The current state of the breeding base in the Smolensk region

Dairy cattle breeding in the Smolensk region is the most promising direction of development of agriculture. In this regard the purpose of the work has been to study and analyze the state of the breeding base in dairy cattle breeding in the region. Breeding base in the Smolensk region at present time is represented by three breeding farms (nucleuses) and 12 breeding farms fof breeding Brown Swiss, Sychevskaya, Vazuzskiy type of Sychevskaya breed, Holstein and Black-and-White breeds. In the breeding farms of the region in 2018 the number of cattle was 21 484 heads, which is by 19,4 % less than in 2017. The reduction of livestock has been occurred due to the reduction of cows by 15,4 % and reduction of offspring, but the sale of breeding young animals has been increased by 38 %. The term of economic use of cows according the breed has been varied from 3,2 (Holstein breed) to 4,7 calving (Brown Swiss). At intensive rearing of breeding heifers with their first fertilization at the age of 16– 18 months the average productivity of cows in the future may reach the level of 5500–6000 thousand kg of milk per lactation. Payback all costs under this is happening for 1,5–2,0 lactations. According to the valuation for 2018 highest yield of milk has been obtained in the herd in breeding farm OOO “Zolotaya Niva” (Holstein breed) – 9700 kg of milk and yield of fat 311 and protein 351 kg. Eff ective use of highly productive animals contributes to the improvement of the genealogical structure of the herd and the breed increases the chances of getting even more highly productive and valuable descendants.

Comparative Analysis of Different Treatments Effects on Stylosanthes Guianensis Production Parameters in Imbo,Natural region of Burundi

In Burundi, the major problem for livestock is the lack of sufficient nutrients needed for its growth and development due to Burundi higher population growth rate which put a pressure on arable lands and pastures leading to grass pastures reduction. However the concentrates that can be used alternatively are not only insufficient, but also very expensive under the local farmer conditions. In the Burundi, livestock reduction was recorded while it occupies an important place in Burundian life, especially for smallholders to whom it plays a major role in terms of social life, health and income generation. Fortunately, stylosanthes Guianensis has been identified as an herbaceous forage legume with potential protein supplements of better impacts on livestock growth, development and production. It is more accessible to smallholder, whence this study has been carried out to improve stylosanthes production for better livestock feeding. The experiment has considered six seedling spacing as treatments to analyze the treatment which could effectively improve the stylosanthes production parameters in Imbo natural region. These treatments (T1 (40cm X 5 cm); T2 (40cm X 10 cm), T3 (50cm X 5 cm), T4 (50cm X 10 cm), T5 (60cm X 5 cm), T6 (60cm X 10 cm)) were ranged in three blocs completely randomized with three replications. Data were sampled at the 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and the 21st weeks after germination by recording as parameters: plant height, ramifications number, plant water content, green and dry matters. All data were analyzed through SPSS at P<0.05 for significative difference. The results showed no significant difference among treatments for plant height but highlighted treatments T2 as the effective treatments in increasing plant growth especially in developing period. This treatment T2 also showed positively effects on ramifications number comparatively to others. Moreover, T2 treatment significantly improved plant water content, green matter and dry matter. This study suggested treatment T2 (40cm X 10 cm) as the effective treatment which could be used for improving stylosanthes production parameters and productivity as well in the Imbo region.

Technical and technological support for the production of organic fertilizers based on peat

Annotation Purpose. To increase the fertility of Ukrainian soils by using organic fertilizers based on peat. Methods. For research, modern scientific and industrial recommendations were used to increase soil fertility through the use of organic fertilizers based on peat. Results. By analyzing the results of scientific and industrial activities in the field of soil fertility, practical recommendations for the use of cheap and affordable peat-based organic matter for this purpose have been identified. Conclusions. It is established that due to the significant reduction of livestock and the rise in price of mineral fertilizers in Ukraine, one of the effective ways to increase soil fertility is the use of organic fertilizers made from peat. Specific recommendations on technology and technical means for achieving this goal are identified. Keywords: soil fertility, organic fertilizers, peat, composts, technology, technical means.

Commodity lending in the region agriculture

The article examined the existing experience of using commodity lending. The work purpose is to identify the features of commodity lending as an element of the state support system for agricultural production. Within the framework of this goal, the following tasks were solved: - theoretical aspects of commodity lending were studied; - the american experience of using commodity lending within the framework of the Commodity Credit Corporation was reviewed; - proposed commodity lending classification in agriculture; - the Samara region experience was studied and promising directions for the development of commodity lending in the region were proposed. In the Samara region, the state support operator in the form of commodity lending is the SUE “Veles”, which has been operating since 2010. Thanks to the activities of the SUE “Veles” from 2011 to 2016 it was possible to change the livestock reduction negative trend in the region and ensure its growth.

Designing a payment for ecosystem services scheme, the practical obstacles for implementation in arid and semiarid rangelands

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are an innovative solution to reduce environmental degradation. However, most existing experience with PES implementation is related to the agricultural, forestry and marine sectors, and the application of PES in rangelands is limited. Although a PES could be an option to reduce rangeland degradation, there is no specific framework or experience for its implementation in Iran. Financial resources for funding the scheme are important, although funding by itself is not sufficient, and details are important in designing a successful PES system. This study aimed to design and introduce the framework of a PES scheme based on field surveys, information collection and analysis emphasising soil and water conservation functions, and identification and discussion of the challenges and obstacles facing implementation of the designed framework. After delineating the vegetation types on rangeland ecosystems, their current ecological condition was considered the baseline, and minimum and maximum payments were considered, equal to the livestock reduction compensation and the total value of the increased ecosystem services as a result of PES implementation respectively. Results suggest designing the practical steps of PES schemes is complicated despite the concept’s simplicity, and a lack of clear property rights can increase complexity and multiply the costs. Considering different socioeconomic and ecological contexts, and the detailed framework in all the processes of identification and investigation, development, pilot testing, and project operation can increase the effectiveness of PES schemes. Our findings appear useful for policy-making to balance utilisation pressure in natural areas, not only in Iran, but also in many arid and semiarid rangelands elsewhere.

ANALYSIS OF LAND USE CHANGES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOIL FEATURES. CASE STUDY: SECAȘ VILLAGE, TIMIȘ COUNTY (ROMANIA)

The soil, regarded as a natural resource, but also as a determinant element of the living standards of rural communities, manly agricultural, may be influenced, directly and indirectly, by the modality of land organizing and use. Starting from this consideration, through this study, the spatial and temporal evolution of land use is being pursued, particularly that of forest areas and wooded grasslands. The goal is to notice the changes that have occurred over a 30-year period and the manner how these changes are reflected on the soil features. The researches presented in this paper have been taking place in the north-eastern hilly area of Timiş County, that area having entirely a rural character. For realizing this study satellite images, topographical and cadastral maps, from different time periods, national and international databases, data from specialty literature were used. To all these we should add direct observations in the field, topographic surveys and information collected from local authorities. The processing of cartographic materials and data and scientific information has been realized with Geographical Information Systems specific applications. The obtained result has been expressed in the form of thematic maps, in graphic form or as statistical analysis. At the level of the analyzed area, the obvious changes in the land use, registered over time, are caused by a number of factors, such as: the organization form, from communist to capitalist policies, leaving agricultural land as fallow ground, reduction in livestock, changing land use etc. All these changes have caused the extension of the wooded grasslands, reduction of arable land, installing inferior forest vegetation in qualitative and quantitative terms etc. As a result, the soil, one of the most important natural resources, is degraded qualitatively, underexploited, and on the other hand, its role as a direct and indirect food producer for local communities is significantly reduced.

Vulnerability of a Northeast Mediterranean Island to Soil Loss. Can Grazing Management Mitigate Erosion?

Grazing management practices can be erosion abatement actions for lowering soil loss and the subsequent sediment pollution of surface water bodies. Process-based Geographic Information Systems models provide the opportunity to identify critical areas and hence better target such actions across the landscape. This study implemented the SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) hydrologic and catchment management model to estimate the soil loss vulnerability of the nearly pristine but highly erodible Greek island of Samothraki in the North Aegean Sea, with a typical Mediterranean climate and steep topography. Model parameterization and evaluation were carried out by taking advantage of previous modeling experience on areas with data limitations. Inter-annual and intra-annual soil loss variability and the most critical areas (subbasins) of soil loss to waters were adequately identified and grazing management scenarios, including livestock reductions by 50% and 100%, grazing period reduction, and a combination of them, were formulated and applied to investigate the degree to which soil loss could be reduced. The annual reduction results varied between scenarios in the range of 10% to 25% for the entire island, and in wider ranges for its individual subbasins, showing a high potential for reducing the vulnerability of the most pressured ones. However, due to the high importance of the natural factors of rainfall and land slopes, the erosion vulnerability of the island overall could be significantly altered only if grazing management was integrated within a vegetation regeneration plan that included reforestation.

Rodent burrow network dynamics under human-induced landscape transformation from desert to steppe in Kalmykian rangelands.

Rodents play an important role in rangelands through the engineering of extensive burrow systems, which provides key habitats for many animal and plant species. We have analyzed the long-term variation in the abundance and distribution of rodent burrows in grazing ecosystems of southern Russia (Kalmykia) under the landscape change from desert to steppe caused by the drastic reduction of livestock after the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s. We conducted burrow surveys in the "desert" (1980) and "steppe" (2017) periods on 19 3-km transects. We found considerable changes in burrow abundance and distribution, as well as evidence of desert habitat fragmentation and isolation caused by the expansion of tall-grass communities. Burrows of the open-dwelling diurnal ground squirrel (Spermophilus pygmaeus), the dominant and the keystone species during the "desert" period, almost completely disappeared from the rodent burrow network by 2017, indicating significant habitat loss. In contrast, the burrows of the folivorous social vole (Microtus socialis) which was rare in the 1980s, became abundant and ubiquitously distributed. The burrow density of the desert-dwelling psammophilous midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus) decreased, while the distances between occupied patches increased, indicating desert habitat fragmentation and loss of population connectivity. Burrows of the folivorous tamarisk gerbils (M. tamariscinus) were recorded only sporadically in both 1980 and 2017. The observed changes in the rodent burrow network, the key component of grazing ecosystems, correlate with rodent species ecology and can have long-term and important consequences for ecosystem functioning.

Breeding versus survival: proximate causes of abrupt population decline under environmental change in a desert rodent, the midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus).

Studying abrupt ecological shifts under gradual environmental change caused, in particular, by human activity is important for understanding the fundamental aspects and underlying mechanisms of ecological resilience. One of the rare well-documented examples of an abrupt ecological shift is the delayed step transition of the population of a desert rodent, the midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus), from high-abundance (1994-2002) to low-abundance (2003-2017) regimes. This was in response to landscape transformation from desert to steppe caused by the drastic reduction of livestock in the rangelands of southern Russia after the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s. In this study, we tested whether demographic parameters were correlated with the observed abrupt downward population shift. We found that reproductive activity (the percentage of breeding females, the number of litters, fecundity and the number of young recruited per female) showed no trend over time and did not differ between periods of high and low abundance. In contrast, the adult sex ratio (SR = males: females) decreased significantly with time and was as much as twice more female-biased for the low-abundance population regime. However, SR was not related to any reproductive parameter, including the percentage of breeding females. We conclude that proximate reasons for an abrupt population decline in M. meridianus are not associated with the changes in breeding patterns or mate limitation caused by the Allee effect but relate to the increased mortality as a result of the desert landscape being fragmented by steppezation. The mortality is expected to be higher for males as the mobile and dispersing sex.

EVALUATION OF STALLIONS OF SPORT BREEDS BASED ON LINEAR DESCRIPTION OF THEIR OFFSPRING

EVALUATION OF STALLIONS OF SPORT BREEDS BASED ON LINEAR DESCRIPTION OF THEIR OFFSPRING

DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING IN KIROVOGRAD REGION

DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING IN KIROVOGRAD REGION

Foraging theory provides a useful framework for livestock predation management

A societal shift toward plant dominant diets and a reduction in livestock rearing could have broad social, environmental and conservation benefits. Livestock husbandry, however, has a wealthy cultural history, strong support and high consumer demand. It is therefore likely to continue as a major land use and conservation issue for predators. From a producer’s perspective, the primary goals of livestock protection are maximising, or at least maintaining, production by minimising losses and mitigating detriment to stock welfare. Lethal removal of predators remains a commonplace solution. Such management measures are questionable as they raise animal welfare and conservation concerns, risk inhibiting ecological processes, are often expensive, and in some circumstances, exacerbate livestock predation problems. Non-lethal alternatives can facilitate co-existence between livestock farmers and predators, ideally reducing the ecological impact of pastoralism and achieving conservation goals. The need for rigorous study of non-lethal approaches has however been recently highlighted. Tools and methods involved in livestock protection, as well as the theoretical basis of how we perceive and manage the problem, require deeper consideration. Non-lethal approaches require knowledgeable implementation and an effective decision making system is a prerequisite for successful practice. Livestock predation and its prevention are fundamentally influenced by the underlying principles of foraging ecology and risk theory. We propose that manipulating elements of Brown’s (1988) quitting harvest rate model provides a useful conceptual framework for reducing livestock predation and encouraging coexistence.

Benchmarking Eco-Efficiency and Footprints of Dutch Agriculture in European Context and Implications for Policies for Climate and Environment

The agricultural sector in the Netherlands is per unit of land the most productive and efficient sector in the European Union (EU). However, emissions of ammonia, surpluses of nitrogen and phosphorus, and use of pesticides per hectare of agricultural land are also among the highest in the EU. In spite of successful policies and farm measures to reduce this pollution, agriculture still constitutes the largest environmental pressure on biodiversity. Dutch agriculture, including horticulture, also contributes 14% (32 Mton CO2-eq in 2016) to the national emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHG). These emissions hardly decreased since 2000. In the current bid to meet the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA), the agricultural sector will need to reduce emission by 3.5 Mton in 2030. The relative reduction target for GHG by agriculture is 11% and less than the national target of 49%, but still is a challenge because the technical potential for reduction of methane and nitrous oxides is relatively small. Apart from technical measures and innovations, there is an increasing call in society for structural measures, like reduction of livestock, to assure an appropriate reduction of GHG emission from agriculture. However there are also concerns about leakage effects when livestock production would increase elsewhere, e.g.in the EU, causing a net increase of GHG emission and increased local environmental pollution. We carried out a Life Cycle Analysis for production of milk, pork, poultry, potato and wheat in other EU countries which disclosed that GHG emission per unit of product in the Netherlands is similar to that in Germany and France, while lower than in central and southern EU. Nitrogen and phosphorus surplus per unit of product for Dutch products often are higher due to the high use of manure. These results indicate that the risk of transboundary leakage effects likely are small when implementing PCA for agriculture in the Netherlands or stricter environmental policies, also when including reduction of livestock production. Further, growth of livestock production in other European regions might be avoided by climate policies or when consumption of livestock products would decrease due to increased consumer awareness or targeted interventions.

Physiological state and productivity of young pigs for probiotic action

Due to the impact of adverse environmental factors, unsatisfactory conditions of pig population, deterioration of food supply, abuse of antibiotics, lack of preventive measures, leads to the development of diseases among pigs, especially young, which leads to a decrease in resistance, body performance, reproduction and reduction of livestock, as well as large economic losses. The use of bacterial preparations from living microorganisms can significantly reduce or even eliminate the use of antibiotics and hormones in the cultivation of healthy animals, to obtain high-quality and safe high-grade products. The aim of the work is to study the effect of probiotic EM – 1 on the physiological state and productivity of young pigs of large white breed. The experiment was conducted on two groups (6 heads each) of animals-analogues, starting from 60 days of age, for 2 months. Animals of the control group received feed produced in the farm. Piglets of the experimental group in addition to the main diet received 5% of feed fermented with em-1. Evaluation of the physiological state and productivity of young pigs was carried out on 60, 90 and 120 days of experience according to the methods adopted in clinical practice. Hygienic, hematological, biochemical, zootechnical and statistical methods of research were used in the performance of the work. The use of probiotic EM-1 in animals of the experimental group led to an increase in hemoglobine concentration by 7.7%, an increase in the number of red blood cells by 13.7%, the total number of leukocytes by 9.52%, and glucose concentration by 11.4%. The advantage of the viability of these pigs for the content of total protein (P &lt; 0.05), γ–globulins by 18.6%, the activity of aminotransferases (AlАT, AsAT; P &lt; 0.05), the average daily gain increased by 12.3% at the end of the experiment. For feeding piglets feed with probiotic EM-1 increased metabolic processes, resistance and productivity of the body, which indicates a higher level of redox reactions in their body.

Inheritance and genotype by environment analyses of resistance to Fusarium verticillioides and fumonisin contamination in maize F1 hybrids

Fusarium ear rot (FER) and fumonisin accumulation in maize, caused by Fusarium verticillioides, can lead to lower grain quality, crop yield reduction and mycotoxicosis of humans and livestock. The best approach to control this fungus is through the development of resistant maize varieties, however, no immune cultivars are available with commercial cultivars ranging from susceptible to moderately resistant. Therefore, this study evaluated F1 maize hybrids, generated from inbred lines resistant to FER/fumonisins and Aspergillus flavus/aflatoxins, for improved resistance to F. verticillioides infection and fumonisin contamination. Diallel analysis was performed to understand the inheritance of resistance to F. verticillioides/fumonisins. Consequently, maize inbred lines resistant to F. verticillioides/fumonisins under South African conditions and lines resistant to Aspergillus flavus under Kenyan conditions were crossed to produce 18 hybrids. Hybrids and parental lines were planted in replicated field trials at three localities in South Africa. Artificially inoculated trials were conducted with disease severity, F. verticillioides target DNA and total fumonisin concentrations determined by visual assessment, quantitative PCR and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. Hybrids R119W × CKL05015, CML 495 × CKL05015 and CKL05015 × R119W were the most resistant to FER severity, F. verticillioides colonisation and fumonisin contamination, respectively. The resistance levels of hybrids did not differ significantly from their parental inbred lines, except for specific hybrids in certain test environments. General combining ability and specific combining ability were significant (P ≤ 0.05) for all three parameters evaluated. Kenyan inbred lines CKL05015 and CML 495 were good general combiners for resistance to fumonisin contamination. Specific combinability estimates showed that CKL05015 × R119W was the best hybrid combination for resistance to FER severity, F. verticillioides colonisation and fumonisin contamination. Additive gene effects were predominant in the inheritance of resistance in this set of hybrids. Parental inbred line performance was indicative of F1 hybrids performance. This study provided fundamental information on the maize lines evaluated that would be useful to breeders in the development of F. verticillioides/fumonisin-resistant cultivars.

Evaluating support for rangeland‐restoration practices by rural Somalis: an unlikely win‐win for local livelihoods and hirola antelope?

AbstractIn developing countries, governments often lack the authority and resources to implement conservation outside of protected areas. In such situations, the integration of conservation with local livelihoods is crucial to species recovery and reintroduction efforts. The hirola Beatragus hunteri is the world's most endangered antelope, with a population of &lt;500 individuals that is restricted to &lt;5% of its historical geographic range on the Kenya–Somali border. Long‐term hirola declines have been attributed to a combination of disease and rangeland degradation. Tree encroachment—driven by some combination of extirpation of elephants, overgrazing by livestock, and perhaps fire suppression—is at least partly responsible for habitat loss and the decline of contemporary populations. Through interviews in local communities across the hirola's current range, we identified socially acceptable strategies for habitat restoration and hirola recovery. We used classification and regression trees, conditional inference trees, and generalized linear models to identify sociodemographic predictors of support for range‐restoration strategies. Locals supported efforts to conserve elephants (which kill trees and thus facilitate grass growth), seed and fertilize grass, and remove trees, but were opposed to livestock reduction. Locals were ambivalent toward controlled burns and soil ripping (a practice through which soil is broken up to prevent compaction). Livestock ownership and years of residency were key predictors of locals’ perceptions toward rangeland‐restoration practices. Locals owning few livestock were more supportive of elephant conservation, and seeding and fertilization of grass, while longer term residents were more supportive of livestock reduction but were less supportive of elephant conservation. Ultimately, wildlife conservation outside protected areas requires long‐term, community‐based efforts that are compatible with human livelihoods. We recommend elephant conservation, grass seeding and fertilization, manual tree removal and resting range from livestock both to enhance the potential for hirola recovery and to build positive rapport with local communities in the geographic range of this critically endangered species.

Warming and land use change concurrently erode ecosystem services in Tibet.

Alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau comprise the largest alpine ecosystem in the world and provide critical ecosystem services, including forage production and carbon sequestration, on which people depend from local to global scales. However, the provision of these services may be threatened by climate warming combined with land use policies that are altering if and how pastoralists can continue to graze livestock, the dominant livelihood practice in this region for millennia. We synthesized findings from a climate warming and yak grazing experiment with landscape-level observations in central Tibet to gain insight into the trajectories of change that Tibet's alpine meadows will undergo in response to expected changes in climate and land use. We show that within 5years, experimental warming drove an alpine community with intact, sedge-dominated turfs into a degraded state. With removal of livestock, consistent with policy intended to reverse degradation, a longer-term shift to a more shrub-dominated community will likely occur. Neither degraded nor shrub meadows produce forage or sequester carbon to the same degree as intact meadows, indicating that climate warming and drying will reduce the ability of Tibet's alpine meadows to provide key ecosystem services, and that livestock reduction policies intended to counteract trajectories of land degradation instead endanger contemporary livelihoods on the Tibetan Plateau.

Grazing, forest density, and carbon storage: towards a more sustainable land use in Caatinga dry forests of Brazil

Grazing is the main land use in semi-arid regions of the world, and sustainable management practices are urgently needed to prevent their degradation. However, how different grazing intensities affect forest density and ecosystem functions is often not sufficiently understood to allow for management adaptations that safeguard the ecosystems and their functions in the long run. We assessed the aboveground carbon stocks and plant densities along a grazing gradient in the semi-arid seasonally dry tropical forest of north-eastern Brazil (Caatinga). On 45 study plots, we analysed the aboveground carbon stocks of the vegetation and determined forest density and recruitment as well as the population structure of the most abundant tree species. Grazing intensity was accounted for based on the weight of livestock droppings and classified as low, intermediate, or high. Mean aboveground carbon stock was 15.74 ± 1.92 Mg ha−1 with trees and shrubs accounting for 89% of the total amount. Grazing at high intensities significantly reduced aboveground carbon stocks of herbs but not of other plant functional types. Instead, aboveground carbon stocks of trees and shrubs were negatively related to altitude above sea level, which is a proxy for reduced water availability along with lower anthropogenic impact. The population structure of the most common tree species was characterised by abundant recruitment, irrespective of grazing, whereas the recruitment of less frequent woody species was negatively affected by grazing. Overall, our data imply that grazing and forage management need to be adapted, including the reduction of free-roaming livestock and storage of fodder, to maintain carbon storage and forest density.