Impacts of Livestock Grazing and Topography on Vegetation Cover and Structure in Natural Rangelands
2016
Kadir İSPİRLİ | Fatih ALAY | Ferat UZUN | Necda ÇANKAYA
This study was conducted to determine some vegetation characters of 12 natural rangelands in Kastamonu province in 2014. In the study, modified wheel point method with loop was used. Totally 103 plant species were determined in studied rangelands. This plant species were also divided into 3 different successional groups: i) 13 species were decreases, ii) 14 species were increasers, and 76 species were invaders. In the experiment rangelands, plant coverage rate was 83.34%. Considering the different successional groups, which had influential effect to pasture quality, decreasers, increasers, and invaders had 13.35%, 29.15% and 57.50%, respectively. The results from the present study indicated that 1 rangeland are “Good”, 5 rangelands are “Fair” and 6 rangeland are “Poor” conditions based on the rangeland condition classes. On the other hand, 11 and 1 rangelands were found as “Healthy” and “Risky” in health categories. According to these results half of the rangelands must be used carefully, while other half are need improving immediately. There were significant correlations between grazing level and livestock number (r=0.608*) and soil compaction (r=0.590*) and decreaser+increaser plant ratio (r=-0.624*); between livestock number and plant cover (r=-0.581*) and soil erosion (r=0.582*); between plant cover and soil erosion (r=-0.515, Sign. 0.086); between the altitude and area of rangelands (r=-0.775**); between plant cover and decreaser+increaser plant ratio (r=0.594*).
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