Grazing as a tool to maintain floristic diversity and herbage production in mountainous areas : a case study in north western Greece
2014
Parissi, Z M | Rapti, D | Sklavou, P | Karatassiou, M
Transhumant farming is a common practice in the Mediterranean region. Small ruminants grazing intensity effects on floristic diversity and herbage production in a mountainous area were studied. The research was conducted in the areas of Samarina and Dotsiko, located in northwest Greece. Both areas are grazed mainly by transhumant sheep and goats. Four experimental sites were selected: (i) two lightly grazed rangelands and (ii) two heavily grazed rangelands. An area of 9 m2 in each rangeland was fenced in the spring of 2012, in order to be protected from grazing. Four transect lines were established in every grazed rangeland. The vegetation cover and the herbage production were measured in June 2013, and the Shannon- Wiener diversity index was calculated. Thereafter, the utilization percentage was evaluated to be on average 26 per cent in the lightly grazed area and 91 per cent in heavily grazed one. No significant differences were detected for ground cover and herbage production between the lightly grazed plot and the protected one. However, herbage production was significantly lower in the grazed than in the protected plot in the heavily grazed area. Different grazing intensity significantly decreased Shannon diversity index in the heavily grazed area, while in the lightly grazed one there were no significant differences. It seems that heavy grazing intensity decrease herbage production and species diversity
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