Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems

Biodiversity in rangelands is decreasing, due to intense utilization for livestock production and conversion of rangeland into cropland; yet the outlook of rangeland biodiversity has not been considered in view of future global demand for food. Here we assess the impact of future livestock productio...

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Main Authors: Alkemade, R., Reid, Robin S., Berg, M. van den, Leeuw, Jan de, Jeuken, M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: National Academy of Sciences 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/24414
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author Alkemade, R.
Reid, Robin S.
Berg, M. van den
Leeuw, Jan de
Jeuken, M.
author_browse Alkemade, R.
Berg, M. van den
Jeuken, M.
Leeuw, Jan de
Reid, Robin S.
author_facet Alkemade, R.
Reid, Robin S.
Berg, M. van den
Leeuw, Jan de
Jeuken, M.
author_sort Alkemade, R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Biodiversity in rangelands is decreasing, due to intense utilization for livestock production and conversion of rangeland into cropland; yet the outlook of rangeland biodiversity has not been considered in view of future global demand for food. Here we assess the impact of future livestock production on the global rangelands area and their biodiversity. First we formalized existing knowledge about livestock grazing impacts on biodiversity, expressed in mean species abundance (MSA) of the original rangeland native species assemblages, through metaanalysis of peer-reviewed literature. MSA values, ranging from 1 in natural rangelands to 0.3 in man-made grasslands, were entered in the IMAGE-GLOBIO model. This model was used to assess the impact of change in food demand and livestock production on future rangeland biodiversity. The model revealed remarkable regional variation in impact on rangeland area and MSA between two agricultural production scenarios. The area of used rangelands slightly increases globally between 2000 and 2050 in the baseline scenario and reduces under a scenario of enhanced uptake of resource-efficient production technologies increasing production [high levels of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology (high-AKST)], particularly in Africa. Both scenarios suggest a global decrease in MSA for rangelands until 2050. The contribution of livestock grazing to MSA loss is, however, expected to diminish after 2030, in particular in Africa under the high-AKST scenario. Policies fostering agricultural intensification can reduce the overall pressure on rangeland biodiversity, but additional measures, addressing factors such as climate change and infrastructural development, are necessary to totally halt biodiversity loss.
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spelling CGSpace244142024-10-17T09:47:53Z Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems Alkemade, R. Reid, Robin S. Berg, M. van den Leeuw, Jan de Jeuken, M. livestock animal production Biodiversity in rangelands is decreasing, due to intense utilization for livestock production and conversion of rangeland into cropland; yet the outlook of rangeland biodiversity has not been considered in view of future global demand for food. Here we assess the impact of future livestock production on the global rangelands area and their biodiversity. First we formalized existing knowledge about livestock grazing impacts on biodiversity, expressed in mean species abundance (MSA) of the original rangeland native species assemblages, through metaanalysis of peer-reviewed literature. MSA values, ranging from 1 in natural rangelands to 0.3 in man-made grasslands, were entered in the IMAGE-GLOBIO model. This model was used to assess the impact of change in food demand and livestock production on future rangeland biodiversity. The model revealed remarkable regional variation in impact on rangeland area and MSA between two agricultural production scenarios. The area of used rangelands slightly increases globally between 2000 and 2050 in the baseline scenario and reduces under a scenario of enhanced uptake of resource-efficient production technologies increasing production [high levels of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology (high-AKST)], particularly in Africa. Both scenarios suggest a global decrease in MSA for rangelands until 2050. The contribution of livestock grazing to MSA loss is, however, expected to diminish after 2030, in particular in Africa under the high-AKST scenario. Policies fostering agricultural intensification can reduce the overall pressure on rangeland biodiversity, but additional measures, addressing factors such as climate change and infrastructural development, are necessary to totally halt biodiversity loss. 2013-12-24 2012-09-29T06:02:52Z 2012-09-29T06:02:52Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/24414 en Open Access National Academy of Sciences Alkemade, R., Reid, R.S., Berg, M. van den, Leeuw, J. de and Jeuken, M. 2013. Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems. PNAS 110(52): 20900-20905
spellingShingle livestock
animal production
Alkemade, R.
Reid, Robin S.
Berg, M. van den
Leeuw, Jan de
Jeuken, M.
Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
title Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
title_full Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
title_fullStr Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
title_short Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
title_sort assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems
topic livestock
animal production
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/24414
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AT leeuwjande assessingtheimpactsoflivestockproductiononbiodiversityinrangelandecosystems
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