Could horse grazing be used to restore abandoned fields?

Vogel, Jantien (2022) Could horse grazing be used to restore abandoned fields? Master's Research Project 2, Ecology and Evolution.

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Abstract

Semi-natural fields, created by traditional land-use systems like low-intensity cattle grazing, have high ecological value due to the occurrence of numerous plant species, and their associated faunal communities. In Sweden, this habitat is threatened by both land-abandonment and agricultural intensification. In this study, the effect of low intensity grazing by large herbivores on the vegetation was analyzed for 20 abandoned fields and 20 horse-grazed pastures. Horse-grazed fields were dominated by grazing associated species, and were higher in plant diversity. The diversity of horse grazed fields increased with grazing history. No effects of grazing intensity on species richness were found.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Research Project 2)
Supervisor name:	Smit, C.
Degree programme:	Ecology and Evolution
Thesis type:	Master's Research Project 2
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	16 May 2022 10:10
Last Modified:	16 May 2022 10:10
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/27040

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