Survey of livestock influences on stream ecosystems in the western United States
-
-
Authors: A. J. Belsky, A. Matzke, and S. Uselman
Date: 1999
Journal: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Volume: 54
Number: 1
Pages: 419-431
Summary of Methods: This article is a survey and summary of 113 articles on the major effects of livestock grazing on riparian and stream ecosystems of the arid West.
Article Summary / Main Points: Belsky et al. reviewed peer-edited journals and government publications pertaining to the effects that livestock grazing has in riparian areas with respect to forage quantity and quality, wildlife habitat (aquatic and terrestrial), stream health, bank stability, and overall riparian health. This review concluded that water quality and seasonal quantity, channel morphology, riparian zone soils, vegetation (instream and streambank), hydrology and wildlife have been detrimental to stream and riparian ecosystems in the past and still today. Several studies have publicized that recent advances in riparian grazing management (i.e. changes in season, intensity, and duration of use) have shown improvement in riparian ecosystem health compared to traditionally season-long grazing systems.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: Not Applicable
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Grazing
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Scientific Synthesis
Keywords: arid west, biodiversity, cattle grazing impacts, riparian ecosystems, riparian exclosures, riparian soils, riparian vegetation, stream channel morphology, stream water quality
Annotation: Many good points raised in this synthesis of the research though several articles were not included in this synthesis such as Fitch and Adams (1998) that found that recovery of a riparian area can occur while cattle still grazed a site. Therefore this review should be treated as incomplete and one-sided.
-
Direct link not available.
-