Table of Contents
What is overgrazing and how does it cause erosion?
Overgrazing. Overgrazing can reduce ground cover, enabling erosion and compaction of the land by wind and rain.. This reduces the ability for plants to grow and water to penetrate, which harms soil microbes and results in serious erosion of the land.
Why is overgrazing a cause of desertification?
Overgrazing occurs when farmers allow livestock to graze to the point where they damage the vegetation. Both overgrazing and deforestation can lead to desertification because they remove or damage the vegetation that is protecting the land and keeping it moist and fertile.
Where is overgrazing most common?
Mongolia is a semi-arid region with harsh, dry winters and warm, wet summers. About 79 percent of the country is covered by grasslands, and a huge surge in the number of grazing animals occurred during just the past decade – especially sheep and goats that cause more damage than cattle.
Why is it bad to overgraze your pastures?
Overgrazing pastures compromises pasture production and exposes the soil to erosion Most grazers rely on cool season pastures to sustain their animals. Growth of cool season grasses nearly come to a standstill when temperatures hit 80°F, which often causes a problem for grazers.
What are the effects of overgrazing on plants?
Once this occurs, plant spacing issues in the grazing area reduce the viability of the living plants which still exist. Bare soil also increases the risks of erosion or weed growth.
What to do about overgrazing on grazing land?
1. Understand the plant growth cycle. Being able to understand the plant-growth rate on grazing lands is essential to ongoing pasture support. Certain plants require shorter or longer amounts of time in order to grow.
Why is overgrazing a major cause of desertification?
As earlier stated, overgrazing is a primary contributor to desertification because it converts arable or pasture land into unproductive piece land. The resultant soil is thus not suited for growing food since it loses its essential nutrients. The loss of land productivity directly results in the loss of food available for consumption.