Grasslands used for grazing may be fading

"Encroachment of shrubs into grasslands is an important problem facing rangeland managers and ranchers," says the study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "This process replaces grasses, the preferred forage of domestic livestock, with species that are unsuitable for domestic live...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCanWest News p. 1
Main Author Spears, Tom
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published Don Mills, Ont Postmedia Network Inc 28.08.2007
Subjects
OTTAWA
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Summary:"Encroachment of shrubs into grasslands is an important problem facing rangeland managers and ranchers," says the study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "This process replaces grasses, the preferred forage of domestic livestock, with species that are unsuitable for domestic livestock grazing." "We are embarking on a period in which plant community dynamics in many of Earth's ecosystems may be subject to relatively rapid changes due to increased atmospheric CO2 levels and altered climate," it says. "These changes may affect not only the traditional goods and services we have come to expect from these lands, but may alter their biodiversity as well. "Our report has implications for other rangelands around the world," it adds.