Sustainable sheep management using continuous grazing and variable stocking rates in Patagonia: a case study
Gabriel Oliva A D , Daniela Ferrante A , Silvina Puig B and Marcos Williams C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A INTA EEA Santa Cruz, Mahatma Ghandi 1322, 9400 Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina.
B Estancia Los Pozos, Casilla de Correo 74, 9400 Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina.
C Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Libertad 304, 9400 Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina.
D Corresponding author. Email: goliva@correo.inta.gov.ar
The Rangeland Journal 34(3) 285-295 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ12016
Submitted: 23 March 2012 Accepted: 3 July 2012 Published: 28 August 2012
Abstract
Adaptive rangeland management based on continuous grazing by sheep was implemented at Los Pozos station, on the Magellan tussock steppes of southern Patagonia, between 1990 and 2010. The numbers of sheep were adjusted annually following a stocking strategy tracking the herbage mass. Herbage mass was assessed by harvesting short grass species at peak herbage mass and grazing capacity was estimated based on sheep requirements. Historic production records under a traditional continuous grazing management (1930–89) were contrasted with those of the adaptive management period (1990–2010). Stocking rates of 0.59 sheep ha–1 year–1 in the period from 1930 to 1989 dropped to 0.35 sheep ha–1 year–1 in the adaptive management period. Mean herbage mass of short grasses during this latter period was 194 ± 12 kg DM ha–1 and the stubble height of the key species, Poa spiciformis, was 24 ± 0.7 mm. Lamb marking rates and extraction rates increased from 72 to 87%, and from 28 to 48%, respectively, under adaptive management when compared with historic management, and historic levels of sheep sales were maintained: 4405 v. 4602 animals year–1. Wool production fell from 36 102 to 26 771 kg year–1. Annual sheep production under adaptive management was less variable, as the annual coefficient of variation fell by 41% for lambing rates, by 25.8% for wool production, and by 40% for sheep extraction rates, compared with historic records, even though the inter-annual rainfall coefficient of variation increased by 25% over the same period. It is concluded that, under adaptive management, herbage production, stubble height and sheep production remained stable over 20 years. The adaptive strategy allowed a stabilisation of production and is a potentially valuable management tool in view of the expected increase in variability of rainfall predicted by global climate models for Patagonia and other rangeland areas.
Additional keywords: domestic animal production, grazing pressure, perennial grasses, rangeland management, semiarid rangelands.
References
Anchorena, J. (1985). Recursos naturales y aptitud de uso ganadero. Dos cartas a escala 1 : 40.000 para la región magallánica. In: ‘Transecta Botánica de la Patagonia Austral’. (Eds O. Boelcke, D. Moore and F. Roig.) pp. 695–733. (CONICET, Instituto de la Patagonia y Royal Society: Buenos Aires and London.)Andrade, L. (1998). Representaciones sociales de la desertificación. El caso de los ganaderos ovino extensivos en la Meseta Central de Santa Cruz. PhD Thesis, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Argentina.
Ash, A. J., and Stafford Smith, D. M. (1996). Evaluating stocking rate impacts in rangelands: animals do not practice what we preach. The Rangeland Journal 18, 216–243.
| Evaluating stocking rate impacts in rangelands: animals do not practice what we preach.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Barbería, E. (1994). La estancia patagónica. Caracterización de los establecimientos ganaderos del territorio de Santa Cruz en 1920. Ruralia 5, 27–41.
Borrelli, P. (2001). Producción animal sobre pastizales naturales. In: ‘Ganadería ovina sustentable en la Patagonia Austral’. (Eds P. Borrelli and G. Oliva.) pp. 131–162. (INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Borrelli, P., and Oliva, G. (1999). Managing grazing: experiences from Patagonia. In: ‘Vth International Rangeland Congress’. Townsville, Australia. (Eds D. Eldridge and D. Freudenberger.) pp. 441–447. (International Rangelands Congress: Townsville, Qld.)
Borrelli, P., and Oliva, G. (2001a). Efectos de los animales sobre los pastizales. In: ‘Ganadería Sustentable en la Patagonia Austral’. (Eds P. Borrelli and G. Oliva.) pp. 99–128. (INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Borrelli, P., and Oliva, G. (2001b). Evaluación de Pastizales. In: ‘Ganadería Sustentable en la Patagonia Austral’. (Eds P. Borrelli and G. Oliva.) pp. 163–168. (INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Burgos, J. (1985). Clima en el extremo sur de Sudamérica. In: ‘Transecta Botánica de la Patagonia Austral’. (Eds O. Boelcke, D. Moore and F. Roig.) pp. 10–40. (CONICET, Instituto de la Patagonia y Royal Society: Buenos Aires.)
Caceres, A., Oliva, G., Teran, J., Gonzalez, L., Ruiz, J., and Conte, A. (2006). Los productores de la cuenca del Coyle Sur: la percepción del entorno rural. In: ‘La Cuenca del Río Coyle’. (Eds J. Belardi, F. Carballo and S. Espinosa.) pp. 191–213. (Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral: Río Gallegos.)
Campbell, B., Gordon, I. J., Luckert, M., and Pehterama, L. (2006). In search of optimal stocking regimes in semi-arid grazing lands: one size does not fit all. Ecological Economics 60, 75–85.
| In search of optimal stocking regimes in semi-arid grazing lands: one size does not fit all.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cibils, A., and Borrelli, P. (2005). Grasslands of Patagonia. In: ‘Grasslands of the World’. (Eds J. M. Suttie, S. G. Reynolds and C. Batello.) pp. 121–170. (Food and Agriculture Organization: Rome.)
Cibils, A., Baetti, C., Fernandez Clark, E., and Paredes, P. (2001). Relaciones altura-biomasa remanente de dos gramíneas de la Estepa Magallánica (Santa Cruz), con referencia al diagnóstico de la intensidad de pastoreo utilizado en la zona. Revista Argentina de Producción Animal 21, 17–24.
Cibils, A., Humano, G., Escalada, J., and Torra, F. (2005). Productividad primaria de un pastizal de la Estepa Magallánica Seca. In: ‘Campo Experimental Potrok Aike’. (Eds L. González, R. Iglesias and A. Cibils.) pp. 59–60. (INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Committee on Agriculture and Resource Management (1990). ‘Feeding Standards for Australian Livestock. Ruminants.’ (CSIRO: Melbourne.)
Cornforth, I. S., and Sinclair, A. G. (1984). ‘Fertilizer Recommendations for Pastures and Crops in New Zealand.’ (New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture: Wellington.)
Daget, P., and Poissonet, J. (1971). ‘Une methode d’analyse phytologique des prairies (a method for measuring plants in grassland)’. Annales Agronomie 22, 5–41.
De Fina, A., Garbosky, A., Gianetto, F., and Sabella, L. (1968). ‘Difusión geográfica de cultivos índices en la Provincia de Santa Cruz.’ (INTA: Buenos Aires.)
DHV-SWEDFOREST (1998). ‘Diagnóstico, estrategias y acciones propuestas para el uso sostenible de los recursos naturales en la Patagonia. Secretaria de agricultura, ganadería, pesca y alimentación.’ (República Argentina: Buenos Aires.)
Dyksterhuis, E. J. (1958). Ecological principles in range evaluation. Botanical Review 24, 253–272.
| Ecological principles in range evaluation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Faggi, A. (1985). Las comunidades vegetales de Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz. In: ‘Transecta Botánica de la Patagonia Austral’. (Eds O. Boelcke, D. Moore and F. Roig.) pp. 592–633. (CONICET, Instituto de la Patagonia y Royal Society: Buenos Aires and London.)
Ferrante, D. (2011). Distribución del agua en el suelo y su relación con la estructura radical y producción de biomasa de tres tipos funcionales, en un pastizal de la Estepa Magallánica seca, Santa Cruz. MS Thesis, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Giussani, L. (1993). Sobre la validez de Poa breviculmis y P. spicaeformis. Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica 29, 249.
Golluscio, R., Deregibus, V., and Paruelo, J. (1998). Sustainability and range management in the Patagonia steppes. Ecología Austral 8, 265–284.
Gonzalez, M. C., and Pagliettini, L. L. (2004). ‘Los costos agrarios y sus aplicaciones. Medidas de resultado, tamaño óptimo de la empresa, unidad económica agropecuaria, tasaciones rurales.’ (Facultad de Agronomía UBA: Buenos Aires.)
Grimm, V., and Wissel, C. (1997). Babel, or the ecological stability discussions: an inventory and analysis of terminology and a guide for avoiding confusion. Oecologia 109, 323–334.
| Babel, or the ecological stability discussions: an inventory and analysis of terminology and a guide for avoiding confusion.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hart, R. H., Samuel, M. J., Test, P. S., and Smith, M. A. (1988). Cattle, vegetation and economic responses to grazing systems and grazing pressure. Journal of Range Management 41, 282–286.
| Cattle, vegetation and economic responses to grazing systems and grazing pressure.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Heady, H. (1975). ‘Rangeland Management.’ (McGraw Hill Book Co.: New York.)
Heady, H., and Child, R. D. (1994). ‘Rangeland Ecology and Management.’ (Westview Press: Boulder, CO.)
Holechek, J. (1988). An approach for setting the stocking rate. Rangelands 10, 10–14.
Humano, G., Oliva, G., Battini, A., Masco, M., Kofalt, R., and Barria, D. (2005). La vegetación Del campo Experimental Potrok Aike. In: ‘Campo Experimental Potrok Aike: resultados de 15 años de labor técnica’. (Eds L. Gonzalez, R. Iglesias and A. Cibils.) pp. 43–46. (INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Illius, A. W., Derry, J. F., and Gordon, I. J. (1998). Evaluation of strategies for tracking climatic variation in semi-arid grazing systems. Agricultural Systems 57, 381–398.
| Evaluation of strategies for tracking climatic variation in semi-arid grazing systems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
INDEC (2005). Encuesta Agropecuaria 2005. Available at: www.indec.gov.ar
Lara, A., and Cruz, G. (1987). ‘Evaluación del potencial de pastoreo del área de uso agropecuario de la XII región, Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena.’ (INIA – Estación Experimental Kampenaike: Punta Arenas, Chile.)
Lawrie, J. W. (1976). Landforms, soil and erosion. Agricultural Gazette, New South Wales 87, 12–15.
Longo, L., and Gavidia, R. (2002). ‘Principios de Economía.’ (Facultad de Agronomía, UBA: Buenos Aires.)
McLaren, C. A. (1997). ‘Dry sheep equivalents for comparing different classes of livestock.’ (Department of Primary Industries, Victoria: Melbourne.)
Mc Phaden, M. J. (2004). Evolution of the 2002/2003 El Niño. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 85, 677–695.
| Evolution of the 2002/2003 El Niño.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Merrill, L. B. (1954). A variation of deferred rotation grazing for use under south-west range conditions. Journal of Range Management 7, 152–154.
| A variation of deferred rotation grazing for use under south-west range conditions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Nuñez, M. N., Solman, S. A., and Cabre, M. F. (2009). Regional climate change experiments over southern South America. II: Climate change scenarios in the late twenty-first century. Climate Dynamics 32, 1081–1095.
| Regional climate change experiments over southern South America. II: Climate change scenarios in the late twenty-first century.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Oliva, G., and Borrelli, P. (1993). Estepas del sudeste de Santa Cruz. In: ‘Secuencias de deterioro en distintos ambientes patagónicos: su caracterización mediante el modelo de Estados y Transiciones’. (Eds J. Paruelo, M. Bertiller, T. Schlichter and F. Coronato.) pp. 5–13. (Ludepa SME: Bariloche.)
Oliva, G., Rial, P., and Borrelli, P. (1995). Desertificación y posibilidades de uso sustentable en la Provincia de Santa Cruz. In: ‘Actas del taller internacional sobre recursos fitogenéticos, desertificación y manejo sustentable de la Patagonia’. (Eds L. Montes and G. Oliva.) pp. 48–57. (Centro Regional Patagonia sur INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Oliva, G., Cibils, A., Borrelli, P., and Humano, G. (1998). Stable states in relation to grazing in Patagonia: a 10-year experimental trial. Journal of Arid Environments 40, 113–131.
| Stable states in relation to grazing in Patagonia: a 10-year experimental trial.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Oliva, G., Humano, G., and Ferrante, D. (2008). Long-time effects of grazing on Patagonian rangelands (Argentina). In: ‘Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World’. (Eds Organizing Committee of IGC/IRC.) p. 471. (Guangdong Peoples Publishing House: Hohhot, China.)
Paruelo, J. M., Golluscio, R. A., and Deregibus, V. A. (1992). Manejo del pastoreo sobre bases ecológicas en la Patagonia extra andina: una experiencia a escala de establecimiento. Anales de la Sociedad Rural Argentina 126, 68–80.
Paruelo, J., Golluscio, R. A., Guerschman, J., Cesa, A., Jouve, V., and Garbulsky, M. (2004). Regional scale relationships between ecosystem structure and functioning: the case of the Patagonian steppes. Global Ecology and Biogeography 13, 385–395.
| Regional scale relationships between ecosystem structure and functioning: the case of the Patagonian steppes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pelliza, A., Willems, P., Nakamatsu, V., and Manero, A. (1997). ‘Atlas dietario de herbívoros patagónicos.’ (Prodesar – INTA – GTZ: Bariloche.)
Posse, G., Anchorena, J., and Collantes, M. (1996). Seasonal diets of sheep in the steppe region of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Journal of Range Management 49, 24–30.
| Seasonal diets of sheep in the steppe region of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Purvis, J. R. (1986). Nurture the land: my philosophies of pastoral management in central Australia. Australian Rangeland Journal 8, 110–117.
| Nurture the land: my philosophies of pastoral management in central Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Roig, F., and Mendez, E. (1993). Estepas magallánicas de Festuca gracillima de Santa Cruz. In: ‘Secuencias de deterioro en distintos ambientes patagónicos: Su caracterización mediante el modelo de Estados y Transiciones’. (Eds J. Paruelo, M. Bertiller, T. Schlichter and F. Coronato.) pp. 5–13. (Ludepa SME: Bariloche.)
Sala, O. E., and Austin, A. T. (2000). Methods of estimating above-ground net primary productivity. In: ‘Methods in Ecosystem Science’. (Eds O. E. Sala, R. B. Jackson, H. A. Mooney and R. W. Howarth.) pp. 31–43. (Springer-Verlag: New York.)
Sala, O. E., Parton, W. J., Joyce, L. A., and Lauenroth, W. K. (1988). Primary production of the Central Grassland region of the United States. Ecology 69, 40–45.
| Primary production of the Central Grassland region of the United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Salazar Lea Plaza, J., and Godagnone, R. (1990). ‘Provincia de Santa Cruz. Escala 1 : 1.000.000. Atlas de Suelos de la República Argentina.’ (INTA – Secretaría de Agricultura Ganadería y Pesca: Buenos Aires.)
Sandford, S. (2003). Factors affecting the economic assessment of opportunistic and conservative stocking strategies in African livestock systems. In: ‘Rangelands in the New Millennium, Proceedings of VIIth International Rangeland Congress’. Durban. (Ed. S. Vetter.) pp. 56–67. (Document Transformation Technologies: Irene, South Africa.)
Savory, A., and Parson, S. (1980). The Savory grazing method. Rangelands 2, 234–237.
Scarnecchia, D. L. (1990). Concepts of carrying capacity and substitution ratios: a systems viewpoint. Journal of Range Management 43, 553–555.
| Concepts of carrying capacity and substitution ratios: a systems viewpoint.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schorr, A. G., and Segui, M. F. (2008). ‘Zonas agroeconómicas homogéneas. Patagonia Sur.’ (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria INTA: Buenos Aires.)
Soriano, A. (1956). Aspectos ecológicos y pasturiles de la vegetación patagónica relacionados con su estado y capacidad de recuperación. Revista Argentina de Investigaciones Agrícolas 10, 349–372.
SRM (1989). ‘A Glossary of Terms Used in Range Management: A Definition of Terms Commonly Used in Range Management.’ (Society for Range Management: Wheat Ridge, CO.)
Stafford Smith, M., Morton, S., and Ash, A. (1997). On the future of pastoralism in Australia’s rangelands. In: ‘Frontiers in Ecology: Building the Links’. (Eds N. Klomp and I. Lunt.) pp. 7–16. (Elsevier Science: Oxford, UK.)
Stafford Smith, D. M., McKeon, G. M., Watson, I. W., Henry, B. K., Stone, G. S., Hall, W. B., and Howden, M. S. (2007). Learning from episodes of degradation and recovery in variable Australian rangelands. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104, 20690–20695.
| Learning from episodes of degradation and recovery in variable Australian rangelands.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tainton, N. M., Aucamp, A. J., and Danckwerts, J. E. (1999). Principles of managing veld. In: ‘Veld Management in South Africa’. (Ed. N. M. Tainton.) pp. 169–193. (University of Natal Press: Pietermaritzburg.)
Tothill, J. C., Hargreaves, J. N., Jones, R. M., and MacDonald, C. K. (1978). ‘BOTANAL – A Comprehensive Sampling and Computing Procedure for Estimating Pasture Yield and Composition. 1. Field Sampling.’ (CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures: Brisbane.)
Vallentine, J. F. (2001). ‘Grazing Management.’ 2nd edn. (Elsevier: Amsterdam.)
Vera, C., Silvestri, G., Liebman, B., and González, P. (2006). Climate change scenarios for seasonal precipitation in South America from IPCC-AR4 models. Geophysical Research Letters 33, L13707.
| Climate change scenarios for seasonal precipitation in South America from IPCC-AR4 models.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
