Multifunctional beef production on semi-natural grasslands and forests
KEY POINTS- Investigate possible synergies for economic and social sustainability when combining beef production, wood production and nature conservation.
- Study the effect of indoor feed intensity on the levels of compensatory growth during subsequent grazing period.
- Demonstrate the effect of grazing on biodiversity in forests and how wood health is affected by grazing animals.
Project overview
Participants
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Short summary
The project aims to contribute to increased integration of semi-natural grasslands and forests, increased profitability and biodiversity through expanded and more efficient management of these lands, and increased consensus on the role of semi-natural grasslands in sustainable production systems.
Semi-natural grasslands and grazed forests are ecosystems with the ability to produce high quality food without major inputs while contributing to great biodiversity. In addition to being an important factor for achieving set environmental goals, this type of robust food system is also crucial for securing food supply in times of crisis. However, to prevent overgrowth and loss of natural value, these lands must be continuously grazed. Therefore, in this doctoral project, I aim to further highlight the positive effects that grazing has on the ecosystem, demonstrate the potential benefits of grazing on forestry, biodiversity, and production economy, as well as provide tools that can be used in grazing planning and nature restoration.
This is a PhD project consisting of four studies:
- Synergies and trade-offs between beef production, wood production, nature conservation, and production economics under various site conditions.
- Effect of previous feed intensity on level of compensatory growth in growing cattle on semi-natural grasslands.
- Grazing as catalyst for biodiversity in pasture-forest mosaics.
- Experiences of participatory processes when restoring large coherent semi-natural grasslands.
Supervisors are Anna Hessle (SLU), Mikaela Jardstedt (SLU) and Jens Becker (University of Bern).
Links
Organic beef and other ecosystem services produced at semi-natural pasture and forest mosaics