Investigating the effect of livestock grazing on carbon and nutrient dynamics in Alberta Rangelands
Project Facts
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Emissions Reduction Alberta
Dr. Cameron Carlyle, University of Alberta, [email protected]
Case overview/description
The risk of drought is expected to increase as a result of climate change in the Canadian prairies. At the same time, carbon offset policies may enable land managers to be rewared for beneficial management practices that reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases.
1)To understand how the direct and indirect effects of livestock grazing (e.g. plant community change) influences the quantities, stability, distribution and cycling of carbon,
(2)To measure the effect of livestock grazing and associated changes in plant communities on leaf litter decomposition and biogeochemical cycling in litter and soil,
(3) To measure the dynamics of key GHGs in response to livestock grazing in northern temperate grasslands.
Knowing the impacts of different grazing systems on carbon storage and provision of biodiversity could potentially be used in determing payments for ecosystem services
This work has potential implications for management in any mixed grass prairie ecosystem.
Work is happening primarily on Crown/public land with results being applicable on privately held lands
Frequency and intensity of grazing is being manipulated in a small plot experiment to simulate different grazing systems
free market
Public land managers in the Special Areas Municipality
Small exclusion research plots and simulating different grazing management and imposing drought treatments
Outcome/ Beneficiaries/ Issues
Mananaging for increased ecological services may provide additional income streams. Increased productivity supports additional grazing livestock and/or increases productivity of individual grazing animals
Sustaining the ranching community. Landscape able to support more people.
Providing information to improve management for a healthy functioning ecosystem
Through extension services, workshops, academic papers
classic challenge of getting usable information into hands of grazers. Increasing grain and oil seed demand increases pressure on land conversion from grass. Difficult to maintain funding for long-term research
too soon to know
Rangeland health, grasslands, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, roots, Canada, Alberta