Management mosaic makes grassland particularly useful
Published: Tuesday, May 14th 2024, 17:41
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A mosaic of different types of management makes meadows and pastures particularly useful. This is shown by a study of grassland in the canton of Solothurn by ETH Zurich.
Two thirds of Switzerland's agricultural land is grassland, according to a press release issued by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) on Tuesday. Grassland is also an important carbon sink and a haven for biodiversity.
For their study, which was published in the journal "Nature Communications", the Zurich researchers examined 90 permanent grassland areas on more than 30 farms over a period of two years. They wanted to find out which management method provides the most benefits for humans and other living organisms, known as ecosystem services.
Different advantages and disadvantages
Extensive cultivation without fertilization produced the best results for biodiversity and soil protection. However, this was accompanied by a lower feed quantity and quality, which means lower production for farmers, as ETH Zurich wrote.
The use of grassland as pasture or meadow also had a significant impact on ecosystem services. Pastures supported more plant species and provided better forage quality, while meadows produced a higher quantity of forage and were more aesthetic.
Organic farming had only a minor positive effect on ecosystem services compared to conventional farming. This is attributed to the fact that both conventional and organic areas are used with similar intensity.
According to the researchers, there is no single management method that maximizes all ecosystem services at the same time. Instead, they recommend a mosaic of different forms of management. The researchers can now use their findings to advise farmers, land cooperatives and even cantonal authorities, according to the university.
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