Free-ranging large herbivores are keystone species in terrestrial ecosystems, and have an important ecological role by affecting both the structure and the function of plant communities and other groups of organisms. Large herbivores often increase plant diversity especially in more productive grasslands such as temperate grasslands in Europe. Additionally, other important effects of ruminants are redistribution of nutrients by feeding and subsequent excretion of urine and dung, soil compaction and erosion via trampling and dispersal of seeds, respectively. In Europe, populations of several ruminants species are increasing both in number and geographical distribution, and problems connected with effects of grazing of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) on grassland in some locations in Slovenia have been increasing as well. Several areas of the Inner Carniola and Kočevje regions have been overgrown with forest, and these areas have the highest density of red deer. Therefore, the pressure of red deer on the remaining grasslands is increasing and may cause important economic loss for land owners. Ungulates can affect the economic profitability of grasslands also indirectly, through the impact on species composition of grasslands and by altering the overall productivity of soil. For proper management of their populations both direct and indirect ecological impacts and value of free-ranging ungulates have to be known. Therefore, an overview of foreign and Slovene studies related to the impacts of free-ranging ruminants on grassland ecosystems is presented in the paper.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4356774
Grazing of permanent grassland by large herbivores is deteriorating economics of fodder production and negatively affects the efficiency of cattle breeding. If farmers want to maintain the stock of animals, they are forced to purchase the missing forage. In this study, we examine how deer grazing affects the economics of a fodder production on permanent grassland. Economic indicators were calculated using model calculations AIS. In our study, we assumed to harvest hay with eight initial yields (2000-8000 kg DM / ha) and 10-80 percent reduction in crop yields due to grazing of wild herbivores. The costs of fodder production on permanent grassland and additional costs for forage purchase were estimated for 72 different combinations of production intensity and levels of large herbivore grazing. Losses due to large herbivores grazing were calculated as the sum of the difference in the total costs and the costs of the purchased forage. Losses due to grazing of large herbivore on more intensive grassland range between 61 and 404 EUR / ha, in mid-intensive grassland between 35 and 295 EUR / ha, and in the extensive grassland between 21 and 217 EUR / ha. Expected losses are greatest and consequently the deterioration in the economy of production is the largest in the intensive heavily grazed permanent pastures.
COBISS.SI-ID: 5188456
Co-authorship of the chapter in the 3rd part of serial on ungulate management: “Valuing ungulates in Europe” In the contribution, which was published as a separate chapter in the international scientific monograph, the consortium of five authors made a comprehensive review of different values (social, ecological, economical etc.) of the presence of free-ranging ungulates in terrestrial ecosystems; moreover, they made a background for assessment of the value of ungulates in the future. An emphasis was on searching for adequate relations between negative and positive impacts of ungulates (considering interests of different stakeholders), but also on stressing the need for understanding the comprehensive ecological value of any species; in this respect, red deer and its influences on the environment (including grassland) was often served as a case study. It is worth to mention that this monograph represents the 3rd part of the serial on ungulate management in Europe; the first two, in which co-authors are also the project leader and another member of the project team (co-author of a very this chapter), won before the award of International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) for the best achievement in publishing scientific literature. This achievement confirms that members of the project team obtained and have an important knowledge and experiences with valuing free-ranging ungulates and their ecological role.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3945126