Water: Use seasonal grazing

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

0%
Certainty

5%
Harms

50%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

Water use (0 studies)

Water availability (1 study): One replicated, randomized, controlled study in wet grasslands in the USA found that pools were wet for longer in continuously, compared to seasonally, grazed plots.

Pathogens and pesticides (0 studies)

Nutrients (0 studies)

Sediments (0 studies)

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 2000–2003 in wet alpine meadows in central California, USA, found that pools in continuously grazed plots were wet for longer and dried out less frequently than those in seasonally grazed plots. Water availability: The maximum time that pools were wet was higher in continuously grazed plots, compared to seasonally grazed plots (115 vs 65–78 days). During a particularly dry year, pools in continuously grazed plots dried less frequently than those in seasonally grazed plots (1 vs 2 drying episodes). Methods: Eighteen plots were established in 2000, each with three pools (70–1,130 m²) and nine times more dry land than pool. Areas were either grazed continuously or seasonally (dry: October–November; wet: April–June). Before the experiment, the area had been grazed for at least 100 years.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Marty J.T. (2005) Effects of cattle grazing on diversity in ephemeral wetlands. Conservation Biology, 19, 1626-1632.

Please cite as:

Shackelford, G. E., Kelsey, R., Robertson, R. J., Williams, D. R. & Dicks, L. V. (2017) Sustainable Agriculture in California and Mediterranean Climates: Evidence for the effects of selected interventions. Synopses of Conservation Evidence Series. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Mediterranean Farmland

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