Effects of grazing management on spatio-temporal heterogeneity of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions of grasslands and rangelands: Monitoring, assessment and scaling-up

Summary

This review synthesises current knowledge on how grazing management intensity and practice influence the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in grassland and rangeland systems. The authors assess monitoring and assessment methodologies used to quantify these effects and discuss approaches for scaling findings from plot to landscape level. As suggested by the title, the paper addresses a key gap in understanding how management-driven heterogeneity affects ecosystem carbon and climate outcomes.

UK applicability

The findings are potentially applicable to UK grassland and upland grazing systems, particularly regarding optimisation of grazing intensity to balance productivity with carbon sequestration and emissions mitigation. However, specific applicability depends on UK climate zone and soil conditions being represented in the reviewed studies.

Key measures

Soil carbon stocks, greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O), spatial heterogeneity indices, temporal dynamics, grazing intensity metrics

Outcomes reported

The study examined how different grazing management practices affect spatial and temporal patterns of soil carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions across grassland and rangeland ecosystems. It synthesised monitoring approaches and assessment methods for scaling findings across different production systems.

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