A spatio-temporal analysis of forage availability and grazing and excretion behaviour of herded and free grazing cattle, sheep and goats in Western Niger

Summary

This spatio-temporal field study in Western Niger monitored grazing behaviour and nutrient cycling of 471 individual cattle, sheep and goats over a full year, combining direct observation with GPS tracking and GIS-mapped forage availability. Herded animals encountered higher forage masses than the territorial average, particularly in late dry and rainy seasons, whilst excretion patterns differed markedly between herded and free-grazing animals, with free-grazing livestock depositing more excreta on barren land. The findings demonstrate how herd management mode and livestock species interact with seasonal forage dynamics to shape nutrient cycling and land use intensity in semi-arid pastoral systems.

Regional applicability

This study is from Niger's semi-arid Sahel zone, where pastoral systems differ substantially from United Kingdom grassland and livestock management in climate, vegetation, herd composition and grazing intensity. However, the methods—combining GPS tracking, forage measurement and GIS analysis—are transferable to UK pasture-based systems, and the findings on how herding intensity and species affect nutrient distribution may inform soil health and nutrient cycling management in extensive UK grazing systems.

Key measures

Daily itinerary length (km), grazing time budget (minutes per day and activity breakdown: feeding, walking, resting), forage biomass on offer (standing and litter), excretion location and frequency (spatial repartition across land use types), GPS tracking of livestock movement, seasonal variation in behaviour

Outcomes reported

The study characterised grazing itineraries, time budgets and excretion patterns of herded versus free-grazing cattle, sheep and goats across seasons, and mapped forage availability against observed livestock behaviour. It quantified spatial and temporal variation in grazing intensity and nutrient deposition across cropland, rangeland, fallows and settlements.

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