Grazing pressure as we all know is very hard to get right in homogenous grassland, but in clearly very heterogeneous grassland/scrubland/heath, it is very hard to be prescriptive. We need grazing to keep grass low so as not to shade out other species. We need grazing pressure to be sufficiently light that while microsites are created for seed germination, soil erosion is not advanced. We need to have grazing pressure sufficiently light that sward species can flower and set seed. This currently doesnt happen in many grassland tracts in the Park. Seed production occurs where grazing pressure is lighter eg amongst boulders, at scrub fringes etc. We need a supply of seed to keep the species rich grasslands as rich as the are.. Not sure how to address this complicated issue. Trial and error seems the only option, starting with low stocking density and increasing this as necessary. This almost certainly involved monitoring beyond the capacity of the NPWS, and mamangement of animals by farmers possibly impracticable given the landscape. Err on the side of caution therefore and keep pressure low until signs are seen that suggest higher densities are needed. Avoid grazing in flowering/seeding times. Would be lovely to enclose a large area with deer proof fencing and open up a sub Park area as a tourist attraction/ecology lab to see what happens if domestic grazers are replaced by indigenous species [not goats] at low densities. This is done in our other national parks, but building fences where there is no soil and no roads is a challenge needing helicopters and fence hole drillers.
It was on a smaller scale, but I organised the erection of 12 20mx20m fences in the Burren in 2006. They were built quite quickly by two men, a generator and a drill (small holes drilled directly into the rock, into which to set the galvalised metal poles) and a lot of hard work. It's different to erecting fences (almost) anywhere else in Ireland, but it is do-able.
Again, not sure about introducing a species that isnt' already there (deer, suggested above). Do we have the man-power, money, and/or commitment to manage such a project at the moment? It may seem like a negative viewpoint - but I feel we struggle with managing what we have. To be realistic, unless there is a significant change in the money/man-power provided for nature conservation and the management of National Parks, should we not be careful not to instigate plans we cannot be sure about seeing through???
Grazing pressure as we all know is very hard to get right in homogenous grassland, but in clearly very heterogeneous grassland/scrubland/heath, it is very hard to be prescriptive. We need grazing to keep grass low so as not to shade out other species. We need grazing pressure to be sufficiently light that while microsites are created for seed germination, soil erosion is not advanced. We need to have grazing pressure sufficiently light that sward species can flower and set seed. This currently doesnt happen in many grassland tracts in the Park. Seed production occurs where grazing pressure is lighter eg amongst boulders, at scrub fringes etc. We need a supply of seed to keep the species rich grasslands as rich as the are.. Not sure how to address this complicated issue. Trial and error seems the only option, starting with low stocking density and increasing this as necessary. This almost certainly involved monitoring beyond the capacity of the NPWS, and mamangement of animals by farmers possibly impracticable given the landscape. Err on the side of caution therefore and keep pressure low until signs are seen that suggest higher densities are needed. Avoid grazing in flowering/seeding times. Would be lovely to enclose a large area with deer proof fencing and open up a sub Park area as a tourist attraction/ecology lab to see what happens if domestic grazers are replaced by indigenous species [not goats] at low densities. This is done in our other national parks, but building fences where there is no soil and no roads is a challenge needing helicopters and fence hole drillers.
ReplyDeleteIt was on a smaller scale, but I organised the erection of 12 20mx20m fences in the Burren in 2006. They were built quite quickly by two men, a generator and a drill (small holes drilled directly into the rock, into which to set the galvalised metal poles) and a lot of hard work. It's different to erecting fences (almost) anywhere else in Ireland, but it is do-able.
ReplyDeleteAgain, not sure about introducing a species that isnt' already there (deer, suggested above). Do we have the man-power, money, and/or commitment to manage such a project at the moment? It may seem like a negative viewpoint - but I feel we struggle with managing what we have. To be realistic, unless there is a significant change in the money/man-power provided for nature conservation and the management of National Parks, should we not be careful not to instigate plans we cannot be sure about seeing through???