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dc.contributor.authorMichler, Lena M.
dc.contributor.authorKaczensky, Petra
dc.contributor.authorPloechl, Jane F.
dc.contributor.authorBatsukh, Daginnas
dc.contributor.authorBaumgartner, Sabine A.
dc.contributor.authorBattogtokh, Bayarmaa
dc.contributor.authorTreydte, Anna C.
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-31T12:39:43Z
dc.date.available2022-08-31T12:39:43Z
dc.date.created2022-08-11T23:34:10Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.identifier.issn1550-7424
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11250/3014725
dc.description.abstractLivestock grazing often intensifies around herder camps, which can lead to degradation, particularly in arid areas, where vegetation is scarce. In Mongolia, nomadic herders have covered long distances between camps and changed camps regularly for centuries. However, changing socioeconomics, rising livestock numbers, and climatic change have led to growing concerns over rangeland health. To understand travel mobility and livestock grazing patterns, we combined Global Positioning System tracking data of goats, remotely sensing pasture productivity, and ground-based vegetation characteristics in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. We assessed herder preferences for camp selection, followed 19 livestock herds over 20 months, determined use and nutrient contents of the most dominant plant communities, and estimated plant species richness, vegetation cover, and biomass within different grazing radii around camps. Biomass availability was key for herder decisions to move camps, but in winter, other factors like shelter from wind were more important. Camps were mainly located in Stipa spp. communities, agreeing with herder preferences for this highly nutritious species, and its dominance around camps. Herders changed their camp locations on average 9 times yearly, with a maximum distance of 70–123 km between summer and winter camps, and an average visitation period of 25–49 d per camp, depending on season. Small livestock spent > 13−17 h daily within a radius of 100 m from camp, and livestock use intensity decreased steeply with distance from camp but was remarkably similar around spring, autumn, and winter camps on the Gobi plains. However, we found little evidence for a corresponding gradient in plant species richness, biomass, and cover on the Gobi plains. The high mobility of local herders and the overriding impact of precipitation on pasture dynamics contribute to a sustainable vegetation offtake by livestock in the nonequilibrium rangelands of the Dzungarian Gobi.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsNavngivelse 4.0 Internasjonal*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.no*
dc.subjectEnhanced vegetation indexen_US
dc.subjectGPS collarsen_US
dc.subjectMobilityen_US
dc.subjectNomadic herding traditionen_US
dc.subjectProtected areaen_US
dc.subjectRangelanden_US
dc.titleMoving towards the greener side: environmental aspects guiding pastoral mobility and impacting vegetation in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongoliaen_US
dc.title.alternativeMoving towards the greener side: environmental aspects guiding pastoral mobility and impacting vegetation in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongoliaen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.description.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.subject.nsiVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400en_US
dc.source.pagenumber149-160en_US
dc.source.journalRangeland Ecology & Managementen_US
dc.source.issue83en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.rama.2022.03.006
dc.identifier.cristin2042565
cristin.ispublishedtrue
cristin.fulltextoriginal
cristin.qualitycode1


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Navngivelse 4.0 Internasjonal
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Navngivelse 4.0 Internasjonal