Overgrazing is a land-use topic concerning the excessive consumption of vegetation by herbivores, typically livestock, beyond the capacity of plant communities and soils to recover, leading to degradation of terrestrial ecosystems. Scientifically, it involves sustained grazing pressure that reduces plant biomass, alters species composition toward less palatable or invasive species, exposes soil surfaces, and disrupts nutrient and water cycles. Overgrazed systems exhibit increased soil erosion, compaction, reduced infiltration, and diminished primary productivity, often crossing ecological thresholds into desertification or long-term loss of ecosystem function. It is a central topic in rangeland management, grazing ecology, and land degradation modeling.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates how radiocarbon dating can reveal the maximum lifespan of Mediterranean hardwoods, uncovering hidden links between human history and ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 6, 2026
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330
Last year, we noted early signs of recovery in Australia's high country, following the reduction of feral horse numbers.
Ecology
Jun 1, 2026
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Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Somehow, it feels like it's getting hotter and drier every day.
Environment
May 12, 2026
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65
Spring in the forest: Many insects, particularly caterpillars, hatch just when the trees' nutrient-rich leaves are still young and soft. This means they find a table laden with food and can start eating straight away. If ...
Evolution
May 1, 2026
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325
Vast stretches of a once-verdant acacia forest south of Sudan's capital Khartoum have been reduced to little more than fields of stumps as nearly three years of conflict have fueled deforestation.
Ecology
Feb 19, 2026
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17
A global study has revealed the conditions under which non-native plants thrive in the world's many dryland regions and the factors that limit their spread. Using data from 98 study sites across 25 countries on six continents, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 17, 2026
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47
In terms of area, forest is the most important means of avalanche protection. It is also the most cost-effective and is naturally renewable. This insight hit home after the winter of 1951, when over 1,000 avalanches caused ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 9, 2026
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22
California wildlife officials have approved a plan to eradicate Catalina Island's entire deer population as part of a broader effort to restore the island ecosystem, sparking fierce opposition from an unusual coalition of ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 4, 2026
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28
Removing sheep and other livestock entirely from upland grasslands—a strategy often promoted as a way to boost carbon storage and tackle climate change—may actually reduce the most stable forms of soil carbon, according to ...
Ecology
Feb 2, 2026
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199
Across large parts of northern Tanzania, gully erosion—soil erosion caused by flowing water—is cutting deep scars through fertile farmland, grazing areas, roads and even villages. These gullies grow faster every year and ...
Ecology
Jan 31, 2026
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