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.
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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198
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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23
New research shows that the mere smell of predators is enough to change deer behavior and limit browsing damage to tree saplings. The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, offer a potential tool for forest ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 28, 2026
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345
In the Kenyan savanna, lions and livestock essentially live in shifts: Cattle graze during the day and are enclosed at night when lions are active.
Plants & Animals
Jan 21, 2026
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140
Cowboys guided a herd of longhorn cattle through downtown Denver to celebrate the opening of the annual National Western Stock Show on Jan. 8, 2026. As ranchers bring their best cattle to compete for blue ribbons over the ...
Agriculture
Jan 19, 2026
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22
Lost mountain woodlands in the Scottish Highlands will return if deer densities are reduced, according to new University of Stirling research.
Ecology
Jan 14, 2026
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18
