New paper about cattle grazing

Our paper about the effects of traditional and crossbred beef cattle grazing on the conservation values of alkaline grasslands and marshes has recently been accepted in Applied Vegetation Science. Please click here to download the pdf.

Kovácsné Koncz, N., Béri, B., Deák, B., Kelemen, A., Tóth, K., Kiss, R., Radócz, Sz., Miglécz, T., Tóthmérész, B., Valkó, O. (2019): Meat production and maintaining biodiversity: Grazing by traditional and crossbred beef cattle breeds in marshes and grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science doi: 10.1111/avsc.12475 [IF2018: 3.568]

Hungarian grey cattle is a robust traditional breed that maintains the highest naturalness values in alkaline habitats.

Sustainable rangeland utilization considering traditions and economic reasons is compulsory for harmonising the needs of the agricultural and nature conservation sectors. For proper rangeland management it is crucial to compare the grazing effects of traditional breeds and crossbred animals of the same species that might have different effect on the rangelands. To fill this knowledge gap, in a grazing experiment we investigated the effect of cattle breeds on the vegetation to test the effects on nature conservation value and agricultural production value. We hypothesized that the effects of cattle grazing on habitat conservation values and forage quality depend on the grazing breed, because breeds differ in selectivity, body size and trampling effect. We recorded the percentage cover of vascular plants in three consecutive years in a total of 60 plots in 12 areas grazed by traditional (Hungarian Grey cattle, 0.61 AU/ha) and large-sized crossbred beef cattle (Charolais × limousine, 0.68 AU/ha) in marshes and alkaline wet grasslands in Hortobágy National Park, Hungary.

We found that the effect of cattle breed on the habitat conservation values and forage quality are dependent on the habitat type. The traditional breed maintained a significantly higher species number and Shannon diversity in the marshes than the crossbred beef cattle. Grazing of crossbred cattle led to decreasing moisture indicator values in marsh habitats. Our findings revealed that traditional breeds should be prioritized in the management of wet alkaline grasslands and marshes. Crossbred beef cattle might be a substitute but only in case when traditional breeds are not available for the management of alkaline wet grasslands. In marshes, however, we recommend to prioritize the traditional breeds as they maintain higher diversity compared to the crossbred beef cattle.

Alkaline grasslands and marshes of the Hortobágy National Park form one of the largest continuous open landscapes in Europe.

New paper on the Eurasian Kurgan Database

We have published an 'introduction paper' about the Eurasian Kurgan Database in the Steppe Bulletin. 

The citation of the paper: 

Bragina, Tatyana M. ; Lisetskii, Fedor N. ; Buryak, Zhanna A. ; Bede, Ádám ; Apostolova, Iva ; Tóth, Csaba Albert ; Báthori, Ferenc ; Bán, Miklós ; Deák, Balázs (2019): Евразийская база данных о курганах поможет сохранить биоразнообразие степей /Eurasian database on kurgans will help to preserve biodiversity of steppes/. Степной Бюллетень /Steppe Bulletin/ 53: 36-40. 

The paper can be downloaded here. 

Eurasian steppes have an essential role in conserving biodiversity, but due to the huge habitat loss in the past centuries they are often preserved only in small refuges. Among such refuges are the ancient steppic burial mounds (the so called ‘kurgans’) which have a high cultural and historical importance and are also essential sites of nature conservation. Despite their high number (approximately half million) and conservational importance there is a huge lack of knowledge on the locality and conservational state of the kurgans in most regions of Eurasia. To fill this knowledge gap, we built a public database which allows to record and query basic information on their cultural values and factors (such as land cover type, threatening factors, cover of woody species) that might serve as a basis for their effective conservation. The database provides a transparent, public and easy-to-use source for conservation managers and landscape planners focused on grassland conservation. In addition, it also provides background information for other associate disciplines and public agencies dealing with the protection of cultural heritage. 

Meadow steppe with the statue of a Cumanian lady (половецкая баба). Drawing of Марианны Масловой.

Currently the database contains 2,540 data on Eurasian kurgans ranging from Hungary to Mongolia providing data on their location. Some of the data is provided on the basic dataform, which means we have only the coordinates of the kurgan. But from more than 1,700 kurgans we have detailed data on the land use, threatening factors and cultural values of the kurgans.

Current geographical coverage of the Eurasian Kurgan Database.

All future cooperation partners interested in the building of the database are welcome. Please contact me on the debalazs@gmail.com email address. 

In order to draw attention on the present conservation status of the kurgans across Eurasia we aim to publish a synthesis paper using the data from the database. The planned publication aims to give a comprehensive overview on the current land cover, threatening factors present on and the cultural values associated to the kurgans of the different regions of a wide geographical range. According to the terms and conditions of the Eurasian Kurgan Database data contributors who provided a significant contribution (1, more than 5% of the available data on the complex dataform, or 2, providing valuable data from a new region on the complex dataform) to the Database will be offered a coauthorship in the forthcoming publications. 

You can see our previous publication on this topic here.