Biological monitoring
There is a vast array of monitoring methods and techniques available for land managers. Where does a farmer or rancher even begin? Too often the monitoring techniques are difficult and not applicable to your average farmer or rancher. Anyone with the goal of improving their management techniques needs to be conducting a reasonable amount of monitoring. Why monitor? We monitor so that we as managers can understand the signals the land is sending. Every good manager has desired goals for their pastures and the only way to understand if we are moving towards or away from our goals is to monitor. It is the key to making timely, informed decision about management. If you are monitoring the right indicators of land health you can determine whether your decisions as a manager are improving or hindering your long-term goals of land health, which effects your overall productivity and profitability as a producer.
Let’s start with the basics. What do you consider a healthy pasture or rangeland? We must first understand the four fundamental ecosystem processes: 1) energy flow, 2) mineral cycle, 3) water cycle and 4) community dynamics. Nature is best understood in it’s complexity as a system, rather than breaking it down into pieces. In a effort to broaden our understanding of these complex ecosystem processes Allan Savory originally identified and linked them together in such a way.
All life on Earth requires energy. Almost all life on Earth requires energy that flows from the sun. The most basic conversion of solar energy occurs through plant materials. Energy then continues to flow through the system to whatever eats the plans and so on. Thus, to simply put it energy flows, not cycles because it is continually converted into another form of energy. Our goal as land managers is to improve the cycle of energy through plants as much as physically possible by keeping the soil covered with vegetation and managing our livestock in such a way that we do not damage or interfere with the energy cycle. .
Mineral cycles are a bit more complicated. One of the most common problems in our pastures and rangelands is a broken mineral cycle. A good soil test can tell us within a short time frame if our mineral cycle is in good or poor condition. An effective mineral cycle requires soil that is covered in vegetation and high in biodiversity. When healthy, diverse plants are present they cycle minerals from the living soil. When there is a lack of vegetation and the soil is exposed, nutrients become trapped and lost to the wind and water.
Like mineral cycling, an effective water cycle also requires soil covered in vegetation and high in diversity. If a water cycle is effective most of the water soaks in quickly during rainfall events. Continuing through the cycle it is absorbed and released by plants that transpire it, or through springs, rivers, aquifers and so on. A broken water cycle has high runoff and most of the water is quickly released through evaporation after a rainfall event.
The ecosystem process most often thought of is community dynamics (or succession). With very few exceptions on Earth most ecosystems are continually evolving towards greater complexity, which ultimately equals stability. It ranges from unstable bare ground to complex forest communities with high biodiversity. As ranchers we often dream of grass pastures devoid of weeds and woody species, which is totally opposite of what nature strives for. Many farmers and ranchers are at fault for pushing their agenda, often degenerating the ecosystem. Nature strives for a balanced diversity of species, constantly regenerating and evolving, and ultimately moving towards ever more complex relationships.
What resounds to me when discussing these four processes is to keep your soil covered with vegetation and manage the livestock in such a way that enhances these ecosystem processes. When assessing your pasture or rangeland can you see and understand the land and it’s ecosystem processes? Perhaps you can simply “see” and understand, but monitoring can give us a deeper understanding of how these systems and processes are functioning over a period of time on our land. On the next blog I will talk more about how to evaluate rangeland health, the indicators and monitoring methods.
Are you looking for someone to help you set-up a monitoring plan or do you want to outsource the entire task? Contact us.
