Application of New Techniques to Monitor Livestock Grazing Distribution by GPS and GIS
الموضوعات :
Mehdi Farahpour
1
(Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran,)
Alireza Naseri
2
(Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran)
Mohamasreza Najibzaadeh
3
(East Azarbayjan Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center)
Mohamad Fayaz
4
(Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran)
Mahmod Moallemi
5
(Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran)
الکلمات المفتاحية: Iran, Herding system, Over grazing, Livestock distribution,
ملخص المقالة :
Range management needs information on distribution of livestock. The better the distribution of the livestock, the more uniform the use of the rangeland. This study was conducted to record the path of the herd steering by the shepherd. A GPS was attached to a three year old ewe which was moving with the flock. The path of flock movement was recorded for three years on a monthly basis during the grazing season. Results showed that the path was not changing within the years. On the contrary, the pattern of monthly movements showed variation. Area at the vicinity of the watering point and the sheep pen, as a sign of overgrazing for those areas, was used every day. Calculation of the grazed area showed that almost half of the range was used and the other half was left ungrazed. The map and attribute data such as speed of the movement and timing of the daily orbit could help the range manager to find a way out of over grazing problem.
