Environmental strategies increase the resilience of extensive livestock systems to adverse climate conditions

Soler-Navarro, Diego J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Tenza-Peral, Alicia (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Janssen, Marco A. ; Giménez, Andrés ; Pérez-Ibarra, Irene (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: This study presents an agent-based model to assess the resilience and ecological, economic, and social sustainability of three extensive livestock system archetypes: subsistence, commercial, and environmental. Subsistence focuses on traditional practices, commercial prioritizes profit, and environmental emphasizes resource conservation and animal welfare. The model simulates livestock dynamics under two grazing strategies (free and rotational grazing) under thirty climate-driven primary productivity change scenarios as a proxy to explore the potential long-term and persistent impacts of climate change. Results indicate that all archetypes reach a collapse threshold under extreme climate conditions, and that no single strategy performs best under all circumstances. The environmental performs best under adverse but non-critical conditions, especially in ecological sustainability; the subsistence is the most vulnerable and the commercial excels in economic and social sustainability under favorable conditions. Under normal or favorable climate-driven conditions, tradeoffs between sustainability dimensions emerge. Rotational grazing improves ecological sustainability, but reduces economic and social performance. Strategies to reduce tradeoffs are essential to improve the ecological footprint of commercial systems and the economic viability of environmental systems under changing climates. This model has the potential to be transferable and adaptable to a wide range of extensive livestock systems, providing a valuable tool for research and policy aimed at building climate-resilient pastoral systems.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126004

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Journal of environmental management 388 (2025), 126004 [10 pp.]
ISSN: 0301-4797

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2019-104020RA-I00

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Econom.Sociol.Polit.Agra. (Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural)