What is it about?
It has been suggested that over-grazing is detrimental to Houbara habitat and the conservation of this species can be improved by controlling pastoralism. We tested this in the Kyzlkum, part of the southern Central Asian Desert, in Uzbekistan, using data from 140 10-km transects and 147 point counts across 14,500 km2. In Generalised Linear Models that controlled for plant community, interpolated sheep density did not affect houbara incidence on transects, or incidence and abundance at point counts. Although subtle effects were found for some palatable shrubs, sheep did not strongly modify shrub composition or structure at landscape scales. At landscape-scales, livestock browsing has not widely degraded these rangelands, which appear sustainably managed or even under-utilised. Pastoralism and houbara conservation may therefore be compatible.
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Why is it important?
There is no evidence that livestock pastoralism is impacting the wider distribution of Asian Houbara in this landscape.
Perspectives
This work was a collaboration by a team of field ornithologists, led by the University of East Anglia, in partnership with the Emirates Bird Breeding Centre for Conservation and BirdLife International. You can see more about the Sustainable Houbara Management programme at: https://www.sustainablehoubaramanagement.org/research-publications/ or follow us on Facebook or Twitter: @SustainHoubara
Professor Paul M Dolman
University of East Anglia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Do sheep affect distribution and habitat of Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii?, Journal of Arid Environments, April 2014, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2014.01.002.
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