Grazing Impacts on Biodiversity, Carbon Cycle, Water Efficiency, and Animal Welfare: Review

Giulia Pastorelli, Ilaria Falconi, Maria Assunta D'Oronzio and Raffaella Pergamo

Economia agro-alimentare, 2025, vol. 27, issue 3, 37-60

Abstract:

This review examines the role of pasture-based livestock systems in promoting agri-environmental sustainability across four key dimensions: biodiversity, water-use efficiency, carbon cycle, and animal welfare. Despite growing political and scientific interest in extensive grazing, the existing literature remains fragmented and limits a comprehensive understanding of grazing?s multidimensional impacts. To address this gap, we conducted a review of studies published between 2010 and 2025, following the Cochrane Handbook and applying the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework. The analysis focused exclusively on studies conducted in Europe to explore the state of the art on the topic and analyze future policy implications. The results indicate that moderate and well-managed grazing improves biodiversity, increases water-use efficiency, and promotes soil carbon sequestration, especially through rotation practices and tree integration. Access to pasture improves animal welfare, although outcomes vary depending on infrastructure and environmental conditions. The review emphasizes the need for integrated approaches that combine traditional knowledge, environmental design, and precision tools to maximize the sustainability of grazing systems.

Keywords: water-use; carbon cycle; Animal welfare; Biodiversity grazing systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista. ... 032&Tipo=ArticoloPDF (text/html)
Single articles can be downloaded buying download credits, for info: https://www.francoangeli.it/DownloadCredit

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2025oa20804

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.francoang ... o.aspx?IDRivista=214

Access Statistics for this article

Economia agro-alimentare is currently edited by FrancoAngeli

More articles in Economia agro-alimentare from FrancoAngeli Editore
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Stefania Rosato ().