Application of Soil Multiparametric Indices to Assess Impacts of Grazing in Mediterranean Forests

Picazo Córdoba Marta Isabel, García Saucedo Francisco, Wic Baena Consolación, García Morote Francisco Antonio, López Serrano Francisco Ramón, Rubio Eva, Moreno Ortego José Luis and Andrés Abellán Manuela ()
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Picazo Córdoba Marta Isabel: Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
García Saucedo Francisco: Department of Agroforestry Technology and Science and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Castilla La-Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Wic Baena Consolación: Department of Agroforestry Technology and Science and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Castilla La-Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
García Morote Francisco Antonio: Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
López Serrano Francisco Ramón: Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Rubio Eva: Department of Agroforestry Technology and Science and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Castilla La-Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Moreno Ortego José Luis: Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, CEBAS-CSIC, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Andrés Abellán Manuela: Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: In this study, the effects of different stocking rates were quantified in three study areas in a Mediterranean forest (Cuenca, Spain) by applying a multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) developed from undisturbed forest soils (>40 years). The main objective was to advance the development and application of multiparametric indices that allow for soil condition assessment. To fulfill this objective, the effectiveness of the developed multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was analyzed as an indicator of livestock impacts on soil in the Mediterranean forest. The control areas without livestock activity were forest stands of different ages (a thicket forest stand of <30 years; a high-polewood forest stand of 30–60 years; and an old-growth forest stand of >60 years), which were compared with areas subjected to various grazing intensities (areas with permanent livestock passage: a sheepfold that had been inactive for 2–3 years and an active sheepfold; areas with intermittent livestock passage: a bare-soil area, a pine stand and a scrubland). The applied multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was sensitive to changes in forest ecosystems depending on the stocking rates. However, to obtain greater precision in the assessment of the effects of stocking rates, the multiparametric index was recalibrated to create a new index, the Soil Status Index by Livestock (SSI L ). The correlation between the quality ranges obtained with both indices in different study areas suggests that the SSI L can be considered a livestock impact reference indicator in Mediterranean forest soils.

Keywords: livestock unit; forest–pasture systems; multiparametric index; environmental impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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