For nature lovers, meadows are dream enclaves. In the collective imaginary they are identified with the symbol of freedom, of the outdoors. They are that place where we can breathe in full lung, take a fabulous walk or, of course, knock ourselves on the green fluffy or multicolored carpet to dream awake, while we observe the clouds … Beyond these beautiful reveries, when they are in all their splendor, the meadows are ecosystems rich in biodiversity, specifically biomes, whose main vegetation consists of herbs or pastures.
As a terrestrial bioma, the meadow is a large geographical area, the habitat of a certain type of flora and fauna that have been able to adapt to it. Its characteristics will depend on different local factors, such as climate (including climate change) and its biodiversity, whose wealth does not usually mean a variety of species. In this ecology article, we talk about The importance of biodiversity in the grasslands.
The changes, a threat
In fact, as they occur changes in a biomaits biodiversity is threatened. Some of the living beings of their ecosystems may suffer the consequences more than others.
Not everyone will be able to adapt to changes, and die. That is, they disappear, with what in turn this disappearance causes new Changes that affects flora and fauna. In some cases for good and others for worse, depending on each case, but as a bioma or set of interdependent ecosystems, only balance will be desirable.
Survive climate change
Obviously, the extreme events that lead climate change They are a serious threat to the biodiversity of the meadows. Interestingly, however, biodiversity is a weapon to better resist this type of phenomena.
According to a study published in the Naure magazine in the October 14, 2015 edition, the grasslands that are characterized by high biodiversity are more resistant to droughts and torrential rains. That is, they are not only able to recover but also to resist it, so we find in their preservation a valuable tool to combat the effects of climate change.
Why preserve the biodiversity of the grasslands?
Take care of the biodiversity of the meadows means watch over your balance and preserve wonderful areas in which life bursts, and which we can enjoy for its landscape value and the atmosphere of peace that they overtake. But not just that. In addition to being beautiful comply Primordial functions for the planet’s health And, therefore, also for the human being. Only a couple of data to make us think of its importance: the grasslands cover between a fifth and two fifths of the earth’s surface and are the home of more than a tenth of humanity.
From a utilitarian vision, they are places with high fodder value, suitable environments to practice ecological livestock. In turn, they help preserve biodiversity in agricultural environments.
Both in those adjacent cultivation fields in which organic farming is practiced and in those in which the conventional modus operandi ends with it with a blow of chemical pesticides.
In this case, natural prairies are biodiversity redoubts that serve as Refuge of pollinatorsincreasingly threatened, to the point of dangering their survival. And, with her, ours.
Caring for the grasslands is also to give a Life opportunity for animals in danger of extinctionlike bison, while helping their balance.
In North America, for example, bison find an unbeatable habitat, and contribute to the grasslands recovering their biodiversity from yesteryear.
Likewise, a non -invasive grazing is enriching, both because of the natural fertilizer that implies and for the opposite, since through their voracity they are capable of tempering the alteration of overfertilization causes by man. They get it eating cultivation plants, which acts as a destabilizing factor, especially for the height it reaches. It is eating it as they get the light to reach the native species, improving the balance of the ecosystem, according to a study published on March 9, 2014 in the digital edition of the Naure magazine.
Take care of the meadows
The accessibility and goodness of the weather makes very vulnerable natural spaces. Although there are warm and cold meadows, they usually abound in the temperate areas of the planet.
Preserving it through concrete actions that seek this goal is great, what is doubtful, but the simple fact of not harming them is already an achievement. This is what we do when they become productive units, usually industrial livestock, taking advantage of the enclave for food, although they are also used as grass the nomadic shepherds.
Their beauty also helps to turn them into places of tourist attraction and precisely because of this it is essential to be aware of the importance of conserving its balance. The Tioga Road route that leads to Yosemite National Park, in California, is one of those alternative plans that allows you to enjoy Tuolumne Meadows, a great meadow that without being as well known as the park does receive mass visits every year. As a meadow is spectacular, both for its extension and for the Tuolumme river that crosses it. In addition, it is surrounded by large peaks of more than 4,000 meters, which visitors like to admire and also ski in winter.
A tourist attraction that on the one hand supposes an environmental impact, and on the other a reason to conserve it, since it is a great business for the local economy. The ideal is to find that reasonable point in which to earn money and enjoy an incomparable environment does not punish the area in excess.
For its part, the Use of grasslands for pasturing It also requires looking for formulas that find the balance between productivity and biodiversity. If necessary, intervening regularly for maintenance or recovery.
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