Today we carried out fieldwork as part of a research
project led by the IRNAS-CSIC. The work is part of the
BIOAMENAZA project, which studies how different drivers of global change affect
dehesas (Mediterranean cork and holm oak ecosystems).
During today’s work, several monitoring activities
were conducted, including the opening of part of a grazing experiment that
investigates the influence of herbivores on vegetation. Ten of the fifteen
experimental plots were opened so that cows + pigs and sheep + pigs can graze
them until next Wednesday, while the control plots remained closed. The plots
are normally fenced to protect the climate change simulation infrastructure,
but during these short grazing periods the fences are opened to allow livestock
to enter the plots for a few days in spring. This makes it possible to study
the combined effects of grazing (land use) and climate change on the herbaceous
vegetation.
