Disentangling the Multidimensional Relationship between Livestock Breeds and Ecosystem Services

There is an increasing interest in assessing livestock breed contributions to ecosystem services (ES) and including this knowledge in decision making. However, this task has been limited due to the complexity of the multidimensional relationship between livestock diversity and ecosystem services. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2021-08, Vol.11 (9), p.2548
Main Authors: Velado-Alonso, Elena, Gómez-Sal, Antonio, Bernués, Alberto, Martín-Collado, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anthropogenic factors
Biodiversity
Conservation
Decision making
Domestication
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Farmers
Farming
Heterogeneity
Human factors
Livestock
livestock breed
livestock systems
Mental task performance
nature-based solutions
nature’s contributions to people
Sustainability
Sustainable agriculture
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Summary:There is an increasing interest in assessing livestock breed contributions to ecosystem services (ES) and including this knowledge in decision making. However, this task has been limited due to the complexity of the multidimensional relationship between livestock diversity and ecosystem services. In this work, we elaborate on the livestock breed characteristics central to developing a comprehensive approach to livestock breed inclusion in the ecosystem services framework. Thus, we explore the multidimensional nature of livestock breeds, i.e., as eco-cultural entities, biodiversity components, and drivers of livestock system heterogeneity and functioning. First, anthropogenic and natural factors have acted jointly to develop breeds as eco-cultural entities. This fact represents an opportunity to move toward farming system sustainability by Nature-Based Solutions and Nature’s Contribution to People paradigms. Second, livestock breeds are components of biodiversity, and as such, can be framed as goods, as final ecosystem services, and as regulators of ecosystem processes. Third, livestock breeds contribute to livestock system heterogeneity and resilience. By integrating these aspects, we might better understand how livestock breeds provide and modulate ecosystem service provision and, therefore, how to improve breed conservation and livestock policies toward farming system sustainability.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani11092548