Naslov
A Review of the Plant Cover and Its Role in Livestock Production in Mediterranean Croatia

Autori
Rogošić, Jozo

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, stručni

Skup
Conference of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Mjesto i datum
Sjedinjene Američke Države, 30.04.2002

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Pozvano predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
plant cover ; Mediterranean region of Croatia ; plant communities

Sažetak
The Range Management is not a traditional discipline in the Mediterranean part of Croatia. When we are speaking about Management of the Mediterranean Natural Vegetation in Croatia, four different scientific fields touch and interact. These are plant ecology, forestry, agronomy and livestock production. Plant ecologists (or phytosociologists) emphasize plant cover, as they are looking from the theoretical point of view, so, they try to register the certain plant community or plant species and then they define its ecological characteristics. From the other side foresters are looking from the forestry point of view, namely they consider all types of vegetation which are appeared in the Mediterranean area as forest or as potential forests which should be developed from the any type of vegetation, for instance from rocky ground pastures, from Mediterranean dry grasslands, or from the Mediterranean thickets, as there are maquis and garrigues or chaparral. And finally agronomists and livestock producers are acting from their standpoint, and they view vegetation in light of its potential for pasture or grazing. Because of the different interests, this results in divergent views and opinions on how to manage the Mediterranean natural vegetation. Mediterranean rangelands are the largest natural land resources in the Adriatic part of Croatia and cover about 75% of the area. Livestock production in the Mediterranean zone is relatively weakly developed. From the other side in the structure of the Mediterranean maquis and chaparral there are many shrubs that are sensitive to fire, and among the shrubs there grows unused dry grasses. So, this vegetation structure increases the risk of fire from year to year. Uncontrolled wildfires are the one of the biggest problems for land management in Mediterranean Croatia. To reduce the number of fires and burned areas in the south of Croatia, we need to increase the development of livestock production. But utilization of the Mediterranean vegetation must be based on the ecological principals. In the remainder of my presentation, I will present to you the development of the Mediterranean vegetation through one short historical review, and then introduce to you to all types of vegetation which are traditionally used for grazing in the Mediterranean Basin. In the second part of my seminar I will present one experiment under the title: "Role of Toxins in Forage Intake of Mediterranean Shrubs by Sheep and Goats".

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Poljoprivreda (agronomija)

POVEZANOST RADA