WP3.5 - Relationships between fire and grazing
Together with fire, grazing of native and domestic herbivores are the basic factors that regulate fuel buildup in natural as well as man-transformed ecosystems. Its a fact that the tree-grass balance is affected by fire, and the maintaining of some useful vegetation types (e g. savannas) or landscape diversity need the fire-herbivory interaction well understood to fully develop Fire Paradox objectives. Man enhances this interaction since some natural ‘fuels’ are kept standing for some ecological and economic purposes, such as old native forest and pine plantations due to its value; or grass as fodder reserves or as resting requirement for native pastures. This interaction is not well understood in the Chaco. In this package the impact of fire on e.g. the feeding of herbivores will be studied (e.g. on wildlife in South Africa) and vice-versa, i.e. the impact of herbivores on fuel loading and structure. Understanding of these relationships will contribute to streamlining prescribed burning fire regimes, such as the rotation and season of burn.