Silvopastoral Systems to Mitigate the Negative Environmental Impact Generated by Cattle Ranching

Abstract

In Latin America, extensive cattle ranching, linked to the expansion of the agricultural frontier, is one of the greatest sources of pressure on ecosystems, driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of water sources and soils, among other effects. Solutions to these problems must be sought jointly by the private sector and the State, based on recognizing the value of trees in livestock production. Various silvopastoral system models help convert degraded and unproductive cattle-ranching areas into processes that are both environmentally friendly and profitable for producers, by conserving forests, favoring biomass production and biological control, improving soils, protecting water, and generating greater flora and fauna diversity. These processes require management plans that participatorily involve producers and farm owners.