Water buffalo and cattle ranching in the Lower Amazon Basin: Comparisons and conflicts
Water buffalo and cattle ranching in the Lower Amazon Basin: Comparisons and conflicts
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DOI：
10.1016/j.agsy.2005.02.003
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发表时间：
2006-03-01
影响因子：
6.6
通讯作者：
McGrath, DG
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Sheikh, PA;Merry, FD;McGrath, DG
从1975年到2000年，巴西亚马逊地区的布法罗数量以每年近13%的速度增长，使其成为世界上增长最快的牛群之一。在亚马逊河的洪泛平原上，布法罗的管理方式与牛相似，但往往能获得上级的产量。然而，这种生产优势由于布法罗在土地所有者之间的冲突中所起的作用而受到削弱;布法罗容易改变洪泛区的环境，并干扰捕鱼和耕作等生产活动。在这项研究中，我们表明，布法罗保持在洪泛平原24%以上的牛全年，37%以上的时间比牛在土地所有者的冲突是最有可能发生的时期。我们还表明，布法罗的生产力是大于牛在这个系统中，这给了一个机会，设计管理制度的布法罗，可能会增加生产成本，但这将降低环境和社会问题，涉及布法罗。具体地说，当沃茨开始上涨时，布法罗应该和牛一样从洪泛区移走。虽然这不会减少布法罗在洪泛区造成的损害，但它将使布法罗在干旱季节的洪泛区，此时侵蚀潜力最低，并减少布法罗可能干扰其他生产活动，如捕鱼的时间。提前搬迁所产生的额外生产成本不会使其相对于牛的生产优势消失。如果不进行具体管理，解决布法罗造成的社会经济和环境问题，亚马孙河洪泛平原上布法罗数量的持续高增长率可能无法持续，冲突将变得司空见惯。爱思唯尔有限公司出版
From 1975 to 2000, the water buffalo population in the Brazilian Amazon increased at nearly 13% per year, making it one of the fastest growing herds in the world. On the floodplains of the Amazon River buffalo are managed in a similar manner to cattle, but often earn superior production figures. This production advantage, however, is tempered by the role buffalo play in conflicts between landowners; buffalo are prone to altering the floodplain environment and interfering with production activities such as fishing and farming. In this research, we show that buffalo are kept on the floodplains 24% longer than cattle throughout the year, and 37% longer than cattle during periods when landowner conflicts are most likely to occur. We also show that buffalo productivity is greater than cattle in this system, which gives an opportunity to design management regimes for buffalo that may increase production costs, but that will lower the environmental and social problems that involve buffalo. Specifically, when the waters begin to rise, buffalo should be removed from the floodplains at the same time as cattle. Although this will not lessen the damage done while the buffalo is on the floodplain, it will place buffalo on the floodplain during the dry season when the erosion potential is at its lowest, and reduce the time that buffalo may interfere with other production activities such as fishing. The additional production costs incurred by early removal will not dissipate the production advantage over cattle. Without specific management that addresses the socioeconomic and environmental problems caused by buffalo, the continued high growth rate for the buffalo population on the Amazon floodplains may not be sustainable and conflicts will become commonplace. Published by Elsevier Ltd.