Question

What harm has been caused to alpine meadows since nomadic shepherds wave stopped from grazing their cattle in such meadows?

Answer 1

Hint: Cattle grazing means feeding on grass by the cattle. In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock is allowed outdoors to consume wild vegetation in order to convert grass and other forages into meat, milk, wool and other animal products, often on land unsuitable for arable farming.

Complete answer:
The great Himalayan National Park had stopped the nomadic shepherds' wave from grazing their cattle in alpine meadows. This caused the growth of tall grasses and its fall over, preventing fresh growth of alpine grasslands in the Himalayas; resulting in the subsequent loss of green cover. Earlier, the grass which grew on the meadows was removed cyclically because of grazing and this helped in the growth of new plants.

The harms done to the meadows due to the stoppage of cattle grazing by nomadic shepherds are:
- Ecological imbalance.
- The pastoral movements which maintained natural restoration of vegetation growth were disrupted.
- There was a shortage in the supply of fodder stock.
- Animal stock has deteriorated.
- The pastoral and trading activities of the pastoral tribes were also unfavourably disrupted.

Crops grazed by cattle helped to produce acceptable yields. Using crops for grazing can assist with the filling of the autumn-winter feed gap and lessen the expense of supplementary feeding. Careful grazing management is needed to restrict its impact on grain yield.

Note: Farmers may utilize a wide range of techniques of grazing for optimum production, that is grazing may be continuous, seasonal, or rotational within a grazing period. In ley farming, alternating arable and fodder crops; in rest rotation, deferred rotation, and mob grazing, longer rotations are found, giving grasses a longer time to recuperate or leaving land fallow. Conservation grazing intentionally utilizes grazing animals to improvise the biodiversity of a site. Grazing has existed since the start of agriculture; sheep and goats were domesticated by nomads before the first permanent settlements were built around 7000 BC, empowering cattle and pigs to be kept.