| dc.description.abstract | Human activity has had a profound negative impact on the structure and
function of the earth’s ecosystems. However, with a growing awareness of the
value of the services provided by intact ecosystems, restoration of degraded
land is increasingly used as a means of reviving ecosystem function. Upland
landscapes offer an excellent example of an environment heavily modified by
human land use. Agriculture has been the key driver of ecosystem change, but
as upland habitats such as peatlands can provide a number of highly valuable
services, future change may focus on restoration in order to regain key
ecosystem processes. However, as pastoral farming continues to dominate
upland areas, ecosystem restoration has the potential to conflict with existing
land use.
This thesis attempts to assess differences in the agricultural productivity of the
different habitat types present in upland pastures. Past and present land use
have shaped the distribution of different upland habitat types, and future
changes associated with ecosystem restoration are likely to lead to further
change in vegetation communities.
Three key contributors to agricultural productivity are examined. Firstly,
variation in the nutritional quality of different upland habitats is assessed, in
order to understand their value for grazing animals. Secondly, levels of livestock
use in different habitats are compared in order to identify areas of particular
importance for grazing. Finally, parasite populations are measured in different
habitats in order provide an indication of which habitats pose the greatest
potential risk of infection.It is shown that these factors appear to differ between
habitats, meaning that agricultural productivity may show spatial variation in
upland pastures. However, it appears that peatland restoration might have a
negligible impact on farming in upland pastures due to apparent minor
differences in the agricultural productivity of the habitats most likely to be
affected. | en_GB |
