Grasslands, grazing animals and people - How do they all fit together?

The view of pastures as a crop to be selected, sown, grown and harvested by grazing animals was common among scientists, government agency staff and l ivestock producers during the 1960s. Consequences of this view include the search for 'magic bullet' pasture species and the indiscriminate introducti on and widespread testing of introduced germplasm in Australia. A number of serious environmental weeds have resulted. Another consequence was the alm ost complete dependence on cultivation, sowing, fertiliser application and herbicides as the only means of manipulating species composition in pasture s. The view that both the manager and the livestock are part of a complex gras sland ecosystem has been gaining acceptance in recent years. The goals and perceptions of the manager as well as the activities of the livestock affec t the functioning of this ecosystem in many ways. Further important consequ ences of this change in attitude have included the recognition of the power of grazing animals in manipulating the species composition of grasslands a nd a more sustainable approach to the management of grazing lands.