Application of Soil Multiparametric Indices to Assess Impacts of Grazing in Mediterranean Forests
Picazo Córdoba Marta Isabel,
García Saucedo Francisco,
Wic Baena Consolación,
García Morote Francisco Antonio,
López Serrano Francisco Ramón,
Rubio Eva,
Moreno Ortego José Luis,
Andrés Abellán Manuela
Affiliations
Picazo Córdoba Marta Isabel
Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
García Saucedo Francisco
Department of Agroforestry Technology and Science and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Castilla La-Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Wic Baena Consolación
Department of Agroforestry Technology and Science and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Castilla La-Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
García Morote Francisco Antonio
Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
López Serrano Francisco Ramón
Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Rubio Eva
Department of Agroforestry Technology and Science and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Castilla La-Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Moreno Ortego José Luis
Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, CEBAS-CSIC, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Andrés Abellán Manuela
Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
In this study, the effects of different stocking rates were quantified in three study areas in a Mediterranean forest (Cuenca, Spain) by applying a multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) developed from undisturbed forest soils (>40 years). The main objective was to advance the development and application of multiparametric indices that allow for soil condition assessment. To fulfill this objective, the effectiveness of the developed multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was analyzed as an indicator of livestock impacts on soil in the Mediterranean forest. The control areas without livestock activity were forest stands of different ages (a thicket forest stand of 60 years), which were compared with areas subjected to various grazing intensities (areas with permanent livestock passage: a sheepfold that had been inactive for 2–3 years and an active sheepfold; areas with intermittent livestock passage: a bare-soil area, a pine stand and a scrubland). The applied multiparametric soil quality index (SQI) was sensitive to changes in forest ecosystems depending on the stocking rates. However, to obtain greater precision in the assessment of the effects of stocking rates, the multiparametric index was recalibrated to create a new index, the Soil Status Index by Livestock (SSIL). The correlation between the quality ranges obtained with both indices in different study areas suggests that the SSIL can be considered a livestock impact reference indicator in Mediterranean forest soils.
