A spatio-temporal analysis of forage availability and grazing and excretion behaviour of herded and free grazing cattle, sheep and goats in Western Niger

Grazing itineraries of herded and free grazing cattle (n = 194), goats (n = 148), and sheep (n = 129) were monitored in a village territory over a 1-year cycle by direct observation of grazing and excretion behaviour and by parallel animal tracking using a Global Positioning System. During the study period, standing and litter biomass of spontaneous vegetation and crop residues was measured repeatedly on sample plots of fields (n = 16), fallows (n = 15) and rangeland (n = 8). Based on a land use map, a Geographic Information System on forage availability was produced for the territory and overlaid with the livestock grazing itineraries. The animals’ behaviour at pasture was related to the forage mass encountered along their daily itineraries in order to analyse the spatial variation in behaviour as influenced by season, livestock species and herd management mode.