Abstract

PERALTA-RIVERO, Carmelo; BELTRAN-SANTOYO, Miguel Ángel; CUELLAR-ALVAREZ, Néstor  and  ALVAREZ-FUENTES, Gregorio. Impact of cattle ranching on vegetation, GHG emissions, and carbon sequestration in the Bolivian Chaco. Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias [online]. 2025, vol.16, n.3, pp.593-609.  Epub Dec 08, 2025. ISSN 2448-6698.  https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v16i3.6570.

The ecosystem of the Chaco region in Bolivia is in a fragile state for productive activities. One of the causes is overgrazing, which limits its sustainable development. The objective was to evaluate the environmental impact of semi-intensive (SIFS) and extensive (EFS) cattle farming systems in the municipality of Macharetí, in the Chaco region of Bolivia. The evaluation was conducted using 16 environmental indicators in both livestock production systems, which were compared using analysis of variance for a completely randomized design and multiple mean comparisons (P<0.05). The SIFS involves a larger cattle population and higher milk production due to better management; it also includes a greater number of plant species; however, it shares 90 % of these with the EFS. The SIFS has a lower environmental impact, with lower emissions of greenhouse gases and degradation of native vegetation and soil. In general, the SIFS has a higher carbon content (71.1 t C/ha) in its various reservoirs compared to the EFS (60.7 t C/ha) (P<0.05). The type of livestock management is a determining factor in the regeneration of natural vegetation, particularly of forage species, due to the type of grazing that occurs in this region.

Keywords : Animal production; Animal overload; Methane; Carbon sequestration.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English | Spanish     · English ( pdf ) | Spanish ( pdf )