SHORT-GRASS MEADOWS AND PARKLAND FORESTS AS A RESULT OF LONG-TERM HORSE GRAZING ON ABANDONED FARMLAND

Gornov A.V., Naumova K.Yu., Ruchinskaya E.V.

RJEE Vol. 10 (3). 2025 | DOI: 10.21685/2500-0578-2025-3-2
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Receipt date 20.06.2025 | Publication date 26.06.2025

SHORT-GRASS MEADOWS AND PARKLAND FORESTS AS A RESULT OF LONG-TERM HORSE (EQUUS CABALLUS) GRAZING ON ABANDONED FARMLAND

A.V. Gornov¹, K.Yu. Naumova², E.V. Ruchinskaya³^{1, 2, 3} Isaev Centre for Ecology and Forest Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
¹ Bryansk Forest State Natural Biosphere Reserve, Nerussa Station, Bryansk Region, Russia
¹ aleksey-gornov@yandex.ru, ² gagarinaks@mail.ru, ³ ruchinskaya@cepl.rssi.ru

Abstract. Gregarious ungulates play an important role in ecosystem functioning, not only in open and semi-open landscapes but also in forested ones. In the forest zone, there are agricultural lands exploited as pastures for domestic animals, including horses. This study assesses the species and structural diversity of plant communities formed under the influence of moderate horse grazing. The research was conducted in 2024 at the “Grey Horse” Stud Farm (Nizhny Novgorod Region). The study revealed that moderate horse grazing on abandoned farmland over 20 years led to the formation of several types of plant communities: short-grass meadows and parkland forests. These coenoses are characterized by relatively high indicators of floristic diversity and a wide range of ecological-coenotic plant groups. Moderate horse grazing can be considered as a method for maintaining the diversity of terrestrial ecosystems on abandoned agricultural lands.

Keywords: fallow, horse grazing, moderate grazing, short-grass meadows, parkland forests, floristic diversity, ecological and coenotic structure

Financing: the work was carried out within the framework of the topics of the Isaev Centre for Ecology and Forest Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences «Biodiversity and ecosystem functions of forests» (124013000750-1).

Acknowledgements: the authors are grateful to the head of the Breeding plant “Grey Horse” A.M. Pirogov for assistance during field research and O. V. Cherednichenko for assistance in statistical processing of the material.

For citation: Gornov A.V., Naumova K.Yu., Ruchinskaya E.V. Short-grass meadows and parkland forests as a result of long-term horse (Equus caballus) grazing on abandoned farmland. Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology. 2025;10(3). (In Russ.). Available from: https://doi.org/10.21685/2500-0578-2025-3-2