What is the aim of the review?
To systematically collate and synthesise published and unpublished evidence in order to assess the impact of sheep grazing on Cynosurus cristatus-Centaurea nigra (MG5) ‘old meadow’ pasture compared to cattle grazing, horse grazing or no management.

Who's in the review team?

• Gavin Stewart (Lead reviewer) - Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation
• Andrew Pullin

At what stage is the review?
This review is now complete.

What is the rationale?
Grazing is a common management intervention for maintaining conservation value of lowland grassland throughout Great Britain. Cessation of livestock grazing on lowland grassland has reduced the conservation value of many sites but over-grazing can also be damaging. There is also concern that grazing by sheep reduces the conservation value of pastures more than grazing by cattle. As heavy sheep grazing is becoming more prevalent, empirical evidence regarding its impact is urgently required to inform decision-making.

How were the results obtained?
A number of electronic databases were searched for information using a range of search terms. Internet searches were conducted in order to retrieve any relevant grey literature. In addition, the bibliographies of relevant articles were examined for useful references. The websites of several major UK conservation organisations were also searched for useful publications and subject experts and practitioners were contacted. 13,060 references were identified through the search strategy; 42 of these were accepted into the final review having met all inclusion criteria.

What did the review find?
To read more about this review, its findings, and the implications for conservationists and researchers, please see the Summary or Full Report.

Comments?
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this review, please email us. Your feedback is appreciated.