167 Impacts on Biodiversity, Environment and Society of Beef Production in the Mexican Tropics: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Beef production exerts strong environmental pressures and can also generate negative social effects. In this study, the impacts on biodiversity, environment and society of beef production in the Mexican tropics, were evaluated through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The functional unit of the study was 1 kg live weight of calf and focused on three productive systems: native silvopastoral (NSP), intensive silvopastoral (ISP) and monoculture (MC). This research was divided into four analysis steps. (1) social impacts; (2) damage to biodiversity; (3) methane emissions and 4) environmental LCA impacts. Using the Social-LCA, we evaluated 18 social indicators, grouped into five categories: human rights, working conditions, health and safety, socio-economic repercussions, and governance. The results showed similarities between the three livestock systems, which revealed a deficient social performance. For projecting the biodiversity damage of pasture land use from an LCA perspective, characterization factors (CFs) were estimated. CFs consist of dimensionless figures representing the potential for damage per unit area of pasture land (potential species loss per m2). The CFs were calculated for three levels of pasture land use intensity (minimal/NSP, light/ISP, intense/MC). Based on the characterization factors developed, the MC showed the least potential species loss. Enteric methane emissions from the production systems were determined using the IPCC Tier 2. The results revealed that the emissions values from enteric methane calculated with Tier 1 overestimated the emissions compared to Tier 2 methodology. LCA indicated a lower environmental impact of the MC on four of the seven categories analyzed, highlighting its lower contribution to climate change and reducing species loss. However, consumption of water and scarcity of fossil fuel resources increased. To achieve tropical sustainable livestock farming, further lines of research should be aimed at evaluating its economic impacts and propose management systems that guarantee better social and environmental performance.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF PASTURE LAND QUALITY

In the Message of the President to the people of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. A. Nazarbayev "the Third modernization of Kazakhstan: global from January 2017, it is said "the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan has a promising future", "we will help to be one of the largest producers of agricultural export products" [1]. Kazakhstan ranks sixth in the world in terms of its grass resources. Pasture land is 189.0 million hectares, historically being the driving force in the country's economy, as a source of feed resources for the development of livestock [2]. According to the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, there are 27.1 million hectares of pastures that were shot down in an average and severe degree. In the zonal aspect, the destruction of pasture ecosystems is mostly observed in the flat part, where more than 95% of all downed pastures are located, including the desert and semi – desert zones-16.1 million hectares or 60% of their area. Downed pastures are the main consequence of changing environmental conditions and irrational human economic activity. It is manifested in the loss of valuable forage plant species from the herbage and their replacement with weeds, non-edible and annual species [3,4].

THE USE OF PASTURE LAND FOR KEEPING LIVESTOCK ON PERSONAL SUBSIDIARY PLOTS

The authors of the article consider the institutional framework for regulating the use of rangelands in rural areas for the effective maintenance of livestock on household farms. On the basis of a detailed analysis, the issues of pastures allocated for livestock grazing to personal subsidiary farms have been identified. An assessment of the pasture lands of rural settlements and standards of the maximum permissible load of grazing of agricultural animals on the area of pasture turnover for the natural-agricultural zones of the republic and types of livestock are presented. The regions with a shortage of pasture lands and high concentration of the rural population, located in the foothill-desert-steppe, foothill-desert and mountain zones, incompliance of livestock kept in households and the level of pasture provision are identified. Areas with a low load of livestock on pasture land are identified. In the desert and semi-desert zones, there is an insufficient number of livestock for effective near-village pasture rotation. The ratio of the standards of need and provision in pasture fodder in different natural and agricultural zones by species composition of livestock is shown. The degree of use of pasture lands in various forms of economy of the republic is indicated, pastures assigned to peasant (private) farms are used with full load. Non-state agricultural enterprises within the boundaries of land use have a reserve potential of unused pastures with an area of 10.4 mln ha. A formula for determining the productivity and capacity of pasture lands for organizing cattle grazing is presented. Recommendations and schemes of pasture rotation are presented to preserve the productivity of natural forage lands of near-aul territories of zonal types of pastures, to radically improve the natural-economic zoning of Kazakhstan.

PASTURE LAND COVER CHANGE IN SÃO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL

Pastures are complex land covers with a variety of land use systems. This land cover occupies large areas in the globe and is mainly used for livestock production. Brazil is one of the largest livestock producers and has extensive pasture areas. We analyzed the pasture land cover change of the São Paulo State between the years 2000 to 2015. São Paulo was chosen as study case due to its large industrial and agricultural importance and its expressive land cover changes over past decades. It was analyzed land covers databases generated by the Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project (MapBiomas Project) – Collection 4. Transition matrix was generated to analyze the land cover change during the period. Gain, loss, total change, net change and swap were calculated in terms of area. Total pasture area decreased but continues the largest land cover of the São Paulo State; with 79.5% of persistence in the area. Main changes were from losses of pastures and gains in agriculture. Most of the changes to pasture came from other non vegetated areas and grassland categories. These results demonstrated the relevance of pastures areas in land cover change dynamics to address land use policy and plan future land use scenarios.

Chronicle and mix

- On January 20 of this year, the Kazan City Duma considered the petition of the director of the Kazan District Hospital for the mentally ill on the concession of city land in the amount of 750 square meters. soot. in return for the hospital, which is to move away from the gardens of the hospital, a construction on this part of the road, as well as the sale of 25 acres of pasture land beyond the Kazanka River for the needs of the hospital. Both petitions of the director of the Asylum Duma were rejected. Administrators of the hospital should perhaps assertively and energetically defend their interests, as there is a more general issue in connection with the disruption of the above-mentioned applications, which has long been raised and urgent, the question of the urgent and urgent need for the expansion of the all the while, it is very difficult for the sick.

Rapid detection of Galba truncatula in water sources on pasture-land using loop-mediated isothermal amplification for control of trematode infections

Background Fascioliasis caused by the trematodes Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica, is a global neglected zoonotic disease estimated to cost the livestock industry over €2.5 billion annually. Farm management measures and sustainable use of anthelmintics can, in principle, effectively control trematode infection in livestock and reduce the rate of developing anthelmintic resistance. Previously, we designed an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay to identify a common trematode intermediate host, the freshwater snail Galba truncatula, in water sources to measure specific trematode infection risk areas on pasture-land. To improve this procedure, we now report a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to identify G. truncatula eDNA. Methods A LAMP assay was designed and optimised (e.g. temperature, time duration and primer concentration) to identify G. truncatula DNA. The ability of the LAMP assay to target G. truncatula DNA was identified, and LAMP assay limit of detection was investigated in comparison to conventional PCR. In the field, 48 water samples were collected from stream, ditch and water pool habitats in four locations at two Aberystwyth University farms over a seven week period to investigate the applicability of the LAMP assay for use on eDNA samples, in comparison to conventional PCR. Results The LAMP assay delivered detectable results in 30 min at 63 °C. The assay discriminated between G. truncatula DNA and non-target DNA, presenting a level of DNA detection comparable to conventional PCR. No significant difference was found between the ability of the LAMP and PCR assay to identify G. truncatula eDNA in water samples. Kappa coefficient analysis revealed a moderate level of agreement between LAMP and PCR assays. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the LAMP assay can detect G. truncatula eDNA in a simple and rapid manner. The LAMP assay may become a valuable tool to determine optimum pasture management for trematode parasite control.