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Prior to the colonization of the US there were some 60million buffalo, with little interference from human intervention it is probably fair to say that is the p

Prior to the colonization of the US there were some 60million buffalo, with little interference from human intervention it is probably fair to say that is the population numbers for the 'natural ecosystem'? They number now in the 10,000's. But they have been replaced with ultra high density industrial scale factory farming and this has resulted in 90million cows ... Sure that is 50% extra, but on the scale of this sort of issue - is that really a lot? Buffalo is probably nearly 50% bigger in mass and methane production anyway.

deleted 5y ago
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mumblemumble 5y ago
First off, the North American grasslands were a managed ecosystem. The Native American agriculture of the time looked very different from how Europeans did it, but it was still a form of agriculture. Second, it's 90 million cattle crammed into a much, much smaller space than the bison occupied. And, unlike how it worked with the bison, it's largely supported by intensive monocultures that leave little room for native ecosystems or biodiversity. Even the pastures at my friend Dan's small family organic dairy farm are something of a disaster in the biodiversity department, compared to a proper prairie.