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Space that is currently dedicated to pasture is already currently dedicated to wildlife. In fact, grazing cattle on land serves to rejuvenate the land, since t

Space that is currently dedicated to pasture is already currently dedicated to wildlife. In fact, grazing cattle on land serves to rejuvenate the land, since the cattle's hoove's serve as little plows, and the cows walk around and poop and pee, which fertilizes the land and allows for insects and bugs to thrive, which helps the bird population, and the little rodents.

harvey9 3y ago
In some cases that land was recently deforested. It was previously dedicated to wildlife but now it's dedicated to agriculture which happens to benefit some different wildlife.
- jojobas 3y ago
  Forests are full of trees and trees tend to convert sunlight into wood, something that very little wildlife can eat. There's typically more food available to wildlife on pastures even when farmers try to fend off wildlife. For example, deforestation in Australia combined with a general reluctance of Australians to hunt brought about a kangaroo population explosion that requires government-mandated culls.
  - callalex 3y ago
    > wood, something that very little wildlife can eat Not all wildlife can be picked up and pet by a human. That doesn’t mean it’s not a living being participating with a vital role in the ecosystem. There was a time before life could eat wood, and that time period is why the energy source is named “fossil fuel” and “dino juice”, that time period was long ago.
    - jojobas 3y ago
      Wood is mostly consumed by fungus. If that's wildlife in your book, fine.
      - callalex 3y ago
        It is! I can tell that my interpretation is annoying to you though so I will leave you alone with a question. Who then eats the fungus? And who eats that?
        jojobas 3y ago
        Some fungus fruit bodies are eaten by insect larva, which feeds into birds. Most of the energy stored in the wood is just wasted bypassing any macroscopic wildlife. If forests were efficient in feeding mammals or birds (i.e. making meat) our farms would have been forests.
jcpst 3y ago
[flagged]
dkarl 3y ago
Ranchers insist on extinction-level suppression of large predators, probably for sound economic reasons. Wolves can't live on land that is heavily fragmented by pasture, because they'll be harassed and killed.

harvey9 3y ago

In some cases that land was recently deforested. It was previously dedicated to wildlife but now it's dedicated to agriculture which happens to benefit some different wildlife.

jojobas 3y ago
Forests are full of trees and trees tend to convert sunlight into wood, something that very little wildlife can eat. There's typically more food available to wildlife on pastures even when farmers try to fend off wildlife. For example, deforestation in Australia combined with a general reluctance of Australians to hunt brought about a kangaroo population explosion that requires government-mandated culls.
- callalex 3y ago
  > wood, something that very little wildlife can eat Not all wildlife can be picked up and pet by a human. That doesn’t mean it’s not a living being participating with a vital role in the ecosystem. There was a time before life could eat wood, and that time period is why the energy source is named “fossil fuel” and “dino juice”, that time period was long ago.
  - jojobas 3y ago
    Wood is mostly consumed by fungus. If that's wildlife in your book, fine.
    - callalex 3y ago
      It is! I can tell that my interpretation is annoying to you though so I will leave you alone with a question. Who then eats the fungus? And who eats that?
      - jojobas 3y ago
        Some fungus fruit bodies are eaten by insect larva, which feeds into birds. Most of the energy stored in the wood is just wasted bypassing any macroscopic wildlife. If forests were efficient in feeding mammals or birds (i.e. making meat) our farms would have been forests.

jcpst 3y ago

[flagged]

dkarl 3y ago

Ranchers insist on extinction-level suppression of large predators, probably for sound economic reasons. Wolves can't live on land that is heavily fragmented by pasture, because they'll be harassed and killed.