The FAO further described the role of these landscapes. Grazing can offset carbon levels by stimulating plant growth, which helps sequester carbon in soil. In pastoral systems, livestock can also be moved to fallow lands and fields to make use of crop residues for feed and to distribute animal manure as fertilizer – recycling nutrients as part of a circular bioeconomy.
That said, rescued and wild animals can graze and rehabilitate land just as well as livestock — and as the world hopefully shifts away from depending on animal agriculture toward a plant-based food system, it would be exciting to see farmers lead the way.