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The Negative Effects of Cattle Grazing on Endangered Species

Cattle grazing occurs on private lots and public lands across the United States. In the western United States alone, grazing takes place on approximately 270 million acres of public land. The demise of 22 percent of federal threatened and endangered species has been attributed to livestock grazing; in southern Arizona and western New Mexico, it is ranked as the No. 1 cause of species endangerment. Grazing affects plant species as well as animal species. Thirty-three percent of all endangered plants are in some way affected by grazing. There are multiple ways in which the ecological effects of cow grazing have negative effects on endangered species.

Competition for Food
- When cattle graze on an area of land, they consume food that is no longer available for the endangered species. Cattle also consume much more vegetation than most animals. For example, a cow consumes in one day the amount a threatened desert tortoise eats in a year. Cattle also can reduce the amount of quality forage available, thereby compromising the nutrition of endangered species. Lack of nutrition in an endangered species diet often leads to reduced reproductive success.
Destruction of Habitat
- Habitat for endangered species can be destroyed for cattle grazing. For example, prairie dog towns are routinely destroyed to enable cattle grazing, even though the endangered black-footed ferret eats prairie dogs and use its burrows for shelter. In addition, grazing can cause the alteration of habitat through consumption, trampling or altering the growth form of the vegetation. Riparian area vegetation is often disproportionately affected since cattle seek out the water, shade and vegetation available in those areas. Water and vegetation quality are reduced, and soils become compacted, leading to erosion.
Invasive Species
- Invasive species thrive on lands where cattle grazing occurs. The consumption and trampling of native plants leaves a bare soil for invasive species to move into; the movement of hooves by the cows act as seedbed preparation much like a tiller used for gardens. Seeds of invasive species can also be transported by cows on their hooves as they move to different areas or spread invasive species when they defecate. Cheatgrass, a noxious weed spread by grazing, is on 100,000 million acres in the West. Additionally, predation or competition with invasive species has been ranked the No. 2 factor in listing threatened and endangered species.
Mortality
- Another consequence of cattle grazing is the direct mortality of the endangered species. Cattle can consume endangered plant species. Sometimes cattle management causes the mortality. Predator control programs drove some animals, such as the grizzly and Mexican gray wolf, extinct in southwestern ecosystems to protect cattle. Furthermore, the destruction of aquatic habitat impacts the survivability of the species of fish, reptiles and amphibians, and invertebrates that live there, and affects the birds and mammals that depend on them.

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