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Fencing to Control Livestock Grazing on Riparian Habitats along Streams: Is It a Viable Alternative?
Author(s) -
Platts William S.,
Wagstaff Fred J.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1984)4<266:ftclgo>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - fencing , riparian zone , streams , grazing , fence (mathematics) , environmental science , livestock , mile , fishery , habitat , geography , agroforestry , ecology , forestry , biology , engineering , computer network , parallel computing , computer science , structural engineering , geodesy
Fisheries biologists are attempting to improve fish habitats in many areas of the West by fencing riparian areas along streams to exclude livestock grazing. The fencing cost often exceeds the gains in fishery values. Few alternatives to fencing, such as no grazing, have proven to be sociologically and economically acceptable; therefore, if both uses are to occur simultaneously some streams may need to be fenced. Fencing (two 100‐foot corridors) costs about $6,000 per stream mile, with $60‐200 maintenance costs per stream mile per year, and about 12 animal‐unit months lost per stream mile fenced. An increase of 47 fisherman days per mile per year would be required to balance the cost of fencing if the fisheries were the only factor considered in an economic evaluation.