Soil contamination in the corrals of the Bedouin herds at the Northern Negev
Highlights
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Sheep and cattle corral is a place with great potential of soil contamination. There are no studies which evaluates the effect on soil of grazing and the presence of herds in a small restricted area such as the corrals in the northern Negev.
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The risks include soil compaction, contamination of organic matter and pharmaceutical compounds.
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Preliminary results of soil samples from deserted corrals showed high accumulation of salts and organic matter at the upper layers of soil. In addition, no vegetation was shown, even though these corrals have not been populated for few years.
Abstract
The northern Negev is one of the main areas of sheep and cattle grazing in Israel. Although grazing holds many benefits for the environment and ecosystem, such as preventing fires, it also holds some risks to soil quality. These risks to the soil can be divided into 2 main processes:
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Effect of the grazing on soil quality- soil compaction caused by the sheep , which may reduce porosity and hydraulic conductivity, resulting in low infiltration rates and high runoff and erosion.
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Soil contamination as a results of great volumes of manure containing high amounts of salts, organic matter and
pharmaceutical compounds which are given as a veterinary treatment.
Even though much research was done about grazing in Israel, none of them evaluates the impacts on soil quality. This research suggests to further explore this issue, based on preliminary results which showed high contamination and soil degradation in the corrals.
The objective of this research is to study the knowledge gap regarding effects of grazing and corrals on soil physical properties and contaminant movement to the lower layers of the soil, by quantification of the soil properties mentioned above. Based on the results, new recommendations to grazing management will be given.