Hungry herds : management of temperate lowland wetlands by grazing

The aim of the study was to investigate the role herbivores play in vegetation development of wetland systems. An additional question was to determine to what extent grazing by large herbivores can contribute to the long-term management of wetlands. To tackle this, three sub-questions were investigated: what are the ecological differences between cattle and horses; what is the effect of ungulate herbivores on the vegetation; can grazing by herbivores facilitate birds that are confined to different stages of this habitat. Nature reserves in newly created wetlands which were chosen as study sites for the research are: Lauwersmeer area, Grevelingen area and the Oostvaardersplassen.