Long-term recovery rates of grazed Svalbard flora. RiS ID 6190

A warming climate, changes in agricultural land use and conservation measures in North America and Europe has led to a significant increase in goose populations and presence of migratory geese in the circumpolar arctic in the past 50 years. The continued monitoring of these populations and their impact on tundra ecosystems is imperative for ecosystem management. My research is a continuation of the original FRAGILE experiment, which has investigated three factors in the three treatment combinations (contr ol, low average grazing, and high grazing intensity, at ambient or raised temperature in wet and mesic vegetation). I will carry out point-frame analysis and % estimation of cover as well as plant height as a proxy for biomass, and I will compare this wit h data collected in 2003, 2005 to analyse for recovery from grazing (i.e. vegetation resilience).