CARBON BALANCE OF A GRAZED GRASSLAND INBELGIUM

摘要

By emitting about 20% of total greenhouse gases (GHG), livestock production systems widely contribute to climate change (Steinfield et al., 2006). Since agricultural management is one of the key drivers of GHG fluxes (Soussana et al., 2007), there isconsiderable potential to reduce emissions. Livestock production systems, primarily based on ruminants, are intimately linked to grasslands. Indeed, most of the grasslands in Europe are used to provide ruminants with fodder, either directly in the fieldduring grazing season, or as hay or silage during the winter (Flechard et al., 2007). Of the three GHG that are exchanged by grasslands, carbon dioxide (CO_2) is exchanged with the soil and vegetation, nitrous oxide (N_2O) is exchanged with the soil andmethane (CH_4) is emitted by livestock at grazing and can be exchanged with the soil (Soussana et al., 2007). So, grasslands can play an important role in reducing emissions, for example by sequestrating carbon (C) in soils.