Wolves are ecologically friendlier than cattle

Wolves more Ecologically Friendly than Cattle

When wolves from Canada were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995 & 1996, the changes to the landscape in the next 10 years were remarkable. Wolves started predating on elk which had denuded much of northern Yellowstone’s aspen & willow forests. These are the benefits to the Yellowstone ecosystem which the wolves mainly helped create:

1.     Return of beaver colonies because the elk had chewed down all the aspen & willow so they could not eat or build their dams & homes. Beavers create wetlands & 75 times more waterfowl return to Yellowstone than before

2.     Aspen & willow started growing on the creek & river banks which repaired the riparian environment. This created shade for aquatic life & helped to stop the erosion of soil into the rivers

3.     Songbirds returned to Yellowstone & they assist with distribution of seeds & pollen

4.     Coyotes were reduced which were predating on pronghorn antelope which then made a good return.

(Ripple & Beschta 2004)

Cattle on the other hand cause much ecological damage in the production of beef. Here are some facts about beef production:

1.     Production of one pound of beef consumes 2,000 gallons of water

2.     Cattle contribute 60 million tons of GHG (methane) per year which is higher than landfills (40 million tons).

3.     One acre of land devoted to cereal production can produce twice to ten times as much protein as one acre of beef production

4.     One acre of legumes can produce 10-20 times more protein than one acre in beef production

5.     Production of grains & corn for beef food could feed 800 million people

(World Bank report 1996)

Water has become a scarce commodity & will become even scarcer as the world gets drier. This will impact the cattle industry in the future. Also, with the world population increasing another 2 billion by 2050, land use will become more extreme so beef production is inefficient & other forms of protein will be preferred.

Animal protein production requires more than eight times as much fossil fuel energy as plant protein does.

(D. Pimentel Cornell University 1997).

Methane produced by cows particularly in feedlots is a major climate change problem. Cows produce up to 50% of the methane produced in the world & methane is 33 times more carbon intensive than carbon dioxide.

The other damage cows cause is to the landscape. In BC, 85% of ranching is done on leased public land. Cattle contaminate water sources with their feces. Also the riparian environment is routinely destroyed by cattle. BC Forest Practices Board which monitors cattle grazing on leased public land says there is more damage of riparian environment when it is arid. They receive many reports where cattle have destroyed these environments. With drier conditions due to climate change, this riparian damage will only increase. In the western US, environmental groups are very successful in having ranchers lose their leases of public land for grazing because of the widespread damage to riparian environments.

The damage that cattle are doing both to the climate & riparian environments will become a much bigger issue as climate change, shortage of water & riparian environments being destroyed intensifies. The UN Food & Agricultural Organization states the livestock sector emerges as one of the top 2 or 3 most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.  Wolves on the other hand, create & maintain healthy ecosystems.

The cattle industry is a strong lobby but going forward it is going to meet heavy opposition because it is unsafe & highly inefficient. More ranchers will leave this industry because it will not be profitable. We should have left the bison roaming the plains, eaten its meat & left the wolves alone.