Productivity and Nutritive Value of Coastal and Valley Bottom Plant Communities in the Falkland Islands

In the Falkland Islands, short dense grassland communities ("greens") in valley-bottoms, and in coastal areas often associated with dense populations of seabirds, are selectively grazed by livestock and wild geese within the extensive grazing systems. Annual and seasonal herbage productivity, botanical composition, digestibility and utilisation, of greens were experimentally assessed at 6 sites on Bast Falkland. Herbage productivity, digestibility and utilisation were higher than reported for the dominant Cortaderia communities and compared favourably with Improved pastures. Botanical composition of green types were similar. Despite their uneven distribution and low area, greens are an important forage resource and could be used more effectively to improve wool production.