Grazing area and goat mobility in a Mediterranean forest rangeland using precision livestock tools

Understanding how grazing animals interact with forest-grassland mosaics is critical for the long-term sustainability of Mediterranean rangelands. We investigated seasonal changes in goat grazing patterns and space use within a forest pasture in northern Morocco by combining GPS collar tracking with leg sensors. Monitoring was carried out in spring, summer and autumn, and GPS data were complemented with forage availability measurements to map seasonal grazing ranges. The goats travelled from 8.3 ha in spring to more than 17 ha in summer and autumn, indicating greater mobility when feed resources were scarce. In spring, goats devoted most of the daytime to grazing (48%), whereas in summer and autumn, grazing time dropped, and daily walking distances increased. Energy balance assessments showed surpluses in spring but deficits in the two other seasons, linked to longer movement times and lower forage intake. The study demonstrates the value of precision monitoring tools for capturing fine-scale animal-landscape interactions and for guiding adaptive grazing management.