title: Sheep grazing in the North Atlantic region: A long-term perspective on environmental sustainability.
abstract: Sheep grazing is an important part of agriculture in the North Atlantic region, defined here as the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Scotland. This process has played a key role in shaping the landscape and biodiversity of the region, sometimes with major environmental consequences, and has also been instrumental in the development of its rural economy and culture. In this review, we present results of the first interdisciplinary study taking a long-term perspective on sheep management, resource economy and the ecological impacts of sheep grazing, showing that sustainability boundaries are most likely to be exceeded in fragile environments where financial support is linked to the number of sheep produced. The sustainability of sheep grazing can be enhanced by a management regime that promotes grazing densities appropriate to the site and supported by area-based subsidy systems, thus minimizing environmental degradation, encouraging biodiversity and preserving the integrity of ecosystem processes.
authors.affiliation: The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK. louise.ross@hutton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Louise C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural History, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Austrheim
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), P.O. Box 8024 Dep., 0030, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Leif-Jarle
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Asheim
authors.affiliation: Landbrugsfonden (Búnaðargrunnurin), R.C. Effersøesgøta 4, 100, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bjarnason
authors.affiliation: Biomedia, Kastrupvej 8, Haraldsted, 4100, Ringsted, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feilberg
authors.affiliation: The Faroese Museum of Natural History (Føroya Náttúrugripasavn), V. U. Hammershaimbsgøta 13, 100, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fosaa
authors.affiliation: The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Alison J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Øystein
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Holand
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, 101, Reykjavík, Iceland.|University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingibjörg S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Jónsdóttir
authors.affiliation: Jarðfeingi, Brekkutún 1, P.O. Box 3059, 110, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
authors.forename: Lis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Atle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mysterud
authors.affiliation: Gramar Research, Bergsvegur 6, P.O. Box 134, 110, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
authors.forename: Erla
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034, Trondheim, Norway.|, Dragvoll University Campus, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skonhoft
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural History, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: James D M
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Speed
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Geir
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steinheim
authors.affiliation: Scottish Natural Heritage, Silvan House, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7AT, Scotland, UK.|Hatfield College, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3RQ, UK.
authors.forename: Des B A
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Agricultural University of Iceland, Hvanneyri, 311, Borgarnes, Iceland.
authors.forename: Anna Gudrún
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Thórhallsdóttir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D060434:Herbivory; D012424:Rural Population; D012756:Sheep / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Atlantic region; Management; Nordic agriculture; Rural economy; Sheep grazing; Sustainability