Holistic Management is an animal and land management practice that mimics nature to benefit both grazing stock and biodiversity. Graziers across the world have discovered that they can increase production of their herds while also improving water and mineral cycles of environments under a Holistic Management regime. Pioneered by Allan Savory more than 40 years ago, it offers land stewards a way to make grazing, land management and financial decisions that positively impact land health and productivity. This type of grazing management is now considered to be the single most beneficial technique for restoring both profits and biodiversity to independent grazing operations. Overgrazing is a function of time, NOT animal numbers. Damage occurs when the plant is trying to grow but an animal keeps eating it again. If a plant doesn’t have enough green leaves it can only continue to grow from energy stored in their roots. When this is exhausted, the plant will die. Damage to soil structure quickly follows.
Holistic Management embraces and honors the complexity of nature, and uses nature’s models to bring practical approaches to land management, and restoration. The planning procedures embedded in the Holistic Management approach are designed to incorporate this complexity and work with it.It does take time, skills and discipline to use this decision-making framework successfully – but the economic, environmental and social benefits are enormous.