Habitat

California grasslands, oak savannahs and oak woodlands provide a home to more wildlife species than any other habitat type in California -- some of the highest biodiversity in the world (Myers et al. 2000). Most of this landscape is grazed, and the importance of livestock grazing as a management tool for these ecosystems is becoming widely appreciated. Biologists are finding that many rare and endangered species benefit from livestock grazing, ranching land use, or ranching infrastructure. Please use the side navigation to learn more about some of the common and important habitat types in our region’s rangelands.

Overview Publications

Fact Sheet: The Benefits of Livestock Grazing California's Annual Grasslands

California’s Changing Landscapes: Diversity and Conservation of California Vegetation (Barbour 1993) 

Terrestrial Vegetation of California, Third Ed. (Barbour, Keeler-Wolf and Schoenherr 2007) 

Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems: the Function of Biodiversity (Davis and Richardson 1995)

Ecosystems of California (Mooney and Zavaleta 2016)

Landscape Disturbance and Biodiversity in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems (Rundel, Montenegro and Jaksic 1998.)