Caracterización de ranchos ganaderos y su relación con la diversidad de Scarabaeinae en la Frailescana

Livestock farming is a crucial economic activity, nevertheless, can exert environmental pressures such as the replacement of native vegetation, deforestation, and the creation of extensive grazing areas, leading to a decline in biodiversity and the loss of key ecological functions, such as those performed by dung beetles (Scarabaeinae). The aim of this study was to characterize livestock production units and determine how the size of the livestock production system affects dung beetle diversity. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 41 livestock farmers in the La Frailescana Natural Resource Protection Area, followed by stratified sampling based on ranch size for eight of them, using 30 baited pitfall traps per ranch (baited with bovine dung) for 48 hours. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, cluster analysis, and diversity indices. The results revealed the existence of three groups of livestock farmers with significant differences in the number of cattle, the area of land used for livestock, and the number of animals sold per year. The species richness and abundance analysis showed a very similar composition of Scarabaeinae species between ranches classified as small and medium-sized, compared to large ones. It was concluded that beetle diversity was favored in landscapes with a mosaic structure integrating tree cover, grasslands, and live fences. It is suggested that establishing a production system that integrates trees (silvopastoral systems) may be beneficial for the conservation of soil fauna.