Small ruminant landscape distribution: A literature review

The sheep and goat industries are growing, but there is a lack of information on landscape use by small ruminants. Further insight into the movement patterns of sheep and goats will help managers develop techniques to increase uniformity of grazing and potentially increase stocking levels and improve rangeland sustainability. This review compiled current literature on sheep and goat landscape distribution, specifically daily distance travelled and distance travelled from water. The compiled literature showed that of the few studies to examine sheep and goat daily distance travelled and distance travelled from water, results were highly variable. Among environmental factors, we hypothesize that this high variability could be due to the differences in methodology. Few studies utilized current animal tracking technology, such as GPS tracking, even though it has the ability to more accurately measure distribution. To better quantify sheep and goat movements, we recommend further research with up to date technology and standardized methods. This review also explored drivers of sheep and goat movement across the landscape including abiotic, biotic, and social factors. Understanding what drives foraging decisions can help explain utilization patterns across the landscape, which in turn informs management decisions as producers aim to manipulate distribution patterns.