Optimising the spatial distribution of free-ranging livestock is a significant challenge in expansive, grazed landscapes across the globe. Grazing managers use practices such as herding (i.e. droving), strategic placement of off-stream livestock drinking water and nutritional supplements, and strategic fencing in attempts to distribute livestock away from sensitive streams and riparian areas. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 46 cattle-grazed riparian areas and associated stream reaches embedded in rugged range landscapes to examine relationships between implementation of these management practices, stocking rate, and riparian health. We determined in-stream benthic invertebrate assemblages at each site to serve as an integrative metric of riparian health. We also collected information from the grazing manager on stocking rate and implementation of livestock distribution practices at each site over the decade before this study. Off-stream livestock drinking-water sources were implemented at just two sites (4.3%), indicating that this was not a common distribution practice in these remote management units. We found no significant relationship of riparian health (i.e. invertebrate richness metrics) with stocking rate (P ≥ 0.45 in all cases), or with the simple implementation (yes/no) of off-stream nutritional supplements, fence maintenance, and livestock herding (P ≥ 0.22 in all cases). However, we did find significant positive relationships between riparian health and managerial effort (person-days spent per year for each individual practice) to implement off-stream nutritional supplements and fence maintenance (P ≤ 0.017 in all cases). Livestock herding effort had an apparent positive association with riparian health (P ≥ 0.2 in all cases). Results highlight that site-specific variation in managerial effort accounts for some of the observed variation in practice effectiveness, and that appropriate managerial investments in grazing distributional practices can improve riparian conditions.

在全球广阔的牧场环境中，优化自由放养的牲畜的空间分布是一项重大挑战。放牧管理人员使用诸如放牧（即开车），对下游牲畜饮用水和营养补给品进行战略性布置以及对牲畜进行疏散等战略性做法，以使牲畜远离敏感溪流和河岸地区。我们对46个牛群繁茂的河岸地区进行了横断面调查，并将相关河段嵌入崎reaches的山脉景观中，以检查这些管理措施的实施，放养率和河岸健康之间的关系。我们确定了每个地点的溪流底栖无脊椎动物集合，以作为河岸健康的综合指标。在此研究之前的十年中，我们还从放牧经理那里收集了有关每个站点的放养率和牲畜分发实践的信息。仅在两个地点（4.3％）实施了下游牲畜饮用水源，这表明在这些远程管理单位中这不是普遍的分配做法。我们发现河岸健康（即无脊椎动物的丰富度指标）与放养率（P ≥0.45在所有情况下），或用简单的实现（是/关流营养补充剂，围栏维护和家畜放牧（无）P ≥0.22在所有情况下）。然而，我们确实发现河岸卫生和管理工作（每年花在每个单独练习人日）之间的显著正相关关系来实现停止生产营养补充剂和护栏维修（P ≤0.017在所有情况下）。畜牧业与河岸健康有明显的正相关性（P在所有情况下均≥0.2）。结果表明，特定地点的管理工作差异可解释一些观察到的实践有效性差异，并且在放牧分布实践中进行适当的管理投资可以改善河岸条件。