Economically sustainable preservation of grazing-dependent biodiversity in Sweden with Canadian ranching systems

There is apprehension that the decoupling of EU income support will result in shortages of livestock for preservation of biodiversity in Swedish seminatural pastures. However, in a region studied in British Columbia with natural conditions similar to those in central Sweden but with no income support, one-third of the agricultural land is semi-natural pastures and the number of beef cattle has increased. This can be explained by the availability of cheap outdoor wintering of cattle and low opportunity cost of land. The results suggest that the abolition of income support and the tradition of expensive indoor wintering, but maintained environmental allowance for grazing, would result in land use in large parts of Sweden similar to that in the British Columbia region.