Thread by @RossMcNally_

Why is phasing out livestock production important? A case study:
There are currently 1.4-1.5bn domestic sheep on the planet (FAOSTAT 2020). Most are grazed in ecosystems to which they're non-native, wreaking havoc on vegetation regeneration, soil stability and biodiversity.
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Many, though, are still grazed in the region in which they were first domesticated, and this juxtaposition arguably provides an even starker example of why animal agriculture is fundamentally incompatible with ecological sustainability.

By contrast to 1.5bn domestic sheep, their wild progenitor species, the mouflon, is currently listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, with a total population <27,000. This is split into several distinct subspecies.
iucnredlist.org/species/549402…

Ironically, the major threat to the mouflon is competition from domestic sheep grazing. By pushing mouflon out of the most favourable habitat and fragmenting their populations, this curtails and restricts the dynamic ecology of which mouflon are a part.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dd…

The leopards, wolves, lynx, bears and occasionally eagles that prey on them, the vultures, corvids, jackals, foxes, mustelids and insects that scavenge their carcasses, the insects and other invertebrates that feed on their dung...
peerj.com/articles/7446/
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Much as some livestock enthusiasts claim that grazing mimics wild herbivores, all these complex and exciting interactions are simplified or extinguished by livestock farming. Phasing this out can free up land for ecosystem restoration and #rewilding.

sussexbylines.co.uk/the-regenerati…