Regenerative Grazing

Staging for Fact Sheet: The regenerative grazing techniques of Allan Savory are unscientific and environmentally destructive.

In a Ted Talk in 2013, Alan Savory presented his view that regenerative grazing and holistic management is a way to reverse climate change and desertification. The talk went viral with 2.7 million views. https://youtu.be/vpTHi7O66pI

A paper published in the International Journal of Biodiversity in 2014 titled "Holistic Management: Misinformation on the Science of Grazed Ecosystems" examined 5 claims of Holistic Management. None of the claims held up to scientific scrutiny and each claim was associated with a destructive, not beneficial as claimed, impact on the environment. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/163431

A study led by Oxford and published by the Food Climate Research Group (FCRN), disputed the claims made for regenerative grazing, saying "The actual evidence is thin on the ground and contradictory." and scientific studies are "based on surveys and testimonies rather than on-site measurements." https://www.fcrn.org.uk/sites/default/files/project-files/fcrn_gnc_report.pdf

A review published in the Agricultural Systems concludes that "the vast majority of experimental evidence does not support claims of enhanced ecological benefits in IRG compared to other grazing strategies, including the capacity to increase storage of soil organic carbon." https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2013.12.001

Secondary Sources:

According to George Monbiot, "There was a major study conducted, reviewing 300 papers on this subject, to see whether his claims, such as his holistic ranching could suck all the industrial carbon out of the atmosphere, whether that stood up. They found there is simply no evidence for such claims at all, that they are wildly wrong. And unfortunately, those claims, because they’re highly attractive to people, because they create the impression that you can eat meat and save the world, are simply not based on fact." https://www.democracynow.org/2018/11/29/george_monbiot_ending_meat_dairy_consumption

An article in The Guardian which showing why Savory's claims are false and misleading, reports that when asked for scientific support, Savory referenced a report on his own website containing "no references, no data and no links to any experimental or empirical research." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2014/aug/04/eat-more-meat-and-save-the-world-the-latest-implausible-farming-miracle

An article in The Wildlife News sums it up nicely: "Holistic grazing guru pieces together false assumptions to produce ineffective but popular recommendations on climate change." http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/03/18/alan-savory-gives-a-popular-and-very-misleading-ted-talk/