transitive verb

• Graze (grassland) so heavily that the vegetation is damaged and the ground becomes liable to erosion.

  ‘their own pastures were overgrazed and arid’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Before the civil war, families living in this area had an average of 20 cows each and the grassland was heavily overgrazed in the 1970s and 1980s.’
  • ‘The Viking colonists had allowed cattle to overgraze their pastures, and their arable land was badly affected by soil erosion.’
  • ‘Because of their sedentary character and free grazing habit, reindeer tend to trample and overgraze lichen pastures during summer and autumn.’
  • ‘Cattle and sheep can also introduce disease to other animals and overgraze native vegetation needed by wildlife.’
  • ‘Badly overgrazed pasture-land, soil depletion, and drought are persistent problems.’
  • ‘Because they are usually located on steep slopes, plantations prevent the degradation of these fragile ecosystems from overgrazing and soil erosion.’
  • ‘He argued that a pasture managed as a commons will inevitably be overgrazed, because the benefits of grazing too many sheep accrue to the individual who has the most, while the costs are shared by all users.’
  • ‘Many other countries today face similar crippling environmental problems, including the deforestation, overgrazing, erosion and salinization that brought down the Fertile Crescent.’
  • ‘By moving his cattle every day, Montoya avoids overgrazing the land.’
  • ‘And don't overgraze that area this summer or late season growth will be slow.’
  • ‘How many animals can one area, the ‘commons,’ support before it is overgrazed and production declines?’
  • ‘Horses will quickly overgraze this small area.’
  • ‘The grasslands frequently suffer from overgrazing, a problem affecting not only cattle, but also the productivity of local fisheries.’
  • ‘The landowner risks having the pasture become overgrazed, resulting in future weed problems, reduced production, and lowered value.’
  • ‘The U.S. government found that too much soil erosion had occurred because of sheep overgrazing the land.’
  • ‘They often blame poor rural producers for what are perceived to be unsound practices including slash and burn cultivation, overgrazing, and deforestation for fuel wood.’
  • ‘In addition to planting, fertilizing and irrigating, pasture management includes rotational grazing to prevent overgrazing.’
  • ‘However, as all other farmers make the same calculation, the commons is soon overgrazed to the point where it can no longer support anyone's herd.’
  • ‘The students outlined plans to limit trail erosion, four-wheel driving and overgrazing.’
  • ‘Due to over-collecting and overgrazing this is now a protected species.’