Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from grazed grasslands

1. Emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from grasslands make a substantial contribution to total agricultural emissions of these two gases. 2. At present practical mitigation options that relate to grazing ruminants and grazed pastures are limited. 3. Research into agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is of low priority in most developed countries. 4. Direct manipulation of the rumen ecosystem provides the best opportunity for large reductions in CH4 in the long term. 5. Reducing the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted by grazing animals is a priority in N2O research, as this source of N2O constitutes almost 90% of the total global N2O emissions from grasslands.