Legacy effects of livestock grazing on vegetation of an arid landscape exist more than 30 years after livestock were excluded

Abstract Introduction Globally, livestock grazing is a key driver of vegetation degradation in arid rangelands. This degradation tends to be most severe near artificial water points which are focal points for livestock activity. Conservation reserves have been established on former rangelands; however, the timeframes for vegetation recovery following the cessation of livestock grazing are poorly understood. Objectives To assess changes in rangeland vegetation structure and composition following long‐term herbivore exclusion to inform understanding of the timeframes required for rangeland vegetation recovery. Methods We quantified recovery of vegetation following the removal of livestock in an Australian arid rangeland by comparing vegetation structure and composition inside and outside of herbivore exclosures that had been established for 36 years and were situated along gradients of distance from water. Results Inside of long‐term exclosures, vegetation cover was higher and taller and forb density was higher than in unfenced control plots. Inside exclosures, annual species richness was higher but did not respond to distance from water. Perennial species richness did not respond to herbivore exclusion but increased with distance from water both inside and outside of exclosures. Conclusions After 36 years of livestock exclusion, vegetation recovery occurred structurally, but floristically, recovery was mainly represented by short‐lived annual species. That the richness of perennial species inside of herbivore exclusion increased with increasing distance from water suggests that the composition of perennial plant species was a legacy of the effects that water‐focused livestock grazing had on vegetation when the plots were established 36 years previously.