Domestic dogs are fertilizing the green spaces where they regularly poop and pee, and not in a good way. Even in nature reserves where dogs are supposed to be kept on leash, a new study in Belgium shows our pets' droppings are a major disturbance to
Each year, researchers estimate the paths that run through four nature reserves around Ghent are soiled with up to 11.5 kilograms of nitrogen and 4.8 kilograms of phosphorus per hectare.
Across all four nature reserves in the current study, researchers counted 1,629 dog visitors in a year and a half. While most of these canines were kept on leash, nearly a third were not, despite that being the rule for the reserves. "In our scenario where all dogs were kept on leashes, we found that in these concentrated areas around paths, nutrient inputs of both nitrogen and phosphorus exceeded legal limits for fertilization of agricultural land,""Which is quite staggering as our study concerned nature reserves!"
If all the pet owners visiting Ghent's nature reserves both leashed their dogs and took the time to pick up their dog's droppings, models show they could reduce nitrogen pollution by 56 percent and phosphorus pollution by 97 percent along these paths.
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