Overgrazing – Grazing too many livestock for too long on the land, so it is unable to recover its vegetation

To remember the meaning of the term Overgrazing, use the following mnemonic:

They looked over at what was the grazing (overgrazing) area and all they could see were cattle and no grass to graze. It had all gone.

Overgrazing is not caused by cattle alone. Sheep and goats also contribute to the problem. 

For instance, overgrazing by millions of sheep and goats is the major cause of degraded land in East Asia's Mongolian Steppe, one of the largest remaining grassland ecosystems.