Riparian area protection, critical habitat protection, and rotational grazing are conservation practices with important ecosystem benefits, but they often require a large amount of physical fencing to implement.

Virtual fencing (VF) technology is effective for protecting small areas of critical habitat from cattle grazing in areas containing highly desirable forage.

VF technology is effective in excluding cattle from riparian areas; therefore, research is needed to understand how VF may benefit other ecosystems.

VF technology may be effective for implementing rotational grazing, and research is needed to understand the management of VF for rotational grazing across a wide range of grazing conditions.

Overall, VF technology has promise for protecting riparian areas and critical habitats from cattle grazing as well as for implementing rotational grazing.