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Impact of high-density grazing compared to conventional grazing on the woody vegetation of the Kalahari Savannah of South Africa
Author
Malan, PJ
Madikizela, W
Paulse-Ross, JW
Publisher
XII International Rangeland Congress
Publication Year
2025
Body

Kalahari Savanah rangeland of Southern Africa is known for well-balanced herbaceous and woody layers. Historic use of conventional grazing, with long grazing periods and insufficient rest periods, caused bush encroachment. High density grazing might prevent bush encroachment. Two grazing approaches were compared to quantify their impact on tree density. The conventional grazing (CG) approach consisted of four camps. Cattle grazed each camp for 14 days, at a grazing pressure of 0.5 large stock units (LSU) per hectare (ha), followed by 42 days of rest. This equates to a stocking rate of 8 ha per LSU. For the high-density (HD) approach, camps were grazed one to two days, at 27.5 LSU/ha, with rest periods of 120 days. Which equates to a stocking rate of 4 ha per LSU. Surveys were done along a 100m x 2.5m belt transect (four replicates, three distances from watering point), using the Biomass Estimates from Canopy Volume model (BECVOL). This method measures woody species richness, total tree density (plants ha-1), total dry matter production estimates (kg DM ha-1) and Total Evapotranspiration Tree Equivalents (ETTE ha-1). Tree density was lower at HD (780 plants ha-1) compared to CG (1 077 plants ha-1), (P > 0.05). Evapotranspiration tree equivalents was significantly (P < 0.05) lower at HD (1 605 ETTE ha-1) than at CG (2 295 ETTE ha-1). Total woody biomass production was almost similar for CG (2 730 kg DM ha-1) and HD (2 790 kg DM ha-1). Seedling density was significantly (P < 0.05) higher at CG (1 303 plants ha-1) than at HD (684 plants ha-1). High-density grazing generally had a far less negative impact on tree density than conventional grazing. It can therefore be concluded that a HD grazing approach could contribute positively towards ecosystem health in the Kalahari Savannah of South Africa.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Additional Information
This paper is part of the larger XII International Rangelands Congress Proceedings. Page Numbers: 1133-1136. Theme: Theme 4 / Poster presentations – Theme 4
ISSN
978-0-646-72121-7
Conference Name
International Rangeland Congress
Collection
International Rangelands Congress
Keywords
bush encroachment
stocking rate