Rehabilitation of Rangelands in Paulshoek, Namaqualand: Understanding vegetation change using biophysical manipulations

In Namaqualand, heavy grazing of low-lying areas has resulted in the reduction of palatable perennial shrubs and the dominance of the unpalatable shrub, Galenia africana. This study investigates the process of rehabilitation and how it can be used to gain an understanding of the ecological factors that may be sustaining altered vegetation states. We intervened to change the biophysical environment through the construction of microcatchments and brushpacks to act as traps for water, seed and organic material combined with the introduction of seeds and seedlings were implemented. Two years after implementation brushpacked microhabitats improved natural recruitment of herbaceous species compared to bare areas at two out of three sites. Microhabitats did not influence natural recruitment of perennial seedlings. Emergence of palatable perennial seed was not influenced by microhabitat manipulation. Seedlings transplanted under adult G. africana shrubs showed higher survival rates at two out of three sites compared to seedlings in unmodified areas.     

Land degradation is not a necessary outcome of communal pastoralism in arid Namibia

In Otjimbingwe, a region of arid south-central Namibia, human population densities are high and these communal pastoralists own large numbers of livestock. Such situations are commonly perceived to lead to the ‘tragedy of the commons'. This region lends itself to a comparison of the effects of communal and commercial farming (with private land ownership) because the communal area is completely surrounded by commercial farms. In spite of far higher stocking densities on the communal areas and the absence of an overall grazing strategy, we found no evidence of the ‘tragedy of the commons' on Otjimbingwe. Indeed, the communal areas did not differ in a number of soil and vegetation parameters from the commercial farms. These results point both to the resilience of arid environments to high stocking levels and the over-riding influence of abiotic variables on environmental quality.     

Pastoralism within the cadastral system: Seasonal interactions and access agreements between pastoralists and non-pastoralists in Northern Kenya

The imposition of exclusive statutory real property rights in or near pastoralists’ areas and their migration corridors permanently excludes and extinguishes pastoralist rights to mobility and access to required resources. Seasonal interactions with non-pastoralist land use actors often occur during pastoralist migrations between rangelands and highlands or dry season grazing areas. In an embedded case study in Northern Kenya, in which interviews based on semi-structured questionnaires were held with pastoralists and non-pastoralists, we investigated how non-pastoralist land use actors manage encounters with migrating pastoralists within the context of the Land Administration system. We found that the majority of non-pastoralist land use actors encounter migrating pastoralists during distinct periods. Most never allow herders access to privately owned land. A small proportion allow access and make temporary verbal or written access agreements containing provisions on grazing fees, grazing regulations and rules to protect private property. The majority of non-pastoralists are unwilling to have access arrangements formalized. We argue that land rights adjudication should identify and confer all existing land rights to all users to avoid obstruction or renegotiation for access, and recommend the inclusion of pastoralists’ access rights as real property rights in the Land Administration system.     

Rangeland management impacts on the properties of clayey soils along grazing gradients in the semi-arid grassland biome of South Africa

The grassland biome of South Africa is a major resource for livestock farming; yet the soils of these rangelands are stressed differently by various management systems. The aim of this study was to investigate how basic soil properties respond to different management systems. For this purpose we sampled rangeland management systems under communal (continuous grazing), commercial (rotational grazing) and land reform (mixture of grazing systems) farming. Within each of these systems a grazing gradient was identified with decreasing grazing pressure with increasing distance to the water points. Results showed that communal farms with continuous grazing were generally depleted in the respective nutrient stocks. The depletion increased with rising grazing pressure. Along that line there was a breakdown of macroaggregates with losses of the C and N stored therein. However, the commercial farms also exhibited a decline of macroaggregates and their associated C content nearby the water points. Aggregate fractionation is a sensitive indicator for detecting the beginning of soil degradation in this biome; yet, degradation was less pronounced under the rotational grazing of the commercial farms than under communal property right conditions. Hence, soil analyses confirm that fences and appropriate grazing periods are needed to manage these rangelands sustainably.     

Environmental perceptions and practices of livestock keepers on the Namaqualand Commons challenge conventional rangeland management

In South Africa, interventions in communal rangelands proposed by most agriculture-sector institutions are still dominated by the belief that communal herders have little technical skills and by the tenets of “the tragedy of the Commons”, assuming that individual livestock keepers are selfish, norm free, and aiming at maximising short-term offtake and that there is no consistent management of the commons. In this study we show that practices of a diversity of livestock keepers on the Leliefontein Commons of Namaqualand are at odds with this viewpoint: access to rangeland and its use are structured by collective norms and concerns regarding both the sharing of resources and their long-term sustainability. We also show that part of the management of the commons relies on grazing practices which involve tacit and formalised technical knowledge that can be described and modelled. Livestock keepers assess the heterogeneity of the grazing quality of the commons. They are aware of the toxicity and unpalatability of some plants, of the way this differs according to the amount ingested and the availability of other forage, and of the variations of these two factors over seasons of grazing. They classify grazing areas and decide on daily grazing routes according to a complex set of criteria. Carrying capacity of each area is not considered as a fixed parameter but rather as a variable dependant on rainfall. Seasonal movements between areas are designed accordingly. These findings offer a new perspective for research agendas on technical models and extension measures for communal rangeland management particularly in arid and semi-arid areas.     

Spatio-temporal variation in soil seed banks under contrasting grazing regimes following low and high seasonal rainfall in arid Namibia

In arid rangelands, soil seed bank characteristics vary with rainfall patterns, livestock pressure and habitat heterogeneity. We investigated this issue by assessing spatio-temporal patterns in soil seed bank density and richness in a degraded (heavy grazing) and non-degraded (light grazing) Nama Karoo ecosystem. To account for variation in seed distribution, different microsites were compared, and the effect of diaspore size on the patterning analyzed. Long-term heavy grazing increased seed densities and species richness of the soil seed bank by favoring small-seeded and tiny-seeded annual species. The spatial patterning of the soil seed bank was, however, similar to that found under sustainable grazing. The overall seed distribution was dictated by the small-scale environmental heterogeneity, which interacted with diaspore size. Our results suggest that the degraded environment is still efficient in controlling secondary dispersal and retaining seeds. This is through low stature barriers like surface rocks, which replace the function of grazing-sensitive perennial grasses in trapping and storing small diaspores. Soil seed banks were persistent and accumulated readily-germinable seeds over time. Observed temporal pattern across the study sites indicates that both condition and sequence of preceding rainfall seasons are likely to have a profound effect on soil seed banks of subsequent years.     

Is the analysis of plant community structure better than common species-diversity indices for assessing the effects of livestock grazing on a Mediterranean arid ecosystem?

Grazing in arid Mediterranean ecosystems brings about changes in species diversity, but the best way to measure such changes is unclear. In this study we compared various methods in order to identify indicators that might be useful for the management and conservation of grazed arid Mediterranean ecosystems.Changes in community structure and composition were compared along a previously studied grazing gradient in Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. Plant diversity was measured by calculating diversity (Shannon information index), evenness (Pielou index) and richness (species number). Rarefaction curves were used to measure plant species richness and the results were compared with traditional richness values. Community structure was measured as the percentage of bare ground and the coverage of overall perennial grasses, Stipa tenacissima L., perennial shrubs and annual plants. Our results showed that the proportion of bare ground, the cover of perennial shrubs and the relative abundance of S. tenacissima are good indicators of grazing effects on vegetation. Overall plant community structure was more sensitive to the grazing gradient than were the diversity indices. Finally, the adequacy of standardized methods for comparing species richness (i.e. rarefaction curves) along a grazing gradient are discussed.     

Grazing response in the vegetation communities of the Kamiesberg, South Africa: Adopting a plant functional type approach

Potential grazing impacts associated with the sustained heavy grazing of a communal rangeland are explored through a plant functional type approach. An informative typology is derived that shows grazing responses. An examination of plant functional types within growth forms does not provide any additional insights, whereas looking at traits alone does demonstrate a grazing response with increases in the traits of large basal and erect leafy growth forms and losses in the traits of medium height, simple leaves and few flowers. There is also evidence of a biogeographic shift, with an increase in a succulent-dominated plant functional type at higher altitudes on the heavily grazed communal rangeland. This is attributed to the fact that in adopting the proposed universal language advocated by plant functional type practitioners some of the subtleties of this particular vegetation type are lost. For example growth form height classes are too coarse for the shorter vegetation of the Succulent Karoo. In the resultant ‘fuzzy’ groups, responses are lost. While the method adopted is informative a stronger case is made for a more simple growth form analysis traditionally adopted in rangeland analysis.     

Desert grassland canopy arthropod species richness: temporal patterns and effects of intense, short-duration livestock grazing

Arthropods living in the canopies of two woody shrub species (a sub-shrub (Gutierrezia sarothrae) and a large shrub (Prosopis glandulosa)) and perennial grasses plus associated herbaceous species, were sampled on 18, 0.5 hectare plots in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland for five consecutive years. Mesquite shrubs were removed from nine plots, six plots were grazed by yearling cattle in August and six plots were grazed in February for the last 3 years of the 5 year study. Arthropod species richness ranged between 154 and 353 on grasses, from 120 to 266 on G. sarothrae, and from 69 to 116 on P. glandulosa. There was a significant relationship between the number of families of insects on grass and G. sarothrae and growing season rainfall but species richness was not a function of growing season rainfall on any of the plants. Several of the arthropod families that were the most species rich in this grassland were found on all of the plants sampled, i.e. Salticid spiders, Bruchid and Curculionid beetles, Cicadellid and Psyllid homopterans, and ants (Formicidae). There were more species rich families that were shared by grasses and the sub-shrub G. sarothrae than with mesquite. The absence of a relationship between growing season rainfall and species richness was attributed to variation in life history characteristics of arthropods and to the non-linear responses of annual and perennial desert grassland plants to rainfall.There were no significant differences in insect family or species richness on any of the plant types as a result of removal of mesquite (P. glandulosa) from selected plots. Intense, short duration (24 h) grazing by livestock during in late summer resulted in reduced species richness in the grass-herb vegetation layer but had no effect on insect species richness on snakeweed or mesquite shrubs. Livestock grazing in winter had no effect on insect species richness on any of the vegetation sampled.     

Effects of grazing and climate change on species diversity in sandy grassland, Inner Mongolia, China

To understand the effects of animal grazing activities and climate change on sandy grassland vegetation in northern China, a field grazing and protected enclosure experiment was conducted from 1992 through 2006 in Horqin Sand Land, Inner Mongolia. The results showed that (1) the grazing was primary responsible for changes of the vegetation richness and diversity in the grazing grassland and that changing climate was the main reason for changes in the species richness and diversity in the grassland protected from grazing; (2) light and moderate grazing can promote restoration of the richness and the diversity in the degraded grassland, and heavy grazing could result in a decrease of the richness and diversity; (3) heavy grazing can result in significant decrease of the perennial diversity, and moderate and light grazing promotes increase of the perennial diversity; the grazing, whether heavy or moderate and light grazing, was beneficial to increase of the annual diversity; (4) heavy grazing was not beneficial to diversity of Graminean and Chenopodiaceae, and moderate and light grazing was favorable the diversity of Compositae and Chenopodiaceae; (5) the warm-humid climate was favorable to increase of the richness and the diversity, and the warm-drought climate could result in decease of the richness and the diversity; (6) increased precipitation was favorable to perennial diversity and the diversity of Graminean, Leguminosae, and Compositae, and decreased precipitation had few effects on the annual diversity and Chenopodiaceae diversity.     

Effects of overgrazing and rainfall variability on the dynamics of semiarid banded vegetation patterns: A simulation study with cellular automata

The effects of factors acting at small scale (grass/grass and grass/shrub biological interactions) and landscape scale (overgrazing and rainfall changes) on the development and permanence of banded vegetation patterns (VB) are assessed with a spatially explicit cellular automaton model. In particular, the influence of two environmental factors that are changing in many VB arid lands (rainfall and grazing pressures) is studied. Three rainfall regimes (representing 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 times the long-term rainfall average), five grazing intensities, two types (reversible and irreversible) of grazing disturbance, two grazing periodicities (chronic and pulse), two levels of grass colonization ability, positive and negative interactions between shrubs and grasses, and the efficiency of endozoochorous seed dispersal are simulated.The results show that the permanence of undisturbed VB depends on the interaction of two factors, rainfall regime and grass colonization ability. Type and intensity of grazing also modify VB cover and permanence; furthermore, long-term overgrazing may convert mixed grass/shrub plant communities to pure scrublands dominated by endozoochorous-dispersed shrubs due to competitive interactions between shrubs and grasses.Besides providing an adequate representation of the system’s dynamics, the model is a useful tool that may be used to explore the consequences of climate change on management scenarios.     

Rainfall variability may modify the effects of long-term exclosure on vegetation in Mandalgobi,Mongolia

Starting in 2005, we examined differences in vegetation for three consecutive years across an airport fence that separated heavily grazed areas from areas in which grazing had been excluded for 24 years in Mandalgobi, Mongolia. We performed repeated-measures analysis separately on two community types (dominated by Allium polyrrhizum and Achnatherum splendens, respectively) to compare the effects of fencing and year on the cover of different plant functional types. There was a significant fence × year interaction for grass cover in the Allium type (but not the Achnatherum type), due to greater cover of grasses inside the fence only when rainfall was sufficient during the growing season. The effect of grazing exclusion on perennial forb cover was confounded by a significant fence × year interaction in both types. In 2007, perennial forbs were found outside the fence, but had almost disappeared inside the fence, resulting in this interaction. Annual forbs only had much greater cover values inside the fence than outside in 2006, also resulting in a significant fence × year interaction in both community types. This study thus suggests that the high rainfall variability in arid and semi-arid rangelands may modify the effects of long-term exclosure on vegetation.     

Grazing itineraries and forage selection of goats in the Al Jabal al Akhdar mountain range of northern Oman

In view of the repeatedly reported overstocking of the high-altitude pastures on Al Jabal al Akhdar, northern Oman, plant species abundance, cover and frequency, and herbaceous mass yield were studied in ungrazed versus heavily grazed areas of this mountain range. In addition, plant species selection by goats along a gradient of 1000–2000 m and spatial extent of pasture areas were investigated after abundant rainfall and a subsequent 6-months dry spell by means of manual observation and GPS/GIS tools.The substantially higher species diversity and herbaceous mass yield in the ungrazed area illustrate the production potential of these mountain pastures or, respectively, the biodiversity and productivity loss resulting from continuous grazing. The concentration of goats' selection on only a dozen herbaceous and ligneous species favours pasture encroachment with poisonous shrubs such as Nerium mascatense in the lower and Dodonaea viscosa in the higher altitudes. Given the spatially limited extent of pasture areas, these are exposed to high stocking rates. Therefore, grazing and feeding schemes need to be developed which reduce livestock pressure on the pastures, taking into account local property rights, herding skills and the recovery potential of the vegetation, which heavily depends on unpredictable rainfall events.     

放牧对浑善达克沙地丘间低地植被群落及土壤的影响

为探究放牧对丘间低地植被群落及土壤的影响,分析了浑善达克沙地丘间低地在重度和轻度放牧下植被的地上生物量、物种重要值、物种丰富度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数、Simpson生态优势度指数及0~10 cm土壤中黏粒、粉粒、砂粒、有机碳和全氮含量。结果表明：（1）植被地上生物量、土壤黏粒、粉粒、砂粒、土壤有机碳和全氮含量在不同放牧程度下存在极显著差异（P<0.01）,物种丰富度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Pielou均匀度指数在不同放牧程度下差异不显著（P>0.05）,Simpson生态优势度指数在不同放牧程度下差异显著（P<0.05）。（2）放牧区植被以禾本科为主,禾本科植被地上生物量占整个植被群落的54.88%~57.76%;重度放牧区植被地上生物量为63.59 g·m^-2,比轻度放牧区低26.61%。（3）羊草（Leymus chinensis）和狗尾草（Setaria viridis）是放牧区的优势种,其重要值依次为14.16%（重度放牧区）和19.10%（轻度放牧区）、13.40%（重度放牧区）和15.42%（轻度放牧区）,重度放牧下雾滨藜（Bassia dasyphylla）、克氏针茅（Stipa krylovii）和猪毛蒿（Artemisia scoparia）的重要值较显著高于轻度放牧区,而羊草则低于轻度放牧区。（4）重度放牧加剧了土壤沙漠化,使砂粒含量增加,草地生产力下降,土壤有机碳和全氮含量降低。     

Grazing effects on patchy dryland vegetation in northern Patagonia

In this study the spatial patterns and dynamics of vegetation patches along a grazing gradient in the steppe ofLarrea divaricataandStipaspp. in NE Patagonia (Argentina) are described. A general effect of grazing is the reduction of total plant cover resulting from the decrease in cover of perennial grasses (Stipa speciosa, Poa ligularis, Stipa tenuis) and some tall shrubs (Chuquiraga hystrix, Bougainvillea spinosa, Lycium chilense). Dwarf shrubs (Nassauvia fueguianaandJunellia seriphioides) increase their cover under medium and/or high grazing pressures. Plant species are spatially grouped into patches which alternate with areas of bare soil. Eleven types of vegetation patch differing in the dominant plant functional type or species, floristic richness and size were identified with different relative frequency along the grazing gradient. Based on these results, it is postulated that grazing forces the replacement of large patches dominated by tall shrubs with high species richness, byLarrea divaricatapatches or small dwarf shrub patches with low species richness and the extinction of grass patches. This results from: (1) disruption of local balances of species deletions and additions; (2) fragmentation of large patches; and (3) formation of new vegetation patches. These changes lead to differing plant spatial organization and heterogeneity along the grazing gradient which may be described by characteristic arrays of vegetation patches.     

Natural and human dimensions of environmental change in the proximal reaches of Botswana's Okavango Delta

Though wetlands are vital for the proper functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and provisioning of a wide range of goods and services, their sustainability is being threatened by inappropriate human resource use practices due to our limited understanding of how these systems operate and lack of appropriately informed interventions. We attempt to address these limitations by using historical CORONA photographs of 1967, Landsat imagery of 1989, 1994 and 2001 and information from the literature to investigate the role of natural and human factors in influencing the direction of environmental change in the proximal reaches of Botswana's Okavango Delta. Results of this investigation point to fragmentation of natural habitats, localised degradation of areas close to perennial water supplies, significant increase in woody cover, significant decrease in open grassland, increase in scrub and shrubs, deterioration in the quality of grazing and depletion of specific woody species. With the direction of change pointing to persistent decrease in the environment's supporting potentials, there is urgent need to adopt intervention strategies potentially capable of enhancing sustainable utilisation of natural resources in this sub-region.     

Does land use matter in an arid Environment? A case study from the Hoanib River catchment, north-western Namibia

The effect of intensive grazing and browsing of domestic stock and wildlife on the number of species and abundance of vegetation was investigated in the Hoanib River catchment, north-western Namibia. The seasonal abundance of ground cover, bare earth, canopy cover, annual grass, perennial grass and annual forbs were measured in each of the focus-study areas. In three of the focus areas where the ranges of both domestic stock and wildlife were restricted either by fencing or water availability, impact on the vegetation was greatest. The final focus area was a more ‘open range’ system that allowed for the free movement of wildlife. Under these conditions the species abundance and availability of browsing and grazing was greater than the other focus areas during both the wet and dry seasons. However, very little difference in abundance and availability of vegetation was observed between focus areas in both seasons regardless of landuse. There is generally a low abundance of perennial grasses and browse species affording the ecosystem little resistance and resilience to disturbance caused by grazing and drought.     

干旱荒漠区绿洲边缘典型固沙灌木的降水截留特征

在民勤绿洲边缘,降水对维持固沙灌木持续稳定发挥固沙功能具有重要作用。本文选择民勤绿洲边缘3种主要固沙灌木为研究对象,观测了降雨条件下降水穿透量和冠层截留量,分析了降水穿透量和冠层截留量与降雨量之间的关系以及截留率与降水强度之间的关系,比较了不同灌木群落的降水截留特征。结果表明,不同灌木的降水截留存在明显差异,梭梭、柽柳、生长良好白刺、衰退白刺冠层最大截留量和截留容量分别为0.6 mm、0.6 mm、0.4 mm、0.3 mm和0.8 mm、0.8 mm、0.5 mm、0.2 mm;在两年总降水量255.3 mm条件下,梭梭、柽柳和生长良好白刺3种灌木群落冠层截留损失分别为44 mm、88 mm和32 mm,占降水总量的16.6%、33.1%和12.0%;当降雨强度<0.8 mm·h-1,梭梭和柽柳降水截留率随降水强度增加均呈递减趋势;当降水强度>0.8 mm·h-1时,梭梭冠层截留量与降水量的比率基本稳定在0.2～0.3之间,柽柳在0.3～0.4之间;当降水强度<0.5 mm·h-1,生长良好白刺灌丛的降水截留率随降水强度增加呈下降趋势;当降雨强度>0.5 mm·h-1,生长良好白刺灌丛截留率基本维持在0.1～0.2之间;降雨强度>0.4 mm·h-1时,衰退白刺截留率稳定在0.05～0.1之间。     

Seasonal variation of the soil seed bank of grasses in central Argentina as related to grazing and shrub cover

The objectives of this research were to (a) study seasonal variation of the seed bank of grasses in two areas with different grazing history, (b) analyse the effect of the presence of shrubs on the seed bank and (c) study seed viability and dormancy in buried seeds of Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis. The seed density of grasses was in general low and showed seasonal variation. Most of the grasses showed maximum seed density in December when seed dispersal occurs. Shrub cover did not show a marked influence in seed accumulation. The relatively high number of damaged seeds suggests that predation may be an important factor in seed bank dynamics in the Caldenal. Seeds of dominant perennial forage grasses showed dormancy that could explain, at least in part, persistence of these species in spite of periodical disturbance.     

荒漠地带封沙育草区放牧利用的探讨

根据调查与观测结果,认为荒漠地带的封沙育草区应适当加以利用。在各种利用方式中,放牧是最佳的利用方式。并探讨了放牧利用中应注意的一些问题。