Vegetation structure of a heavily grazed range in Northern Kenya: ground vegetation

Cornelius, R.; Schultka, W.

doi:10.1006/jare.1996.0209

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…However, our results suggest that the slow rate of recovery of Nech Sar grasslands may relate to the sensitivity of dominant grasses to proximity to pastoral settlements, grazing, and likely to clipping. Dominant grasses C. plumulosus and B. insculpta are preferred by livestock, and the abundance of these grasses declines with increasing abundance of livestock (Cornelius & Schultka, 1997; Kassahun et al, 2008). The slower rate of regrowth of Nech Sar compared to other African grasslands thus seems driven by the response of two dominant grass species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proximity to high densities of pastoral settlements reduces grassland regrowth in a protected tropical savanna

et al. 2021

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proximity to high densities of pastoral settlements reduces grassland regrowth in a protected tropical savanna

et al. 2021

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“…The short grass vegetation in the vicinity of paddocks contains many ruderals and invasive species (Barker, Thurow & Herlocker 1990; Young, Patridge & Macrae 1995; Cornelius & Schultka 1997; Rietkerk et al . 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of cattle ranching on large‐scale vegetation patterns in a coastal savanna in Tanzania

Tobler

Cochard

Edwards

2003

Journal of Applied Ecology

122

112

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Summary1. The success of large-scale cattle ranching in African savanna vegetation has often been limited by problems of bush encroachment and disease (in particular trypanosomiasis spread by tsetse flies). Mkwaja Ranch, occupying an area of 462 km 2 on the coast of Tanzania, is a recent example of a large ranching enterprise that failed within the savanna environment. It was closed in 2000 after 48 years of operation. In this paper we describe the main vegetation types of the area (excluding closed forest vegetation) and relate their patterns of distribution to the former use of the ranch for cattle. 2. The study area comprised the former ranch and parts of the adjacent Saadani Game Reserve, which had not been grazed by cattle for many years and had never been used for large-scale ranching. Following field surveys, 15 distinct types of grassland and bush vegetation were defined and a vegetation map was created using a Landsat TM satellite image. A multispectral classification using the maximum likelihood algorithm gave good results and enabled all 15 vegetation types to be distinguished on the map. 3. Two main spatial trends were detected in the vegetation. One was a large-scale decrease in the cover of bushland from the most intensively used parts of the ranch through more extensively used areas to the game reserve; this trend was attributed to differences in management history as well as to climatic and topographic factors. A second trend was a radial vegetation pattern associated with the enclosures where cattle were herded at night. High amounts of three bushland types [dominated by (i) Acacia zanzibarica , (ii) Dichrostachys cinerea , Acacia nilotica or Acacia mellifera and (iii) Terminalia spinosa ] occurred in a zone between 300 and 2500 m from the paddocks, with a peak in bush density at about 900 m (mean value for 18 paddocks). In contrast, bushland dominated by Hyphaene compressa was scarce close to the paddocks and became more abundant with distance. There was also a radial trend in the grassland communities: close to the paddocks there was short grass vegetation containing many ruderals and invasive weedy species, while the tall grassland types with species such as Hyperthelia dissoluta and Cymbopogon caesius occurred further away in the areas less affected by cattle. 4. Synthesis and applications. The intensive modern livestock ranching as practised on Mkwaja Ranch proved to be unsustainable both economically and ecologically. In the end, the biggest problem faced by the ranch managers was not controlling disease, as had originally been feared, but preventing the spread of bush on pasture land. The results of our study demonstrate just how severe the problem of bush encroachment was, especially in areas close to paddocks. An important lesson for management is that grazing patterns need to be taken into consideration when determining the sustainable stocking rate for an area. To reduce the risk of bush encroachment in grazing systems with focal points such as paddocks or watering points, stocking ra...

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“…Vetaas (1993) ascribed the change from open woodland to shrubland to increased human population and intensified browsing by livestock in the Sudan, and Perelman et al (1997) found increased relative cover of shrubs associated with grazing intensity in Patagonian shrub-steppe. Cornelius and Schultka (1997) reported replacement of perennial by annual grasses due to herbivore pressure in Kenyan semi-arid rangelands, while Ryerson and Parmenter (2001) found evidence for increased abundance of palatable species, and decreased abundance for unpalatable species, following removal of mammalian herbivores from desert grasslands in New Mexico. However, they comment that results were confounded by the effects of yearto-year variations in rainfall and in initial species composition among sample sites, so that changes could not be attributed to herbivore impacts alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Desert vegetation and vegetation-environment relationships in Kirthar National Park, Sindh, Pakistan

Enright

Miller²,

Akhter

2005

Journal of Arid Environments

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Vegetation structure of a heavily grazed range in Northern Kenya: ground vegetation

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

Proximity to high densities of pastoral settlements reduces grassland regrowth in a protected tropical savanna

Proximity to high densities of pastoral settlements reduces grassland regrowth in a protected tropical savanna

The impact of cattle ranching on large‐scale vegetation patterns in a coastal savanna in Tanzania

Desert vegetation and vegetation-environment relationships in Kirthar National Park, Sindh, Pakistan

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