Development of a technique for assessing veld condition in Etosha National Park, Namibia, using key herbaceous species

Abstract

A technique based on the potential of key herbaceous species to produce acceptable herbaceous forage for consumption by herbivores, and fuels for veld burning, was developed in the Etosha National Park, Namibia. Twenty seven key species were selected out of a total of 108 recorded. Forbs and bare ground were treated as two individual "species". The key species selected for each plant community included at least five species, of which at least one Decreaser and one Increaser species had to be present. Multiple regression models, which were developed using these key species, are used to accurately estimate the forage and fuel potential of the veld, and also indicate trends in the condition of the grass sward.