Game farming as a supplementary farming activity in the karoo

Abstract

Abstract The present status of game farming in the various geographical regions of the Cape Province indicates that the springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis) is the most important species. Evidence to illustrate the potential future growth of this industry is also presented. Veld management in a game farming situation poses problems due to the ineffectiveness of rotational grazing systems. Simplification of natural diversity, the keystone of agricultural veld management, could be an obstacle in managing wild herbivores in a game farming system. A new technology in veld management in a game farming situation needs to be developed. Due to the impracticability of simulating complete natural communities, the answer for economic optimization seems to lie in supplementing stock farming systems with compatible wild ungulates, rather than expecting economic superiority from wild multi‐species systems.