Abstract
Background: One of the main causes of land degradation in South Africa is bush thickening (BT) of mainly Senegalia or Vachellia species. Restoration methods are required to control BT, and to improve grass biomass production and soil conditions in South Africa.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of brush packing (BP) as a restoration method to increase grass biomass production, assess soil moisture after BP on different soil types, and document the perceptions of the local communities towards BP.Method: Methods included cutting the stems of woodies with a diameter of at least 10 cm at knee height by chainsaw and manual clipping after which an arborocide was applied to the stumps. A neutron probe was used to measure volumetric moisture content at two different soil depths. The grass biomass was analysed using ANOVA at a confidence level of 95%. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to gather information about the perceptions of local communities towards restoration in group discussions.Results: The short-term data showed that the implementation of BP as restoration method increased grass biomass production. The soil texture influenced the volumetric soil moisture. Higher soil moisture content was found in the deeper clayey soils. The local participants’ interpretation towards the restoration project was positive.Conclusion: The project increased the grazing potential and contributed to job creation to improve the well-being of the people in the community.
Highlights
The degradation of rangelands in the arid and semi-arid areas of the world, and especially in southern Africa, is increasing at alarming rates, mainly due to land mismanagement, untenable land-tenure systems and climate change (Hoffman & Ashwell 2001)
The results revealed that brush packing (BP) restoration method contributed to higher perennial grass species abundance, especially at the Shongoane study site, which is characterised by high clay soils (Table 1)
The results showed that BP restoration treatments increased the grass biomass production over a two-year period
Summary
The degradation of rangelands in the arid and semi-arid areas of the world, and especially in southern Africa, is increasing at alarming rates, mainly due to land mismanagement, untenable land-tenure systems and climate change (Hoffman & Ashwell 2001). Land degradation threatens livestock and game production that depends on the natural ecosystem for forage production while it has a negative impact on ecosystem services (ES) such as the provision of potable water and food (Havstad et al 2007; Schwilch, Hessel & Verzandvoort 2012). These basic ecosystem services are important and can be maintained by implementing sustainable land-management (SLM) practices (Liniger & Studer, 2019). Restoration methods are required to control BT, and to improve grass biomass production and soil conditions in South Africa
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