The effect of long-term exclusion of large herbivores on vegetation in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda

Abstract

The floristic and structural changes in the vegetation resulting from the long-term exclusion of large herbivores from experimental plots in the Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, are described. Two experimental plots were surveyed, one in Sporobolus-Setaria grassland and the other in Combretum-Terminalia woodland. The survey shows that long-term removal of grazing and browsing pressure results in (1) marked tree regeneration in both grassland and woodland plots; (2) a relatively species-poor herbaceous layer in the grassland plot; and (3) the development of a more diverse all-aged stand in the woodland plot. These results are discussed in the context of the poaching of large herbivores during the 1978 civil war and the concomitant vegetation changes, especially Acacia sieberiana regeneration, that are now occurring throughout the Park. The implications for future management of the Park are discussed.