DESERTIFICATION OF SUBTROPICAL THICKET IN THE EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH-AFRICA - ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES

The Eastern Cape Subtropical Thicket (ECST) forms the transition betwe en forest, semiarid karroid shrublands, and grassland in the Eastern C ape, South Africa. Undegraded ECST forms an impenetrable, spiny thicke t up to 3 m high consisting of a wealth of growth forms, including eve rgreen plants, succulent and deciduous shrubs, lianas, grasses, and ge ophytes. The thicket dynamics are not well understood, but elephants m ay have been important browsers and patch disturbance agents. These se miarid thickets have been subjected to intensive grazing by domestic u ngulates, which have largely replaced indigenous herbivores over the l ast 2 centuries. Overgrazing has extensively degraded vegetation, resu lting in the loss of phytomass and plant species and the replacement o f perennials by annuals. Coupled with these changes are alterations of soil structure and secondary productivity. This rangeland degradation has largely been attributed to pastoralism with domestic herbivores. The impact of indigenous herbivores differs in scale, intensity, and n ature from that of domestic ungulates. Further degradation of the ECST may be limited by alternative management strategies, including the us e of wildlife for meat production and ecotourism. Producing meat from wildlife earns less income than from domestic herbivores but is ecolog ically sustainable. The financial benefits of game use can be improved by developing expertise, technology, and marketing. Ecotourism is not well developed in the Eastern Cape although the Addo Elephant Nationa l Park is a financial success and provides considerable employment ben efits within an ecologically sustainable system. The density of black rhinoceros and elephant in these thickets is among the highest in Afri ca, with high population growth and the lowest poaching risk. The fina ncial and ecological viability of ecotourism and the conservation stat us of these two species warrant expanding ecotourism in the Eastern Ca pe, thereby reducing the probability of further degradation of ECST.