Rangeland mismanagement in South Africa: Failure to apply ecological knowledge

Chronic, heavy livestock grazing and concomitant fire suppression have caus ed the gradual replacement of palatable grass species by less palatable tre es and woody shrubs in a rangeland degradation process termed bush encroach ment in South Africa. Grazing policymakers and cattle farmers alike have no t appreciated the ecological role fire and native browsers play in preventi ng bush encroachment. Unpredictable droughts are common in South Africa but have deflected too much blame for bush encroachment away from grazing mism anagement. Bush encroachment is widespread on both black and white farms al though the contributing socioeconomic, cultural, and political forces diffe r. Managers at Madikwe Game Reserve have reintroduced fire and native game animals into a formerly overgrazed system in an attempt to remediate bush e ncroachment, with encouraging preliminary results. A bush control program i s needed that educates cattle farmers about the ecological causes of bush e ncroachment and encourages the use of fire and native browsers as tools for sustainable grazing management.