Long-term impacts of abundant perennial water provision for game on herbaceous vegetation in a semi-arid African savanna woodland

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of provision of peren nial water supply, as a management strategy to enhance game viewing, on her baceous vegetation. Changes in herbaceous species composition and functiona l characteristics were investigated in relation to (1) distance from perenn ial and ephemeral surface water (spatial component), and (2) change over a 16-year period (1980-1996; temporal component). Herbaceous functional chara cteristics revealed a gradient of herbivore utilization in relation to prox imity to perennial and ephemeral water. Herbaceous composition change since 1980 revealed significant deterioration in range condition. It has been hy pothesized that the implications of an abundance of perennial water for gam e are made manifest by drought conditions and that a history of heavy utili zation by herbivores prevents or inhibits recovery of the herbaceous vegeta tion to its pre-drought state. (C) 1999 Academic Press.