the vegetation types and veld condition - Maremani Nature Reserve

CHAPTER 9
MONITORING
Detecting ecological effects or ecological monitoring is the purposeful and repeated examination of the
state or condition of the vegetation in relation to external stress. It is the frequent testing of differences
between baseline or initial surveys and follow-up surveys. Ecological monitoring emphasizes changes in
living organisms and not merely in the physical environment. A prerequisite in any monitoring programme
are permanent reference sites, representative of what is considered necessary to be monitored and
depending on the method adopted.
A monitoring programme serves as an early warning system to detect changes or trends as a result of
management actions, natural events or those areas where past mismanagement occurred with the goal to
adapt management strategies where necessary. On a game ranch certain management actions are
implemented and possible changes related to these actions should be monitored over time.
Monitoring is important where changes are possible in the natural veld due to the application of new
management programmes. The veld condition and economic capacity of all plant communities need to be
monitored regularly when the number of animals increases, which could lead to overgrazing and changes
in plant species composition.
Aspects that need to be monitored are:
1. climate (rainfall);
2. veld condition in terms of plant species composition, species frequency, density and/or cover;
3. economic and ecological carrying capacity;
4. vegetation structure;
5. the effects of water provision;
6. the effects of bush encroachment and its control;
7. veld reclamation measures such as soil erosion control; and
8. game numbers, population growth, mortalities, game distribution, herd composition and birth
rates. It was found that it is better and more cost effective to a certain extent to count the animals
on a farm every three to four years, but then 2 to even 4 times during that specific year.
Monitoring of veld condition is essential when adaptive management is applied on a game ranch. The aim
is to determine whether a change in species composition, the ratio of decreasers, increasers and invaders
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