coaltech upper olifants river catchment wetland inventory ...

3.5.6 Livestock
3.5.6.1 Water for livestock
Wetlands can act as water sources for livestock on farms. Farmers usually use boreholes to
provide water for their animals in different camps, but the presence of permanent wetlands in
a camp makes the construction of a watering point in the camp unnecessary. The farmer
can, therefore save money for each camp where a watering point does not need to be
constructed (Palmer et al 2002, Kotze 2000, Kotze et al 2000).
3.5.6.2 Grazing for livestock
According to a literature review conducted in New Zealand on the effects of livestock grazing
on wetlands, the impact of grazing on a wetland is site specific. Direct effects of grazing
include trampling, the removal of biomass, nutrient inputs, bacterial contamination and the
dispersal of seeds. The effect of the grazing on the biomass depends on the specific
characteristics of the wetland, including the palatability of the plant species and how each of
the species reacts to grazing. The ratio of increaser to decreaser species has a huge impact
on the biomass in the wetland with and without grazing, as well as, the eventual species
composition and dominant species in the wetland. It is, therefore necessary to have site
specific research in order to determine the impact on a specific wetland (Reeves &
Champion 2004). In a study conducted in the arid portions of the western United States it
was determined that grazing by livestock was responsible for 80% of all damage sustained to
riparian ecosystems (Hengle no date). It is, therefore important to assess the impact of
grazing on wetland ecosystems in a certain area before allowing grazing to occur.
Wetlands provide good grazing for livestock during the winter months in the UORC and are,
therefore valuable for the provision of grazing during the end of the winter when the rest of
the grazing areas do not have good grazing left. The wetlands do not have any particulate
benefits for the rest of the year, since good quality grazing occurs over the entire grazing
area. The most commonly grazed wetland types are the seepage wetlands. Some farmers
within the UORC also seed the wetlands to encourage better grazing grasses to grow.
Although seepage wetlands produce roughly twice the amount of grazing as normal veld, the
seepage wetlands can normally not be utilised through summer as they are generally too wet
for the livestock to move through it and can pose a threat of disease (Palmer et al 2002). The
over-grazing of wetlands is an illegal activity in terms of the CARA.
Wetland Database for UORC - 42 -