Biodiversity (1 - SRK Consulting

10. RESULTS: HERPETOFAUNA
10.1. Herpetofauna Habitat Assessment
The vegetation types of the site are the Bushmanland Arid Grassland vegetation unit
(NKb 3), Bushmanland Sandy Grassland vegetation unit (NKb 4) with patches of the
Bushmanland Inselberg Schrubland (SKr 18) and Aggeneys Gravel Vygieveld (SKr 19)
(Mucina & Rutherford 2006).
Most of the study site comprises natural habitats, subject to relatively low stocking levels
of livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, horses), with the most disturbed areas around water
points, farm houses, access tracks and along the old road and water pipeline servitudes
north of and more or less parallel to the N14.
The local occurrences of reptiles and amphibians are closely dependent on broadly
defined habitat types, in particular terrestrial, arboreal (tree-living), rupiculous (rockdwelling)
and wetland-associated vegetation cover. It is thus possible to deduce the
presence or absence of reptile and amphibian species by evaluating the habitat types
within the context of global distribution ranges.
From a herpetological habitat perspective, it was established that two of the four major
habitats are naturally present and very prominent on the study site, namely terrestrial
and rupiculous (rock-dwelling) habitat.
Very little arboreal and wetland-associated vegetation cover habitat occurs on the study
site. The scarcity of trees on the study site makes this habitat type almost non-existent.
However the same cannot be said about the wetlands and their associated vegetation
cover habitat as these are very important in a dry area such as the study site.
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