Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

Grasslands of South Africa 101
of drought , South Africa imports maize from the international market. There
are some zero-grazing dairy operations near large cities, and three large
commercial feedlots are found on the high-veldt.
Veldt grazing
The principal agro-ecological units within South Africa are illustrated in the
generalized image of the Acocks (1953) map of the Veldt Types of South Africa
(Figure 3.7). Acocks (1953) provided a unique perspective on the classification
and distribution of the agro-economic divisions of vegetation in South Africa.
This map serves to illustrate the broad floristic diversity of the vegetation
and continues to remain an important classification for graziers. There are 70
Veldt Types, with a primary focus on those types most useful for livestock
production. As this diversity is reflected in composition, structure, phenology
and production, it is extremely difficult to provide broad generalizations
concerning the management options for each veldt type , most of which have
received some research attention, with the mesic grass -veldt – with its higher
Figure 3.7
Veldt types of South Africa , as described in Acocks, 1953.