Description of a method for assessing veld condition in the Karoo

Abstract

In the past, veld condition in the Karoo was assessed according to the ecological index method. This has recently been replaced by the grazing‐index method. The principles governing the method of botanical survey remain the same, but this methodology has not been described in detail. The objective of this paper is to address this shortcoming. The method is based on canopy‐spread‐cover strikes, and these strikes are assumed to represent mass as well as number of the species. Through the application of the individually estimated grazing‐index values of the different species, the index of veld condition is computed from either line‐point or clipped‐quadrat data. With appropriate data management, both the line‐point and the clipped‐quadrat data yield acceptable indices of veld condition, from which values, current grazing capacities, can be estimated for assessed sites.