| Summary: | English: 1. The objectives as determined for this study are; * to classify the main land types in the central and southern Free State into homogenous plant communities; * the quantification of rangeland condition in every homogenous plant community by means of degradation gradients; * to develop easily and quick implementable techniques which can be used by land users te determines rangeland condition (these techniques must be scientificaily acceptable) and * to determine correlations between rangeland condition and grazing capacity. 2. The study was performed in the semi-arid region of the central and southern Free State and includes 35 different land types in the magisterial districts of Zastron, Rouxville, Wepener, Smithfield, Dewetsdorp, Reddersburg, Bloemfontein, Brandfort, Excelsior, Theunissen, Winburg, Thaba Nchu, Senekal, Petrusburg, Boshof, Bultfontein, Edenburg, Trompsburg, Bethulie, Jagersfontein, Fauresmith, Philippolis, Koffiefontein, Jacobsdal, Ventersburg, Virginia, Hennenman and Hoopstad, also includes bordering areas in the magisterial districts of Kimberley and Barkly West in the North Cape province. The study area forms part of a summer rainfall area with a long term average rainfall from approximately 300 mm in the west to 680 mm in the east. 3. With the use of multivariate analysis the study area was classified into 13 different homogenous plant communities which vary from a sour grass- to a mixed sour grass- to sweet grass- to false karoo- to karoo- to a savanna veld type. Degradation gradients were described by means of the ISPD system for every homogenous plant community. This degradation gradients varied from poor denuded rangeland, around water troughs, to well-managed rangeland on the first axis, while degradation on account of selective grazing also occurred on single occasions. 4. The ecological value of species was determined by means of the Gaussian distribution curve. To facilitate the ecological value of species, an index was set up that varied from zero to ten. 5. Indicator ...
|
|---|