Major degradation issues due to the use of natural resources
The study area is experiencing shrinkage in the natural resources base as seen in changes in vegetation, limitation in arable land and reduction in wildlife, concomitant with expanding human and livestock populations. Groundwater is also limited both in terms of quality and quantity, and increased use can thus not be sustained. Present drought conditions create the impression of severe resource decline. The spatial expansion of the resource collection zone around the villages such as for firewood is also observed.
The physical causes of range degradation are:
- Prevailing drought conditions, which affect the vegetation vigour.
- Decline of the ground water table, affecting the vegetation growth
- Veld fires, natural or man-induced
- Erosion, especially wind erosion
- The nature of the rangelands and their productive potential (the interaction between cyclical climatic factors and biotic/vegetative production -causing reduction in biomass production).
On the other side, the human factors leading to range degradation include:
- Increase in number of livestock and human populations
- The expansion of dry-land cultivation into rangelands
- Market constraints, not easy to sell cattle and low prices
- Poor management of communal rangelands
