Tourism, conservation and good bush thinning strategies

The AfriCat Foundation, established in 1991, is based on the Okonjima Nature Reserve. The foundation does ecological research focussing on rare and endangered species. Over the years, the management of this nature reserve has been practising bush thinning for conservation and tourism, and has perfected the process for maximum results and minimum environmental impact. Wayne Hanssen, co-owner of Okonjima and the founder of AfriCat, says, “I have learnt the hard way at times; it is very sad to see the effects of bush thinning done incorrectly.”

Wayne explains that perfecting the process has many benefits for Okonjima as a tourism and conservation operation. “If you have a game farm, the biggest conservation benefit of bush thinning is that you don’t need to keep so much game on your farm. If you haven’t cleared you need so many more of each species to be actually able to see them, and this in turn leads to overgrazing. You need about 10 hectares per animal. Any more than that and the game will destroy your grass in years of drought. So bush thinning allows you to have much fewer animals on your farm and have a quality game drive.”

At AfriCat a combination of methods is used for maximum results. “I have realised that there isn’t one single method that works alone. It’s a combination of methods and adaptations”, says Wayne. “If you live in an area with upwards of 400 mm of rainfall, then a completely open grassy plain becomes a floodplain. A naturally occurring floodplain has a different composition of soil due to the regular flooding, tree roots battle to penetrate this soil and only certain grasses will be found there. In our area we live with bushveld, and you want some bush on your game farm, because it has value to your wildlife.” Wayne says that having a combination of bush and grass is of vital importance. “There is a benefit to having some bushveld, and not only grass plains. Ecosystems flourish in a mixed-use space. Bushveld provides shelter for animals in the cold, and we have found that animals survive on bush vegetation until the rains come and the grasses grow. In times of drought even some of our pure grazers have switched to browsing.”

With this realisation of the value of a diversified ecosystem, Wayne recommends the method that has been tried and tested at Okonjima Nature Reserve – the combined use of a tyre dozer and bush rolling. “With bush rolling you selectively drive over the bush, roll it flat and then leave it right there. When you roll flat, you protect the soil and give the grass an opportunity to germinate where no animals can get to it. Plus it prevents soil erosion, by providing shade for the soil, and guides rain water into the ground. Shade, water and protection.”

Wayne, an avid researcher, explains his method’s added benefits to the ecosystem. “Acacia melifera (Blackthorn or Swarthaak) and Dichrostachys cinerea (Sicklebush) are the two biggest problem species when it comes to bush encroachment, but I was amazed to learn that the acacia tree is actually a legume, and therefore has the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air and put it back into the soil through bacteria in the soil. When an acacia is flattened, you will find a burst of regrowth in the vegetation around the rolled bush, as the roots release nitrogen into the soil, and you’ll have a burst of growth in grass species around the area that you have rolled. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the three most important nutrients for plants”, says Wayne. This, combined with the protective measure of leaving rolled bush in the veld, provides a sanctuary for diverse grass regrowth, he says.

Wayne’s recommendation for any farm: “You want about 80-100 acacias per hectare. So, depending on the thickness of your bush, you want to leave all the trees but take out about 60% of your Melifera species. Melifera has a shallow root system with a high extraction of water from the soil, but don’t take everything out, because you would destroy the soil.”

Wayne is also vehemently opposed to using poisons, because of their long-term negative effects. He explains that even up to ten years later, poison can still make its way into the underground root system of your trees, causing them to die. Rainwater may carry poison used on a specific part of your farm to places for which it was not intended. “The rain washes the poisons into the root systems of your big camel thorns and they die off years later. Their root systems are really widely spread. It was devastating for us to lose these trees, therefore I am dead set against herbicides for bush thinning.”

According to Wayne, the correct balance for optimal use of your land is to stay as closely to the natural processes as possible. “We live in such a beautiful system, where everything has its place. This year we complained about the caterpillars, but a caterpillar creates the most amazing compost. That is why we have such incredible grasses this year. The best growth enhancing compost comes from a caterpillar. We don’t want one type of grass in the ecosystem, we want mixed use. Open areas are important, animals prefer open areas because they need to see the predators, but if you have only one open area, all the animals will go there and the result is overgrazing. Therefore you want a combination, taking out selectively and remembering that everything has a job to do.”

With this in mind, Wayne recommends: “Clear 50-100 metres on each side of your road with a tyre dozer, because that way you take out the bush but leave the grass and soil behind. After the 100 metres you use the bush roller to flatten the rest. I do my bush rolling away from the road, because even though it’s good for the grasses, it does not look so pretty. This way you get beautiful open woodland where you can see your game.”

However, as Wayne points out, “Different years need different solutions. We need to keep an open mind, and try to be as close to the natural way as possible.”

While the impact of bush control on tourism has not yet been quantified, research such as that provided by the AfriCat Foundation helps provide valuable information.

Economics of Land Degradation Initiative: Benefits of bush control in Namibia https://www.eld-initiative.org/ fileadmin/pdf/ELD-CS_namibia_04_web_300dpi.pdf

Kirsty Watermeyer