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ABSTRACT
A review of literature describing vegetation changes in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park reveals that most attention has focused on the moister northern portion where serai development towards a woody climax has been most rapid. In order to gain a more holistic overview of the efficacy of various management interventions, this paper describes a quantitative assessment of vegetation changes in the drier, southern portion. Estimates of temporal and spatial variations in grasslands, woodlands and forests were obtained from five sets of sequential aerial photographs taken between 1937 and 1983. These were correlated with extrapolated rainfall, veld burning and stocking rate data.
Three major findings that have important management implications emerged from this study. Firstly, while veld burning and game reduction programmes retarded bush encroachment over short periods, they were ineffective in the long term. Secondly, a substantial portion of the invading woody plants were unpalatable Euclea species. And finally, wet and dry spells exerted a strong influence on the areal extent of these vegetation textural classes. A radical woody plant removal programme targeting unpalatable species, and sensitive to the influence of rainfall cycles is recommended, if the principal objective of conserving the Park's biodiversity, is to be achieved. An assessment of the feasibility of the Park's neighbouring communities taking responsibility for such a programme is also recommended. A final recommendation is that the Natal Parks Board review the conceptual basis of its principle management objective, and hence its perception of bush encroachment as a “management problem”.