Original Research

Vegetation change (1988–2010) in Camdeboo National Park (South Africa), using fixed-point photo monitoring: The role of herbivory and climate

Mmoto L. Masubelele, Michael T. Hoffman, William Bond, Peter Burdett
Koedoe | Vol 55, No 1 | a1127 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v55i1.1127 | © 2013 Mmoto L. Masubelele, Michael T. Hoffman, William Bond, Peter Burdett | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 19 November 2012 | Published: 18 October 2013

About the author(s)

Mmoto L. Masubelele, Department Botany, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Michael T. Hoffman, Department Botany, University of Cape Town, South Africa
William Bond, Department Botany, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Peter Burdett, Camdeboo National Park, Graaff-Reinet, South Africa

Abstract

Fixed-point photo monitoring supplemented by animal census data and climate monitoring potential has never been explored as a long-term monitoring tool for studying vegetation change in the arid and semi-arid national parks of South Africa. The long-term (1988–2010), fixed-point monitoring dataset developed for the Camdeboo National Park, therefore, provides an important opportunity to do this. Using a quantitative estimate of the change in vegetation and growth form cover in 1152 fixed-point photographs, as well as series of step-point vegetation surveys at each photo monitoring site, this study documented the extent of vegetation change in the park in response to key climate drivers, such as rainfall, as well as land use drivers such as herbivory by indigenous ungulates. We demonstrated the varied response of vegetation cover within three main growth forms (grasses, dwarf shrubs [< 1 m] and tall shrubs [> 1 m]) in three different vegetation units and landforms (slopes, plains, rivers) within the Camdeboo National Park since 1988. Sites within Albany Thicket and Dwarf Shrublands showed the least change in vegetation cover, whilst Azonal vegetation and Grassy Dwarf Shrublands were more dynamic. Abiotic factors such as drought and flooding, total annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality appeared to have the greatest influence on growth form cover as assessed from the fixed-point photographs. Herbivory appeared not to have had a noticeable impact on the vegetation of the Camdeboo National Park as far as could be determined from the rather coarse approach used in this analysis and herbivore densities remained relatively low over the study duration.

Conservation implications: We provided an historical assessment of the pattern of vegetation and climatic trends that can help evaluate many of South African National Parks’ biodiversity monitoring programmes, especially relating to habitat change. It will help arid parks in assessing the trajectories of vegetation in response to herbivory, climate and management interventions.


Keywords

climate trends; growth form dynamics; habitat; land use change; management implications; photo monitoring; vegetation structure

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Crossref Citations

1. A repeat photograph analysis of long‐term vegetation change in semi‐arid South Africa in response to land use and climate
Mmoto L. Masubelele, Michael T. Hoffman, William J. Bond, Kerry Woods
Journal of Vegetation Science  vol: 26  issue: 5  first page: 1013  year: 2015  
doi: 10.1111/jvs.12303