I do not know how they’ve decided on the parameters for their research. All I know for sure is that grazing management done under stocking rates this low will have a predictable outcome of deterioration. The Karoo Grazing Experiment that was initiated in 2003 on Elandsfontein (Beaufort West district) has shown that selective grazing (the main cause of deterioration) only changes to sustainable resource management when stocking rates of over 3 500 SSU/ha are reached.
In response to the enormous improvement in biomass in the first few seasons, stocking rates have reached levels of between 6 000 SSU/ha and 8 000 SSU/ha (764 to 1019 LSU/ha Meisener formula). Apart from all the other advantages of UHDG, this was achieved with an average rainfall of 100mm less than that in the Hanover district.
