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Achievement Report Karongwe October 2017

Written by Gregory Crichton Reserve Management Research Assistant

Report Title
Soil Rehabilitation Restoring Karongwes land

Objective
Improve the quality of soil in the Tsukus Pan area of Karongwe Private Game Reserve through the
implementation and monitoring of rehabilitation methods, in order to encourage vegetative growth and
reduce the impact of historic land degradation.

Report
Land degradation is a phenomenon that affects all parts of the world. It can be broadly described as a process
that decreases the quality and productivity of soils through natural or human means, or a combination of the
two. A decrease in soil quality and productivity means that vegetation production deceases resulting in soils
that are more vulnerable to erosion. Erosion is the process of sediment (soil) being removed and transported
elsewhere. On going erosion control is a major part of reserve management, especially when dealing with
areas that have been historically manipulated and used unnaturally.

Prior to forming a conservancy in 1998, Karongwes land was used for cattle farming. One of the most
prominent causes of land degradation is over grazing. Cattle primarily eat grass, and over grazing in the area
meant that grass consumption rates exceeded production rates leading to certain areas becoming prone to
degradation. Areas around water sources are particularly at risk, due to a higher concentration of animals.
After Karongwe was established, grazers such as impala, wildebeest and zebra we re-introduced to the
property, thus preventing vegetation establishment long after the cattle were no longer present.

One such area heavily affected by overgrazing is Tsukus Pan. It is a natural spring located in the north-eastern
part of the property of which the surrounding areas are considered sodic sites, identified by white bare hard
top soil. A sodic site is an area of land that has concentrations of sodium beyond natural levels. When water
evaporates it leaves behind the salt on the surface, creating a thick hard crust on the soil. It is very difficult for
vegetation to take roots in this crust and the high level of sodium is not conducive to root growth. The patchy
vegetation in the area means that whenever there is rain the soil is susceptible to erosion, and further
nutrients are washed away from the soil. In order to rehabilitate this land, the soil nutrients and salt levels
must be restored to natural levels.

The untreated area

The treated area with some visible grass growth

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Karongwe Private Game reserve recently set up a rehabilitation project that is aimed at restoring vegetation
productivity to this area, and GVI has been assisting in this project. Once vegetation is able to propagate, the
health of this ecosystem will improve and enable an increase in carrying capacity. To briefly explain the project
it has four phases. Phase one is the process of breaking up the top soil by digging by hand or machine. This will
improve water infiltration as well as bring the nutrients up from beneath the crusted surface. This newly
exposed soil forms the new top layer. This new top soil is very vulnerable to direct sunlight and water based
erosion. Phase 2 aims to minimize the effects of erosion by constructing artificial terraces to reduce flow
speed. Phase 3 involves covering the area with horse manure to add organic nutrients to the soil. Phase 4
requires brush packing, which is the process of covering an area with reeds from rivers and spruits. This acts as
a cover protecting the soil from direct sunlight cooling the top soil, as well as preventing animals from grazing
on any vegetation attempting to take hold. Over the past month GVI has been helping with phase 3 and 4. The
GVI expedition dedicates time to selecting areas for harvesting reeds, collecting and transporting reeds and
then covering the area with said reeds as well as helping spread manure. With the help of the GVI staff and
volunteers this target area is on the road to restoration.

Upon completion of this project GVI will assist in monitoring the area as well as aiding with similar projects on
other areas in the reserve.