Marloth Park Management Plan. - Nkomazi Local Municipality

However, although the high Decreaser frequency is encouraging, the high frequency of
common carrot-seed grass indicates patch selective over-utilisation. The grazing capacity is
estimated at 5.12 ha per Graze Animal Unit. If all open areas on Marloth Park are accepted as
suitable habitat for wildlife, 4 GAU (Table 3) can be sustained. If the landscaped garden
habitats are excluded this plant community can still sustain 4 GAU (Table 4). However, if
only the parkland and road reserves are considered as suitable habitat for animal species, only
2 GAU (Table 5) can be sustained without further degradation of the environment.
Plant community 2: The Trichoneura grandiglumis – Combretum apiculatum Short
bushland
This plant community is approximately 575 ha in size, and dominated by broad-leaved
panicum Panicum deustum from the Decreaser category. The sub-dominant grass from the
same category is Guinea grass Panicum maximum. Other grasses include Lehmann’s love
grass Eragrostis lehmanniana var. lehmanniana from the Increaser IIa and IIb (2) category,
and Annual three-awn Aristida adscensionis from the Increaser IIc (3) category. The veld
condition score of 671 (Table 3) indicate that the veld is in good condition. However, patch-
selective grazing does occur. The grazing capacity is estimated at 5.02 ha per Graze Animal
Unit. If all open areas on Marloth Park are accepted as suitable habitat for wildlife, 109 GAU
(Table 3) can be sustained. If the landscaped garden habitats are excluded this plant
community can still sustain 88 GAU (Table 4). However, if only the parkland and road
reserves are considered as suitable habitat for animal species, only 47 GAU (Table 5) can be
sustained without further degradation of the environment.
Plant community 3: The Themeda triandra – Acacia nigrescens Low bushland
This plant community is approximately 393 ha in size, and dominated by broad-leaved
panicum Panicum deustum from the Decreaser category. The sub-dominant grass from the
same category is Guinea grass Panicum maximum. Other grasses include blue buffalo grass
Cenchrus ciliaris also from the Decreaser category, and Annual three-awn Aristida
adscensionis and common carrot-seed grass Tragus berteronianus from the Increaser IIc (3)
category. The veld condition score of 723 (Table 3) indicate that the veld is in good condition.
However, patch-selective grazing does occur. The grazing capacity is estimated at 4.77 ha per
Graze Animal Unit. If all open areas on Marloth Park are accepted as suitable habitat for
wildlife, 82 GAU (Table 3) can be sustained. If the landscaped garden habitats are excluded
this plant community can still sustain 67 GAU (Table 4). However, if only the parkland and
road reserves are considered as suitable habitat for animal species, only 35 GAU (Table 5)
can be sustained without further degradation of the environment.
© Ecological Associates/ Marloth Park 43