Influence of livestock grazing within piospheres under free range and controlled conditions in Botswana
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The study was conducted in the Eastern Kalahari sandveld of Botswana on a shrub savanna vegetation type dominated by <i>Terminalia sericea / Boscia albitrunca / Grewia flava</i>and <i>Dichrostachys cinerea</i> woodland. It was initiated in an attempt to determine the impact of livestock grazing within piospheres on soil nutrients, range condition and the influence of season on forage quality and diet composition of livestock. The study was centered around the water points and conducted on b oth free range grazing and controlled conditions. Measurements on soil and vegetation attributes were recorded at particular points along the transects from the water point. Vegetation and livestock diets were measured seasonally over a period of two years. Chemical analyses of soil revealed the low background fertility of the Kalahari sandveld. The impact of dung and urine on soil chemistry was localized in the area immediate to the vicinity of the water point. Phosphorus, pH and cation exch ange capacity were the most responsive attributes to variation along the transect from the water point. High livestock units carried at any particular borehole had an influence on the level of soil nutrient status. Management plans should aim at a more even spread of nutrients by improving the distribution of water points.