47 th Annual Congress of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa 47 TH ANNUAL CONGRESS ADVANCING RANGELAND ECOLOGY AND PASTURE MANAGEMENT IN AFRICA CLUB MYKONOS LANGEBAAN , WESTERN CAPE 16 TO 20 JULY 2012 PROGRAMME COMPILED BY FREYNI J DU TOIT COVER DESIGN BY CATHRINE VERSVELD WITH ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHILIP R BOTHA , JUSTIN C O DU TOIT , MMOTO L MASUBELELE , JAMES R PUTTICK , NELMARIÉ SAAYMAN AND M IGSHAAN SAMUELS PRINTED BY LT PRINTERS Page 1 of 136 47 th Annual Congress of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa TABLE OF CONTENTS Upcoming GSSA Events: Save These Dates!! ................................................................................ 3 Congress Programme Summary .................................................................................................. 3 Club Mykonos Congress Locations .............................................................................................. 5 Langebaan Shops and Important Numbers .................................................................................. 6 Congress Organising & Scientific Committee ............................................................................... 7 Grassland Society of Southern Africa: 2011/12 Council .............................................................. 7 Thank You to Our Sponsors ........................................................................................................ 8 Thank You to the Sponsors of the Gala Dinner Auction ............................................................... 8 Update: Fracking South Africa – Implications for Rangelands ...................................................... 8 Grassland Society of Southern Africa Awards ............................................................................ 13 Platform Adjudication Guidelines ........................................................................................... 14 Poster Adjudication Guidelines .............................................................................................. 14 GSSA Annual Congress Platform Presentation Adjudication Sheet .......................................... 15 GSSA Annual Congress Poster Presentation Adjudication Sheet .............................................. 16 The Peter Edwards Award ...................................................................................................... 17 The Faux Pas Award .............................................................................................................. 17 Scientific Programme ................................................................................................................ 18 Monday 16 July 2012 ............................................................................................................ 18 Tuesday 17 July 2012 ........................................................................................................... 19 Wednesday 18 July 2012 ....................................................................................................... 24 Thursday 19 July 2012 .......................................................................................................... 26 Abstracts: Tuesday 17 July 2012 .............................................................................................. 29 Rangeland Fire: People, Policy and the Environment ............................................................... 29 Interactions between Plants, Animals and their Environment ................................................. 35 Plant Chemistry and Quality .................................................................................................. 39 Research Proposals ................................................................................................................ 44 The Whole and the Sum of the Parts: Exploring Alternative Approaches to Rangeland Management.......................................................................................................................... 57 Restoration of Natural Ecosystems ......................................................................................... 60 Reclaiming the Agricultural Potential of Grasslands and Savannas ......................................... 65 Managing Biodiversity through Conservation Planning ........................................................... 69 Abstracts: Wednesday 18 July 2012 .......................................................................................... 74 African Rangelands and their People ...................................................................................... 74 Workshop: Aligning Policy with the Socio-Ecological Dynamics of Rangeland Commons .......... 78 Bush Encroachment: Perspectives on Drivers, Dynamics and Management ............................. 82 New Approaches to Vegetation Description and Monitoring ..................................................... 87 Abstracts: Thursday 19 July 2012 ............................................................................................ 93 Invasive Plants: Control and Utilization .................................................................................. 93 Wildlife, Rangelands and the Services They Provide ................................................................ 98 Rangeland Dynamics in Humid and Arid Environments ....................................................... 104 Production from Planted Pastures ........................................................................................ 111 Sustainable Planted Pasture Systems ................................................................................... 120 Soil Quality for Sustainable Pasture Production ................................................................... 124 Water, Nutrients and Production in Rangelands ................................................................... 129 Author Index .......................................................................................................................... 134 Page 2 of 136 47 th Annual Congress of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa UPCOMING GSSA EVENTS: SAVE THESE DATES!! RESEARCH SKILLS WORKSHOP, 12 TO 13 MARCH 2013, PRETORIA, GAUTENG 48 TH ANNUAL CONGRESS, 15 TO 19 JULY 2013, BELA BELA, LIMPOPO 49 TH ANNUAL CONGRESS, JULY 2014, FREE STATE 50 TH ANNUAL CONGRESS, JULY 2015, KWAZULU-NATAL CONGRESS PROGRAMME SUMMARY TIME PROGRAMME EVENTS Monday, 16 July 2012 Best Farmer SA Course: Rangeland Management using the Principles of GSSA Council Meeting (Olympiad the Controlled Fodder Flow Grazing 08:30-12:30 09:00-13:00 Conference Centre) Strategy and Animal Behaviour, presented by Riaan Dames (Olympiad Conference Centre) 12:30-13:30 LUNCH 13:00-14:00 LUNCH Registration (Athene Conference Centre 13:30-17:45 14:00-16:00 Best Farmer SA Course Lobby) OPENING OF THE 47 TH ANNUAL CONGRESS OF THE GRASSLAND SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Athene Conference Centre Welcome: M Igshaan Samuels, Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production Institute Opening Address: Jim Walsh, Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve & Saldanha Bay Water 18:00-19:40 Quality Trust Presidential Address: Wayne F Truter, University of Pretoria Keynote Address: Adaptation and human flourishing in an era of global climate change , Johan P Hattingh, Stellenbosch University Opening of Pêrels & Pampoene Art Gallery's 1 st Winter Exhibition: Gretha Helberg 19:40 MEET & GREET BUFFET (Athene Conference Centre) Tuesday, 17 July 2012 07:15-08:00 Registration (Athene Conference Centre Lobby) PLENARY ADDRESS Athene Conference Centre 1 & 2 08:00-08:40 Fire management in Australian tropical savannas: biodiversity, greenhouse gas abatement and Indigenous livelihoods , Alan N Andersen, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Australia PARALLEL SESSION A PARALLEL SESSION B Athene Conference Centre 1 & 2 Athene Conference Centre 3 & 4 08:45-10:05 Session: Rangeland Fire: People, Policy and Special Session: Restoration of Natural the Environment Ecosystems 10:05-10:30 TEA (Athene Conference Centre Terrace/Bouzouki Restaurant) Session: Interactions between Plants, 10:30-11:20 Special Session: Reclaiming the Agricultural Animals and their Environment Potential of Grasslands and Savannas 11:20-12:35 Session: Plant Chemistry and Quality PLENARY SESSION 12:35-13:00 Athene Conference Centre 1 & 2 Research Proposal Poster Viewing Session 13:00-14:00 LUNCH (Bouzouki Restaurant) PARALLEL SESSION A PARALLEL SESSION B Athene Conference Centre 1 & 2 Athene Conference Centre 3 & 4 14:00-15:30 Special Session: The Whole and the Sum of Session: Managing Biodiversity through the Parts: Exploring Alternative Approaches Conservation Planning to Rangeland Management 15:30-15:50 TEA (Athene Conference Centre Terrace/Bouzouki Restaurant) Annual General Meeting of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (Athene Conference Centre 15:50-18:20 1 & 2) 19:00 DINNER at Boesmanland Plaaskombuis Page 3 of 136 47 th Annual Congress of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa TIME PROGRAMME EVENTS Wednesday, 18 July 2012 07:30-08:00 Registration (Athene Conference Centre Lobby) PLENARY ADDRESS Athene Conference Centre 1 & 2 08:00-08:40 Natural resource management and biodiversity conservation in the drylands of Eastern Africa , Mohammed Said, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya PARALLEL SESSION A PARALLEL SESSION B Athene Conference Centre 1 & 2 Athene Conference Centre 3 & 4 08:45-09:15 Session: African Rangelands and their Special Session: Bush Encroachment: People Perspectives on Drivers, Dynamics and Workshop: