Observations on Vegetation Responses to Improved Grazing Systems in Somalia

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Abstract
Vegetation community response is an important factor determining the potential for improvement of rangeland dormant season forage availability through implementation of grazing sytems. Heavy continuous grazing (HCG) (5 ha AU-1) of communal rangelands in coastal southern Somalia has resulted in a herbaceous vegetation community dominated by short-lived annual forbs of low palatability that provide little forage during the dormant season. Changes in the plant community resulting from implementation of 2 grazing systems were compared: complete livestock deferral (LEX) and moderately stocked short-duration grazing (MSDG) (10-1; 3:30 day, socked at 10 ha AU-1). After 2 years, the LEX pasture was dominated by palatable forbs (primarily Commelina forskalaei and Ipomoea garckeana),which formed a vine mat that overtopped other herbaceous species. These vines died and decomposed soon after the rainy season ended and thus were not a useful source of dry season forage. The periodic grazing in the MSDG opened the vine mat and enabled grasses to establish, thus grass cover became significantly greater on the MSDG pasture compared to either the LEX or HCG pastures and provided forage for livestock in the dry season.

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