Building biodiversity through soil rejuvenation

STAFF REPORTER



WINDHOEK

Data has shown that if you restore your habitat, you will increase grazing capacity. That will also translate to more economic benefits because you are able to increase your wildlife or cattle carrying capacity.

“But there are also other benefits, like your water infiltration capacity on your land will increase, meaning you get more water in your boreholes,” said Matti Nghikembua, senior ecologist and forestry steward at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).

CCF classifies scientific research as the backbone of its conservation activities.

“We study everything from soils, reptiles, small mammals to predators. It’s about understanding the ecosystem in which cheetahs live,” Nghikembua said.

According to him, another focus area of research is understanding how bush encroachment affects biodiversity.

“We have done studies assessing the soil conditions in an area that is encroached and after you’ve done a harvest (bush thinning). We also looked at what the benefits were to trees and shrubs.”

CCF, with study areas all over its property, is investigating how bush encroachment affects biodiversity. Its research projects include studies on habitat restoration and biomass technology development, such as the Bushblok project, a clean-burning fuel log.

Soil and grass biodiversity

The findings regarding soil and grass biodiversity are especially interesting.

“Soil is such a complex thing, but what we found is that when you do thinning, there will be changes that will occur in the soil’s microbial activities,” Nghikembua said.

David Shipingana, a forest and safety officer at CCF, worked on the soil research projects and explained that they started studying the soil at CCF in 2017.

“We looked at the impact the thinning has on the soil composition, specifically on how it impacts the soil’s chemical and nutrient composition.”

Soil provides a home for nutrients, beneficial bacteria, fungi and more.

What the team at CCF found in their research is that the soil community changes, and you find much richer microbial activity after you have thinned.

Nghikembua added that initially there will be a dip in soil activity, however, after the short dip, the activity will improve to a state better than before thinning was done.

He noted that you will then start finding more species and increased microbial diversity.

“This is what grasses are looking for in their habitat because each species provides a service in the soil, and the more diversity, the more services you have in the soil.”

A balance for optimal productivity

Shipingana added that they also found that there is a balance point that brings optimal productivity on land, but this means the habitat needs to be thinned moderately, not cleared, leaving some bushes behind.

“As soon as you do bush thinning, you disrupt the soil composition, and there will be an imbalance in the chemical composition of the soil.”

According to Nghikembua, they also have publications that show that by bush thinning, you are increasing prey availability.

“For example, species such as oryx like open habitats. If you clear the area, their numbers go up, they reproduce more. You are increasing the activity of those animals, and that is good for tourism but also for wildlife as the predators can hunt freely, especially the cheetahs.”

Economic and ecological benefits

Shipingana added that there are benefits in the restoration process. “When people realise it’s beneficial either way, economically and also ecologically, we can do so much more.”

Nghikembua said there will be an increase in biodiversity because you are also diversifying habitat.

“A species like kudu, for example, prefer thick bush. If your farm is uniformly thick, you are probably only farming with kudu and leopard, because they like to be concealed.”

He explained that the productivity of the land is the key.

“If you restore the habitat, there can be enough room for wildlife to come back. Wildlife will go where the habitat is productive.”

He said they have also been engaged with communal areas and conservancies in the greater Waterberg landscape.

“Here, predators are causing a lot of economic losses, simply because the habitat is so degraded. There is an overabundance of bush, and the grass is overgrazed. Where the livestock goes, because it is productive, is also where the predators are going.”

He further said with sustainable bush thinning, you bring productivity back to the land, with long-term benefits.

“To maintain this productivity, post-thinning management is required to control the re-established saplings. Without post-thinning management, eventual loss of carrying capacity and sparsely vegetated wildlife habitat may occur.”

The future for biomass

When asked what is needed going forward, Nghikembua said: “I would say that it is possible that we can restore rangelands, but we need to learn from past mistakes, and we need to collaborate. There are a lot of projects out there, and people need to know about these initiatives because they have become information hubs for the country.”

He added that the future of biomass in Namibia is very promising; there is potential and opportunity if people are all going in the same direction.