|
 The
“Ecological Best-Practice
Livestock Production Guidelines for
the Namakwa District” was
produced by the Karoo Consortium
(comprising Simon Todd, Sue Milton,
Richard Dean, Peter Carrick and
Andre Meyer) with funding from SKEP/CEPF
through the Botanical Society of
South Africa’s Namakwa District
Products Project.
The document integrates existing
ecological knowledge on livestock
management in the Karoo into an
accessible veld management tool for
farmers as well as provides
guidance on standards for the
ecological certification of
livestock production through, for
example, stewardship agreements or
nature-friendly produce
certification. The document as it
stands is a first draft and our
intention is that it will evolve as
additional information becomes
available and the needs of the
end-users become clearer. Only
through practical application and
critical review of the document can
we better address the needs of end
users. As such, we would appreciate
your views on this document. Please
send your comments or queries to
Simon Todd (Simon.Todd@uct.ac.za).
The document comprises two basic
parts, an introductory section and
the guidelines themselves. The
first part of the introduction
describes the scope, relationship
with other similar guidelines and
the methodology employed in the
production of the guidelines. The
second half of the introduction
provides a brief description of the
ecological context of the
guidelines. This includes a brief
description of the broad-scale
vegetation patterns, conservation
status and biodiversity threats in
the region as well as a short
summary of our current
understanding of vegetation
dynamics applicable to the region.
The guidelines themselves fall
under eight main themes with
numerous subheadings. The
applicable state policies and best
practice guidelines are described
under each topic. Key references
and sources for further information
are provided at the end of each
section.
Although the guidelines were
developed specifically for the
Namakwa District municipal area the
principles can be applied to other
areas in the karoo.
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