GSSA Congress 2013

48th Annual Congress, 15 to 19 July 2013, Weesgerus, Modimolle, Limpopo

First Page

The Annual Congress was hosted by the Limpopo Province at Weesgerus Holiday Resort, Caravan Park and Conference Centre in Modimolle. The resort is situated in the breathtaking Waterberg mountains and is surrounded by lush bushveld vegetation. It is situated 3km outside Modimolle (Nylstroom) and about 180kms north of OR Tambo International Airport (airport shuttle will be available).

The accommodation, conferencing and other facilities at Weesgerus are in close proximity to one another, encouraging networking, productive meetings and a varied social programme! The resort is surrounded by lush bushveld vegetation such as Boekenhout, Vaalbos, Wildesering and at least 35 other tree species. These trees host more than 50 different bird species. Come and stroll among Impala on the 3 km hiking trail and experience all the bushveld has to offer.

Enhancing the impact of development strategies with smallholder farmers

Invited Keynote Address: Cam K McDonald

3 Encroachment by Woody Species: Predictions, Ecology and Restoration

An alternative hypothesis to explain the phenomenon of bush encroachment in the Limpopo Sourveld and the possible consequences for game reserve management

Keynote Address: Jock McMillan

The effect of Acacia karroo bush clumps on their understory environment at varying degrees of encroachment

Platform Presentation: Chrisna Klopper

The effect of gut passage and dung fertilization on seedling recruitment of Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia nilotica seeds

Platform Presentation: T Julius Tjelele

The effects of fire on woody plant encroachment are exacerbated by succession of trees of decreased palatability

Platform Presentation: Paul J Gordijn

Allelopathic effects of Euryops floribundus on the germination and development of different plant seeds

Platform Presentation: Mota S Lesoli

The effects of post-burn regrowth and protein block supplement on foraging behaviour of goats

Poster Presentation: M Michael Mokwala

The importance of ecosystem function in the restoration of bush thickened savanna in southern Africa

Platform Presentation: G Nico Smit

4 Fire Effects across Continents and Land Uses

Divergent savanna grassland community responses to fire in South Africa and North America

Platform Presentation: Kevin P Kirkman

Long-term effects of fire on the mesic grasslands of Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

Poster Presentation: Patrick S Duigan

Spatially-heterogeneous fire regimes increase habitat diversity and reduce temporal variability in production on working rangeland

Platform Presentation: Devan A McGranahan

5 Restoration of Altered Landscapes: Planning and Practice

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6 Considering People, Animals and Rangelands II

Farmers’ perceptions on range condition in the Peddie communal rangeland of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Platform Presentation: Mthunzi Mndela

Local level land degradation assessment in the Mphanama village – vegetation survey

Poster Presentation: Flip (P) J J Breytenbach

The significance of grassland diversity on functional dry season forage for grazing herbivores

Platform Presentation: Edwin Mudongo

Energy status in forages on four agro-ecological zones in northern Namibia

Poster Presentation: Angelina O Kanduvarisa

Competitive responses of eight selected species from a South African semi-arid savanna

Platform Presentation: Keletso Mopipi

The effects of rainfall, soil nutrients, landform and grazing on composition, richness and primary productivity of annual plants in the Richtersveld National Park

Platform Presentation: Susi Vetter

Assessing the impact of pasture resting on pasture condition in the extensive grazing lands of northern Australia

Platform Presentation: Lester I Pahl

9 Managing Rangelands: Traditional and Alternative Approaches II

Estimation of woody plant resource abundance on five common South African tree species

Poster Presentation: Alan S Barrett

Long term changes in the herbaceous layer on Athole Research Farm and Nooitgedacht Agricultural Development Centre in the highveld of Mpumalanga Province

Poster Presenatation: M Collen Rabothata

Effect of two grazing systems on veld in the Marikana Thornveld

Poster Presentation: S Marsia Grobler

Using Landscape Function Analysis to assess vegetation cover around Open vs. Closed water points in a small semi-arid savanna game reserve

Platform Presentation: S Wilfred Seitlhamo

The selection of a minimum set of key grass species for the moist and dry phases of the Highland Sourveld of KwaZulu-Natal

Platform Presentation: Clement Adjorlolo

The classification, description and mapping of the vegetation of the Doornkloof Nature Reserve, Northern Cape

Poster Presentation: Z Marnus Smit

10 Ecology and Control of Indigenous and Exotic Invasive Plant Species

Results from the national survey (2010-2012) on the extent and control of Seriphium plumosum (Bankrupt bush/Slangbos)

Poster Presentation: Paul L Avenant

Genetic diversity of Seriphium plumosum- a grassland encroacher

Poster Presentation: Michael Pillay

Reducing control costs of slangbos (Seriphium plumosum) – herbicides and interactions between growth stage, grass quality, and grazing

Platform Presentation: Justin C O du Toit

Exploring the degree of overlap between high value grazing areas and invasion by wattle species at a national level

Platform Presentation: Thozamile Yapi

An evaluation of the management of the invasive alien plant Lilium formosanum (Wallace) in the province of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Platform Presentation: Mike Braack

The effectiveness of three techniques for controlling Lantana camara in Swaziland

Poster Presentation: Leslie R Brown

Emergence of Hyparrhenia hirta seedlings in Hyparrhenia dominated veld under burned and non-burned conditions

Poster Presentation: Robin Ford

11 Habits and Habitats of Wildlife

Faecal nitrogen of giraffes feeding on evergreen or deciduous plants in winter

Poster Presentation: Beanelri Janecke

Is there a link between nutritional hotspots and wild herbivore populations?

Platform Presentation: Rina (C) C Grant

Using livestock management to enhance biodiversity in game areas

Keynote Address: Wayne Knight

12 Aligning Policy with the Socio-Ecological Dynamics of Rangeland Commons

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Mid-Congress Tours

Jacques Malan Game Farm Management and Breeding of Rare Game Species
Wayne Knight’s Holistic Veld Management
Mabula Lodge Bush Encroachment Control
André de Leeuw Slangbos Control and Planted Pastures

Comparing the capacity of fixed and flexible stocking strategies to adapt beef enterprises in northern Australia to high rainfall variability

Invited Keynote Address: Lester I Pahl

Apparent changes in rainfall pattern in the eastern Karoo, South Africa, over the past 123 years

Platform Presentation: Justin C O du Toit

14 Interactive Feedback Session: Research Proposal Posters

Evaluation of local indigenous legumes, shrubs and dwarf shrubs composites suitable for rehabilitation of open cast mined areas in Mpumalanga and Free State provinces

Research Proposal Poster: Hennie J van Rooyen

Modeling the distribution of Seriphium plumosum in Msukwaligwa Local Municipality, Mpumalanga

Research Proposal Poster: Humbelani B Mutswari

A landscape analysis of rangeland ecosystem productivity along the West Coast of South Africa

Research Proposal Poster: Denisha Anand

Assessing fire danger across the central grassland biome of South Africa

Research Proposal Poster: A Stephan Steyn

Response in foraging behaviour, concentrate and hay intake, rumen metabolism and growth of weaned Holstein dairy calves with no prior exposure to grazing

Research Proposal Poster: Florence V Nherera

Water and nitrogen use of grazed kikuyu pasture oversown with grass or legumes

Research Proposal Poster: Malissa Murphy

Simulating future rangeland production in central South Africa

Research Proposal Poster: Catherine Odendaal

Do supplement macronutrients increase utilisation of chemically defended woody plants by goats in semi-arid African savannas

Research Proposal Poster: Ntuthuko R Mkhize

Creating grazing lawns as possible management tool for commercial cattle farming

Research Proposal Poster: Thelani C Grant

The aftermath of letting the thatch settle: a proposal for the control of invading Hyperhenia hitra

Research Proposal Poster: Yvette Brits

15 Forage Legumes to Improve Pasture Based Beef Production Systems in Semi-Arid Areas

Pasture legumes: successes and failures in South Africa

Invited Keynote Address: Albert Smith

Indigenous southern African legumes – investigations of a potentially valuable resource

Platform Presentation: Marike Trytsman

Managing herbaceous legumes for persistence in grazed pastures

Platform Presentation: Cam K McDonald

Platform Presentation: A systems reflection on the need for focused legume based pasture development efforts in semi-arid landscapes of South Africa

Platform Presentation: Gerrit T Rootman

Improving the usefulness of Mucuna for smallholder farmers

Poster Presentation: Barbara V Maasdorp

The effect of seed coating technology on physio-morphological characteristics of lucerne (Medicago sativa) seedlings

Platform Presentation: Leana Nel

The influence of planting method on the seedling survival of lucerne

Poster Presentation: Ilze Fourie

The seasonal and total annual dry matter production of annual legume cultivars in the southern Cape

Poster Presentation; Janke van der Colf

Response of Lespedeza cuneata (sericea) to different cutting regimes in the Sandy Sourveld of KwaZulu-Natal

Platform Presentation: Erika A van Zyl

16 Managing Soils and Species for Increased Planted Pasture Production

The performance of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the production of Anthephora pubescens under dryland conditions

Poster Presentation: N Eunice Choshi

The effect of bioslurry on yield and crude protein content of legume grass mixture n Macubeni, Ladyfree, EC

Poster Presentation: Nobunto Mapeyi

17 Developing Biodiversity-Friendly Grazing and Burning Guidelines for Livestock Farmers

Biodiversity - Friendly Grazing (and burning) Guidelines

Richard Lechmere-Oertel

Biodiversity and Grazing - The reality of developing recommendations

Richard Lechmere-Oertel

The National Veld-Raised Meat Standards: A Call For Input

Richard Lechmere-Oertel

Nyslvley Provincial Nature Reserve - Savanna Tree Phenology and Life History Strategies

GSSA Congress 2013

GSSA Congress 2013

First Page

Monday 15 July 2013

Short Course

1 Fire Management in South Africa - Policy and Practice

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Sessions

2 Considering People, Animals and Rangelands I

3 Encroachment by Woody Species: Predictions, Ecology and Restoration

4 Fire Effects across Continents and Land Uses

5 Restoration of Altered Landscapes: Planning and Practice

6 Considering People, Animals and Rangelands II

7 Ecosystem Services: The Essential Balancing Act

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Sessions

8 Managing Rangelands: Traditional and Alternative Approaches I

9 Managing Rangelands: Traditional and Alternative Approaches II

10 Ecology and Control of Indigenous and Exotic Invasive Plant Species

11 Habits and Habitats of Wildlife

12 Aligning Policy with the Socio-Ecological Dynamics of Rangeland Commons

Mid-Congress Tours

Thursday 18 July 2013

Sessions

13 Changing Climate, Shifting Strategies

14 Interactive Feedback Session: Research Proposal Posters

15 Forage Legumes to Improve Pasture Based Beef Production Systems in Semi-Arid Areas

16 Managing Soils and Species for Increased Planted Pasture Production

17 Developing Biodiversity-Friendly Grazing and Burning Guidelines for Livestock Farmers

Special Session

18 Rangeland Management from a Distance: Remote Sensing and Modelling

Friday 19 July 2013

Post Congress Tour