Movement response partterns

The studied the seasonal and daily movement patterns and livestock (pastoralists) in the Richtersveld National Park (RNP) to suggest management strategies that would support and balance between biodivesity conservation and living stock grazing. livestock movement patterns indicated that forageis the motivation for winter movements and water is the motivation of summer. The movement followed a predecteble direction from grazing areas in the wet season toward the orange river riparia area with permanent water during periods of low rainfall. the latter can be considered as a ''key reasourse'' area to sustain animals number through critical periods of low rainfall. overall, seasonal movement pattens were in transect of approximately 10km in distance. however,these patterns varied amongst the pastoralists which sugest diverse approaches to tracking reasouse. on averange, a pastoralist move hi animals six time a year between stock posts in a network of grazing routes. the grazing area around a stock post was 2.49km comprising an area of ca. 1950ha. herds walker much more quicky in the morning (1.25km hr) than in the afternoon (0.82km hr) and thus covered more grazing group per unit time. on the basis of the grazing area and travelling rate ( particulary in the morning), all the 36 identified conservation-worthy sites in the National Park were threatened by livestock grazing. Effective management strategies may possibly include zonic, closing some stock posts and careful consideration for opening new roads