Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland
In Maputaland, South Africa, the common reed (Phragmites australis) is used extensively for hut building, fencing, craftwork and thatching. As a result of over-harvesting most reed beds in communal areas have been degraded and are no longer producing reeds of the desired quality. At present the most...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2004-12-01
|
| Series: | Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/76 |
| _version_ | 1818082558698586112 |
|---|---|
| author | M.W. van Rooyen C.A. Tosh N. van Rooyen W.S. Matthews M.J.S. Kellerman |
| author_facet | M.W. van Rooyen C.A. Tosh N. van Rooyen W.S. Matthews M.J.S. Kellerman |
| author_sort | M.W. van Rooyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Maputaland, South Africa, the common reed (Phragmites australis) is used extensively for hut building, fencing, craftwork and thatching. As a result of over-harvesting
most reed beds in communal areas have been degraded and are no longer producing reeds of the desired quality. At present the most productive reed beds are all found in
conservation areas. The KwaMsomi area of the Muzi Swamp in the Tembe Elephant Park has been allocated to the Sibonisweni community for harvesting purposes. This
community has recently requested Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife for additional areas for harvesting on the grounds that the current site was no longer yielding reeds of suitable quality. The main objective of this study was therefore to determine whether there was a decline in reed quality in the KwaMsomi harvested area. The results of this
study suggest that harvested areas contained more thin, short reeds than unharvested areas. Fire can be used to increase reed diameter in harvested areas, but will not significantly affect reed height. Ideally, reeds should only be harvested after the active growth period, when most of the nutrient reserves have been translocated to the rhizomes and
the buds are still dormant. To improve reed quality a three-year rotational harvesting programme should be implemented to allow the reeds to recover fully before being harvested again. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T19:24:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09455f05e58f4437998a2aec10a6cba0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0075-6458 2071-0771 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T19:24:01Z |
| publishDate | 2004-12-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-09455f05e58f4437998a2aec10a6cba02022-12-22T01:36:24ZengAOSISKoedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science0075-64582071-07712004-12-01471314010.4102/koedoe.v47i1.7664Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, MaputalandM.W. van Rooyen0C.A. Tosh1N. van Rooyen2W.S. Matthews3M.J.S. Kellerman4University of PretoriaUniversity of PretoriaUniversity of PretoriaEzemvelo KwaZulu-Natal WildlifeUniversity of PretoriaIn Maputaland, South Africa, the common reed (Phragmites australis) is used extensively for hut building, fencing, craftwork and thatching. As a result of over-harvesting most reed beds in communal areas have been degraded and are no longer producing reeds of the desired quality. At present the most productive reed beds are all found in conservation areas. The KwaMsomi area of the Muzi Swamp in the Tembe Elephant Park has been allocated to the Sibonisweni community for harvesting purposes. This community has recently requested Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife for additional areas for harvesting on the grounds that the current site was no longer yielding reeds of suitable quality. The main objective of this study was therefore to determine whether there was a decline in reed quality in the KwaMsomi harvested area. The results of this study suggest that harvested areas contained more thin, short reeds than unharvested areas. Fire can be used to increase reed diameter in harvested areas, but will not significantly affect reed height. Ideally, reeds should only be harvested after the active growth period, when most of the nutrient reserves have been translocated to the rhizomes and the buds are still dormant. To improve reed quality a three-year rotational harvesting programme should be implemented to allow the reeds to recover fully before being harvested again.https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/76Common reedFireHarvestingKwaZulu-NatalMuzi SwampPhragmites australisSustainable utilisation |
| spellingShingle | M.W. van Rooyen C.A. Tosh N. van Rooyen W.S. Matthews M.J.S. Kellerman Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science Common reed Fire Harvesting KwaZulu-Natal Muzi Swamp Phragmites australis Sustainable utilisation |
| title | Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland |
| title_full | Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland |
| title_fullStr | Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland |
| title_short | Impact of harvesting and fire on <i>Phragmites australis</i> reed quality in Tembe Elephant Park, Maputaland |
| title_sort | impact of harvesting and fire on i phragmites australis i reed quality in tembe elephant park maputaland |
| topic | Common reed Fire Harvesting KwaZulu-Natal Muzi Swamp Phragmites australis Sustainable utilisation |
| url | https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/76 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mwvanrooyen impactofharvestingandfireoniphragmitesaustralisireedqualityintembeelephantparkmaputaland AT catosh impactofharvestingandfireoniphragmitesaustralisireedqualityintembeelephantparkmaputaland AT nvanrooyen impactofharvestingandfireoniphragmitesaustralisireedqualityintembeelephantparkmaputaland AT wsmatthews impactofharvestingandfireoniphragmitesaustralisireedqualityintembeelephantparkmaputaland AT mjskellerman impactofharvestingandfireoniphragmitesaustralisireedqualityintembeelephantparkmaputaland |