By: Pieter Nel
In the modern conservation discourse, biodiversity loss is too often treated as a passive consequence of external pressures — urban encroachment, climate change, or human presence. Yet, biodiversity is not a static condition of pristine wilderness, but a dynamic outcome of processes that include disturbance, regeneration, and trophic interactions. Nowhere is this more evident than in African savannah’s, where the movement and behavior of ungulates — both wild and domestic — have long driven ecological function. Managing grazing is not extraneous to conservation; it is central to it.
This truth is at the core of the pivotal study by J.T. du Toit and D.H.M. Cumming (1999), who argued in their paper “Functional significance of ungulate diversity in African savannah’s and the ecological implications of the spread of pastoralism” that the spatial and temporal patterns of ungulate movement play a fundamental role in shaping vegetation structure, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem resilience. Their work highlights how the diversity of herbivore species, each occupying different niches and employing varied foraging strategies, contributes to the functional integrity of the savanna biome. When ungulates move across landscapes in patterns that mimic natural grazing systems — intensive foraging followed by rest and recovery — ecosystems thrive.
Unfortunately, this nuanced understanding is often drowned out by a simplistic narrative: livestock degrade land, and wildlife preserves it. Yet degradation is not a product of grazing per se, but of mismanagement — particularly, of continuous selective grazing without rest periods, which undermines plant community recovery and soil health. Ironically, while livestock are demonised for overgrazing, many protected areas suffer from precisely this kind of unmanaged herbivory by sedentary wildlife populations. Ad to confusion continuous selective grazing not only cause overgrazing, but over resting at the same time. Killing plants in two different ways, but it hides the degradation with the apparent healthy looking long grass.
This contradiction is addressed not by removing livestock, but by restoring intelligent, ecologically grounded grazing regimes. A growing body of practice-based evidence shows that pastoralists, especially those trained by institutions like the Southern African Wildlife College’s Herding Academy, are turning this tide. These practitioners are applying regenerative grazing techniques — high-density, time-controlled herding with intentional movement — that restore grassland function, increase water infiltration, and rebuild soil carbon. In areas once written off as degraded, wildlife has returned, drawn by improved forage and functioning ecosystems. This is not theory — it is happening.
Crucially, not all cattle are equal in this work. The size, frame, and behaviour of livestock matter immensely. Large-framed, late-maturing breeds developed for industrial agriculture often struggle under the mobile, high-density herding systems needed to restore degraded rangelands. They overheat, underperform, and require feed inputs that undermine ecological goals. In contrast, Africa’s indigenous cattle breeds — medium to small-framed, hardy, and adapted to varied climates — are ideally suited. Breeds like the Nguni, Tuli, and Boran have co-evolved with local ecosystems and traditional pastoralist cultures. Their retention and appropriate use not only serve ecological function but also cultural heritage.
By integrating these traditional breeds into conservation grazing programs, we can pursue dual outcomes: securing the genetic diversity of indigenous cattle and expanding viable habitat for wild herbivores and their predators. Managed correctly, livestock are not ecological antagonists but ecological tools. Their hooves, dung, and mouths, applied with timing and intention, can regenerate landscapes at scale.
This vision represents a shift from a fortress conservation mindset to a functional, inclusive approach that recognises humans, their animals, and their practices as potential agents of restoration. It calls for humility and honesty: blaming livestock while tolerating poor management is both disingenuous and counterproductive. The real culprit in overgrazing is not the cow, but the calendar — when animals stay too long or return too soon, ecosystems suffer. But when animals move in rhythm with grassland recovery, life returns.
Savanna ecosystems evolved under the influence of migratory herbivores. To restore them, we must emulate this pattern — not only through the conservation of wildlife, but through the reintegration of well-managed domestic herds. In this way, pastoralism — long marginalised in conservation — may yet prove to be one of its strongest allies.
References
du Toit, J. T., & Cumming, D. H. M. (1999). Functional significance of ungulate diversity in African savannas and the ecological implications of the spread of pastoralism. Biodiversity & Conservation, 8(12), 1643–1661. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008959721342