Using fire to maintain grassland
Grass is the cheapest of all livestock feeds – it can even be free. Good management aims to provide high quality feed for as long as possible thoughout the year. In the tropics, most of the grazing is unfenced (apart from commercial farming animals) and most areas are grazed by animals that have many owners such as in the Masi Mara in Kenya. This means that a coordinated approach of agreement between all stake holders must exist to implement management and improvement practices. The tools of management are the hoe, cutlass and most importantly, fire.
Using fire as a tool for improving grassland management Burning is a traditional method of managing grassland. It has been practiced over centuries by the Aboriginals in Australia, native Americans in USA and in the savannahs of India and the Mediterranean. The North West Plains of the USA have introduced burning in the 2000’s to restore the native prarie grasses and to improve the wildlife habitat. More specifically “grasslands are burned primarily to manipulate vegetation and enhance the biological productivity and diversity of specific organisms or to acomplish specific objectives” (Quotation from Northen Prarie Wildlife Research Centre).