Effects of Grazing, Utilisation and Management on the Grasslands of Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal

Abstract

I studied the temporal effect of grass harvest, burning, fertilizer, and grazing, with a factorial experimental design, in three grasslands of Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal. I tested the hypothesis of (i) nutrient depletion of grasslands by continuous harvest . and burning and (ii) differential use of areas by ungulates that were differentially managed m relation to forage quantity and quality. Addition of Di-ammonium phosphate and urea did not result in a significant increase in green above ground biomass and forage quality. Cut-burnt plots had the highest nutrient quality as indexed by crude protein and lignin. Plots that were only harvested had highest above ground biomass for the first month following harvest, and were more intensively grazed by ungulates during that time. Ungulates preferred to graze cut-burnt and burnt areas more during the second and third month following the treatment. Unmanaged tall grassland areas were also observed to have nutritive and other wildlife values. A management strategy for the grasslands of Bardia based on the above results is suggested. I compared the community structure, nutritive quality and above ground biomass of "grazing lawns" (patches of short grass communities), with neighboring grasslands. Grazing lawns differed form neighboring grasslands in species composition and community structure. A 50 day grazing free environment made areas of grazing lawns indistinguishable from neighboring grasslands in terms of above ground biomass. Grazing lawns had more nutritive forage in terms of digestibility and crude protein content. Sodium, magnesium and phosphorus were found to be below the critical requirements of ungulates. These minerals were ~found in higher concentrations in forages from grazing lawns. Grazing lawns seem to be maintained by continuous grazing and enriched by deposition of urine, dung and by certain plant species not found elsewhere in the neighboring grasslands.