Problem plants and overgrazing reduce veld quality

Abstract

The ecological diversity or biodiversity of plant communities, is usually expressed as the total number of vascular plant species (excluding mosses and lichens) present in an area. For practical reasons, plant surveys that, for example, assess the carrying capacity of veld for livestock and wildlife, tend to focus on grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees. The latter are vascular plants, which are visible above ground at a certain stage.