Nitrogen and phosphorus concentration in faeces: an indicator of range quality as a practical adjunct to existing range evaluation methods

Vegetation monitoring, currently complemented by climatic data in particular rainfall areas, does not always supply sufficient information to provide reliable guidelines for appropriate stocking densities on ranch or reserve scale. This paper considers how the nutrient status of animals may be used to improve the setting of management guidelines by reflecting how wild herbivores perform under differing environmental and management conditions. Faecal nitrogen concentrations of between 13 and 16 g kg-1 are above a threshold level that indicates a dietary deficiency which may precipitate nutritional stress in animals (such as happened during the 1991/1992 drought). Faecal phosphorous concentrations of between 1.9 and 2.0 g kg-1 over a long period of time would indicate a deficiency that may lead to low reproductive rates. Faecal analysis could therefore be used to assess whether applied stocking densities will allow grazers, and probably mixed feeders such as impala too, to select for a diet of sufficient quality for maintenance.