How can cattle grazing contribute to desertification in the Kalahari Desert?

In the Kalahari Desert, cattle grazing contributes to desertification primarily through unsustainable land-management practices. Because effective pasture management is rarely practiced, the grazing of cattle and goats is highly destructive to the local ecology.12

The process is driven by several factors:

• Overgrazing: Cattle are often kept in the vicinity of wells and boreholes year-round, placing an increasing load on limited pasture. Because cattle ownership is a significant measure of social status, there is a strong incentive to maintain large herds, which prevents the land from recovering.2
• Selective Feeding: Livestock feed upon only a small range of the available vegetation, which can lead to the loss of perennial plant cover.12
• Environmental Pressure: As traditional risks to livestock—such as drought and predators—have been mitigated by improved veterinary care and the sinking of more boreholes, the density of cattle has increased, further straining the fragile dryland environment.2

Ultimately, this loss of vegetation reduces the land's biological productivity, leaving the soil vulnerable and accelerating the desertification process.12