‘Mantšali Phakoana
Lesotho’s rangelands are under growing threat of degradation from invasive plants or species that negatively impact ecosystem services supporting agricultural livelihoods.
This diminishes grass and the quantity of livestock that rely on the rangelands, making animals more vulnerable to drought and dry spells.
An invasive species is an organism that is not indigenous, or native to a particular area. Such species can cause great economic and environmental harm to the new area.
A 2016 study by the United Nations University in Iceland and the then ministry of forestry, range and soil conservation showed that the common invasive species of bitter bush (sehalahala) in Lesotho’s rangelands are: chrysochoma ciliata, seriphium plumosum, felicia filifolia, as well as helichrysum splendidum and relhania dieterlenii.
These plants, according to the study, have become a common sight on mountainsides of the country’s rangelands, where major populations are livestock and crop farmers who depend on healthy rangelands for animal grazing.
The study further states that invasive plant species are boosted by a number of factors including overgrazing, changing fire regimes and changes in weather patterns.
“Invasive plants lower the quantity and quality of forage, interfere with grazing and poison animals as well as slow down animal weight gain.
“They also affect the quality of wool and mohair which is a lucrative enterprise positively impacting farmers’ livelihoods and which contributes more to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Lesotho,” it also notes.
To combat these challenges, the government of Lesotho with the support of the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is spearheading a national movement for integrated catchments under the name ReNOKA (‘we are a river’).
ReNOKA represents a network of individuals, communities and professionals that are “stronger together, fluid and growing, dedicated to the restoration of water, land, and the long-term prosperity of all communities.”
Non-government organisations like Catholic Relief Services (CRS), through its land Restoration Project joined the initiative on finding sustainable solutions to land degradation.
CRS Land Restoration Platform’s technical advisor, ‘Mashekoe Liemo Likoti, says invasive plants grow faster and difficult to eradicate.
She adds that these plants are not fit for livestock consumption and also choke out the grass and threaten to overtake medical plants that are a crucial part of the culture and lives of communities.
“Here in Lesotho, we practice watershed management because we are a mountainous country, with a lot of water which keeps on flowing. We are a grassland country not forested; this means 60 percent of our land coverage is rangelands.
“For that, it is important that as we restore our land, manage our small streams to improve flow of water to small and larger rivers. As we do so, we should clear plants that can invade the grass and leave our land eroded because that would have a negative impact to our water too.
“Land restoration is a complex process that requires long-term commitment and hard work. CRS, through the Land Restoration Platform project, has fostered a synergy between those who care for the land and researchers,” Likoti noted.
Lesotho is considered the “water tower” of Southern Africa. Water is an invaluable resource for the communities in the Orange-Senqu River Basin.
As a result, Likoti says rangelands are also strategically important for the subcontinent as they provide the largest source of freshwater in the region.
Therefore, she emphasises, preserving these wetlands have positive ripple effects.
“Massive dams across Lesotho funnel water exports to South Africa and others. But the true source of these water systems starts with the small streams and wetlands across the Orange-Senqu River Basin. This underscores the urgency of the wetland preservation work stakeholders and other catchment watershed team members do,” she said.
Likoti indicated that the organisation works with volunteers to establish catchment watershed teams of volunteers who mobilise their communities to carry out land restoration activities to improve their rangelands.
The people of Ha Samuel in Semonkong, Ha Nthimolane and Ha Masasane in Mokhotlong district have devoted their efforts to improving their settlements and rangelands by clearing invasive plants.
ReNOKA reports that just in August this year, the Ha Nthimolane, and Ha Masasane villagers cleared more than 4100 square metres of invasive plants.
A Semonkong farmer and catchment watershed team treasurer, Tatolo Nthoesele, says felicia filifolia – a variant of bitter bush – is a common plant that invades grass at Ha Samuel village in the area.
To curb this challenge, Nthoesele says communities have now devoted their efforts to improving their settlements and rangelands by clearing the invasive plants.
He notes that they have adopted a voluntary effort in which all the villagers including women, children from the age of 12 and community leaders participate.
“Removing invasive plants like bitter bush has become our daily activity to which both women and children have devoted their efforts. This is a new problem we never experienced while growing up; we have realised how harmful it can be to our land,” Nthoesele said.
He noted that some of the cleared invasive plants are used by women as firewood, while others are used to prevent soil erosion, especially at the catchments.
“The period between August and March the following year, is when the seeds of the bitter bush are still active that if not carefully handled when cleared, they could spread, so it wise to collect them with care.
“Between June and July the seeds are dormant but viable; that is when we clear the dry plants and women in our village use them as firewood,” he explained.
Nthoesele indicated that there is still need to educate herders about the importance of maintaining their wetlands and rangeland areas.
He and his team constantly monitor the rangelands and wetland areas to ensure that they are preserved.
Nthoesele points out that the task is never easy as they sometimes encounter resistance from herders who, due to misunderstanding, resort to violence. However, the team has always managed to defuse any potentially explosive confrontation.
Overgrazing also destroy the wetlands, Nthoesele says.
For generations, livestock farmers, especially those living in the mountainside of the county, have been relying on the rangelands to provide for their animals and families.
These days, farmers are worried that they have to buy animal feeds in order to feed their livestock, due to lack of grass.
Another livestock farmer from Ha Mallane in Thaba-Tseka, Ralengau Lephoi, says he is now forced to buy livestock supplements like fibre food to feed his livestock to survive and grow healthy.
Lephoi says it is almost 19 years now since his livestock have been struggling due to lack of edible grass. Before then, when he was still a herder, this was never a challenge.
“Many of the people here own livestock; some of us have 250 sheep and 100 goats while others have more. This is not sustainable in the face of diminishing graze-lands. My family depends on animals which provide wool and mohair since I do not have fields to plant crops.
“Almost all the rangelands we used to graze our livestock are now void of grass and covered in bitter bush. As a result, we are left with no option but to purchase animal feed, which is too costly; for example, 50kg of bran costs M480.
“Rangelands are not only a source of nutrition for livestock, but also a symbol of value that herders and farmers attach to their homeland. It is therefore, important that we protect them. If nothing is done, we face the danger of losing our beautiful land, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of families. We are already feeling the pinch, as a matter of fact,” Lephoi added.
Traditional healers also believe that chrysochoma ciliata (another variation of bitter bush), has wiped out most of the medicinal plants that were used by indigenous communities in the country.
Veteran traditional healer, Malefetsane Liau says some of the medicinal plants like Hermannia depressa (seletjane), helichrysum caespititium (phate-ea-ngaka), fever or stomach bush (hloenya) and othonna natalensis (phela) have now become scarce in the country.
Liau urges all stakeholders including communities, government, traditional healers and NGOs to join hands to preserve medicinal plants.
“We had plenty of medicinal plants which we knew from our childhood. Unfortunately, they do not exist anymore because as a country we have failed to protect our rangelands, we failed to clear invasive plants which destroy them.
“Some NGOs are already making an effort; they just need commitment from communities because villagers are the real owners of the land; such land is under their watch, at all times.
“It is also equally important to liaise with traditional practitioners, who are the bearers of this important information on the historical use of medicinal plants,” he said, adding that there is still much that needs to be done to save indigenous medicine for the healthy lives of the nation.
