Why communal pastoralists do what they do in the Richtersveld National Park

Abstract

A better understanding of the socio-economic profile of pastoralists, their farming objectives and the motives underlying herd management practices in the Richtersveld were explored. Livestock were not the only source of income for pastoral households. Livestock farming was a post-retirement activity and a way of supplementing pension grants, suggesting that pastoralism could be a dying tradition. Pastoralists concentrated on keeping as many animals as possible (by selling and slaughtering...