Management Principles of the Macchia
The principle of management within the macchia should be to maintain a maximum number of palatable species in the most productive and readily available state while striving to keep soil loss at a rate lower than the rate of paedogenesis. The vegetation found in the macchia veld is not very productive and is unable to withstand high levels of herbivore impact. Herbivory is unlikely to play a significant role in shaping the ecology as there is relatively low biomass available.
The mountains in this region serve as major catchment sites, and producing high-quality water is an objective that must be met whenever it is used. Maintaining a suitable cover of plants is thus of primary importance. Young seedlings of less than one month old have a high mortality when grazed, once seedlings are between one to two months old they can resprout and survive after being grazed to ground level. The seed bank rapidly depletes if seedlings do not resprout after being grazed. Recolonisation is a slow process due to the small and limited dispersal distances.
In the Macchia biome, the agricultural potential of the environment is very restricted and care should be taken to utilise that which is available
The most frequent method of managing fynbos for forage production is to burn the veld in December or January and then resume grazing a few weeks later. Sufficient rest of two to three years is necessary to accumulate sufficient fuel to have an effective burn. After a recent burn, enough rest should be given to allow the shrub seedlings a chance to compete successfully with other seedlings. Moderate to heavy continuous stocking is frequent in the first year following the burn. Successful management is important to prevent long-term damage to the veld.
Because sheep, in particular, are very selective grazers and may graze very near the ground, the practice of burning and then heavily grazing with sheep has a very negative influence on the environment. The more edible grasses, shrubs, and plants are typically extensively overgrazed, resulting in local extinction or near extinction. Heavy goat stocking soon after a burn rapidly promotes the dominance of unpalatable grasses, shrubs, and restioids.