Acacia trees modify soil water dynamics and the potential groundwater recharge in savanna ecosystems

Abstract

can rapidly infiltrate in the deep underground or where water is concentrated due to runoff. Groundwater recharge is further reduced by bush encroachment which currently affects more than 30 million hectares of Namibia’s land surface or 30% of the country size. Groundwater reserves have a high ecological and economical value, with over 80% of Namibia’s rural population and main economic activities such as mining, industry and agriculture dependent on local underground water resources. Aiming at adding value to the yielded woody biomass, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Support to De-bushing Project (now called Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation) conducted studies to quantify the benefits for ecosystem services under different bush thinning scenarios at national and regional level using Otjozondjupa region as a case study. In view of this, observations in groundwater recharge on bush encroached and bush thinned areas were assessed and are presented in this brief. 1