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Several observations in Africa indicate that restriction of seasonal movement of migratory ungulates can cause a significant decline in numbers of the populations involved. Causes for this decline have, however, hardly been addressed. We investigated if the dry season range of migratory wildebeest and zebra in the Masai Ecosystem, northern Tanzania, can sustain current populations when access to the wet season range would be restricted and migratory herds would reside in the dry season range year-round. Both forage quality and quantity were considered.

Grazing itself can affect herbivore forage quality and quantity. Presently, however, the dry season range is not grazed during the wet season by migratory ungulates. This will be the case when access to the wet season range is restricted. We therefore performed clipping experiments to investigate how grazing affects forage quality and quantity in the dry season range during the wet season.