Livestock
Mugie was a cattle ranch long before it was a conservancy so the question was never whether the cattle would stay, but rather how. Mugie's livestock programmes are built around that answer: working with, not against, wildlife, the landscape and our neighbouring communities to forge the path forward.
Ultra High Density Grazing (UHDG)
At Mugie, even the way cattle graze is part of the conservation plan.
Rather than letting herds wander freely across open pasture, Mugie uses ultra high density grazing, this method has a high density of livestock graze on a section of land for a short, carefully managed period, then moving them on. It mimics the way wild herds once moved across these plains: densely packed, constantly shifting, never lingering long enough to strip the ground bare.
The results run deeper than the grass itself. Given time to rest and recover, pasture regenerates faster and grows back stronger. Hooves and dung work organic matter back into the soil, rebuilding its structure and its ability to hold water, a real advantage on a plateau where drought is never far away. And healthier soil holds more carbon, quietly turning a grazing system into a small but genuine climate solution.
BENEFITS:
24 hours feeding time improving weight gains
Livestock walk less so more time goes into maintaining weight
Tick cycles are broken down as smaller distances covered
Lower human wildlife conflict (HWC) cases as you stumble into lions less regularly
Improved soil health
Improved plant growth and greater biodiversity
Weed control
Improved nutrient cycling
Improved animal health as UHDG can help break parasite cycles by disrupting larvae
It's a method built on an old truth relearned: managed well, livestock don't have to compete with the land. They can help heal it.
Mugie’s Livestock Programmes
For Mugie’s neighbouring communities, livestock plays a vital role as it is both traditionally embedded and the major source of income. Mugie therefore engages its neighbours on various livestock related aspects, promoting quality over quantity, sustainable rangeland management guidance, veterinary care and access to resources during prolonged dry periods.
Stress Season Grazing Programme
During the dry seasons Mugie opens blocks of the conservancy to neighbouring herds for a nominal fee, giving cattle somewhere to survive the hardest months without stripping the land bare.
Mugie Trading Stock (MTS) Programme
Through this programme local herders graze their cattle within Mugie's holistic grazing system, resting land where it needs to rest, improving cattle condition and building a livestock-to-market pathway that puts more value in every animal reared.
Different programmes but one idea: that a well-managed herd and a healthy rangeland aren't in competition. They're the same goal, seen from two sides.
To learn more or join a livestock programme please contact the Mugie Community Office.