Livestock farming in the vast grazing areas in Namibia partly shows severe management deficiencies, resource inefficiency, low food security levels, low profitability, loss of biodiversity, a strong negative climate impact, soil degradation and slow regional and national development (IAASTD, 2009; Mills & Fey, 2005). Given the prominent role of herbivore livestock in grasslands, livestock must be addressed explicitly as a a) source of products such as meat, milk, hide, wool, fuel, manure and social security (Fresco and Steinfeld, 1998) and b) as a major factor of ecological impact on the soils, the water and the vegetation of the pastures, which supply > 90% of livestock feed in the grassland-based livestock systems (Seré & Steinfeld, 1996). Today in Namibia, livestock is kept in fenced pastures on ranches, herded on communal farmland, or kept as free roaming livestock close to the settlements (Homann & van Rooyen, 2007a). Controlled livestock grazing on ranches is usually done at low stocking rates (10-20 ha LU-1) and animals are opportunistically shifted to new areas when the feed is finished. Desertification remains a key threat to the region. A major problem for grassland productivity in savanna rangelands is the absence of recovery periods: cattle graze the same areas year round, resulting in perennial grasses being replaced by annuals (Prins & Van der Jeugd, 1993; Fynn, 2012). Insufficient recovery periods lead to reduced productivity and eventual death of the plant (Kirkmann & Moore, 1995). This facilitates shrub and tree encroachment (Danckwerts et al., 1989; Rogues et al., 2001), which in turn further reduces grassland productivity through effects of shading and competition for soil moisture – a negative feedback on grassland productivity and carrying capacity. Over-utilized/non-rested pastures show "bare soil", and become degraded (wind and water erosion). On underutilized/over-rested pastures the – mainly annual – grass sward can grow, seed and die without livestock and/or game impact, exhibiting bare soil with capping between grass stands. This dead, oxidized grass has a low feed value and is not eaten by herbivores. In the case of uncontrolled grazing this degradation is even worse, because livestock does not shift to better feeding areas on their own (degradation gradients from watering places and kraals/villages) (Homann & van Rooyen, 2007ab; Rietkerk et al., 2000).