SUMMARYA study of habitat utilization by buffalo, the dominant grazing species, in Lake Manyara National Park was made against a background description of the vegetation. An account of the various grasslands, including phenological information, has been married to utilization data and rainfall records. The pastures and other furnishings of the environment are shown to be adequate for the animals occurring there, but the area is subject to climatic hazards and great variation in the lake level.Grazing results in the development of a mosaic of long and short grasses, and the significance of this as a means of assessing utilization is explained. It is shown that the quality of different growth stages and species of grasses, optimum utilization versus overgrazing, and the manner in which the pasture can be maintained in full production by being grazed, can be understood by examining the grazing‐induced mosaic.The method for monitoring the use of the different pastures is based on the measurement of leaf‐table height in grazing‐exclusion frames during periods of occupation, compared with that of the grazed grass outside the frames. The data obtained can be plotted as graphs and illustrated diagrammatically as a grazing calendar. This enables some constructive suggestions to be made concerning Park manag
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