Buffalo require a year-round supply of grass (Table 1), adequate water and shade.

Table 1: Grass species eaten by buffalo Figure 7: Potential range for buffalo in Southern Africa Map 4: Biomes and vegetation types of Namibia

They occur (or used to occur) in most of the savanna areas of Africa where annual rainfall exceeds 300mm and these requirements can be met (Figure 7).

Most woodland types in the southern African region provide suitable habitat (Map 4), including

• Mopane
• Miombo (Brachystegia)
• Acacia
• Teak (Baikiaea plurijuga)
• riparian fringes and vleis (or 'omurambas')

They may be unable to use large open grasslands if there is not adequate shade for resting in the hotter parts of the day or if water is insufficient. Buffalo normally drink twice daily and Pienaar (1969) estimated the daily consumption of water to be slightly more than 30 litres for an average animal.

In Namibia, most of the Caprivi is good habitat for buffalo except where distance to water is a constraint. Buffalo are very much dependent on existing water supplies in the Caprivi and, for a large part of every year, this means they are tied to the large rivers.

In the remainder of the country, any area which is capable of supporting cattle would also support buffalo. Carrying capacities would decline towards the arid south and west and, in areas where annual rainfall is less than 250mm , buffalo would be unlikely to survive (Stewart and Stewart 1963). Large parts of the north have held buffalo in the past and could probably carry modest densities today were it not for veterinary policies and practices which preclude this. Given adequate water and rainfall of 300-400 mm/annum, buffalo might achieve densities of the order of 1/km2 or a biomass of about 5kg/ha (Coe, Cumming and Philipson 1976).