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Assessing Interactions between Agriculture, Livestock Grazing and Wildlife Conservation Land Uses: A Historical Example from East Africa

Author

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  • Rebecca W. Kariuki

    (Department of Environment and Geography, York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK
    School of Life Sciences and Bio-Engineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania)

  • David Western

    (African Conservation Centre, Amboseli Conservation Program, Nairobi P.O. Box 15289-00509, Kenya)

  • Simon Willcock

    (School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK)

  • Robert Marchant

    (Department of Environment and Geography, York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK)

Abstract

Despite mobile livestock grazing being widely recognized as one of the most viable and sustainable land uses for semi-arid savanna, which can deliver clear wildlife conservation benefits, the levels of pastoral sedentarization and transitions to agricultural livelihoods continue to rise in many pastoral communities across the world. Using questionnaire interviews with community elders, our study assessed changing trends in livestock grazing, wildlife conservation, and sedentarization levels from the 1960s to the present day across three savannas in southern Kenya. Our study identified the drivers of land uses and land subdivision and the implications of land use change on savanna ecology. Over the last half century, there has been a 30% decline in livestock grazing land in southern Kenya due to the expansion of land for agriculture and wildlife conservation. Despite the decline, livestock grazing remains the preferred land use in subdivided and privatized lands. Pastoralist land used for wildlife conservation was perceived to be higher (30%) in southwestern Kenya compared to southeastern Kenya (16%), despite their geographical proximity. These historical insights provide useful lessons for maintaining space for wildlife, diversifying livelihoods, and increasing the resilience of pastoralists in the process of transitioning from traditional subsistence to market economies and the threats of social and ecological dislocation.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca W. Kariuki & David Western & Simon Willcock & Robert Marchant, 2021. "Assessing Interactions between Agriculture, Livestock Grazing and Wildlife Conservation Land Uses: A Historical Example from East Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-19, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:1:p:46-:d:475542
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Philip M. Osano & Mohammed Y. Said & Jan de Leeuw & Nicholas Ndiwa & Dickson Kaelo & Sarah Schomers & Regina Birner & Joseph O. Ogutu, 2013. "Why keep lions instead of livestock? Assessing wildlife tourism‐based payment for ecosystem services involving herders in the Maasai Mara, Kenya," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 37(4), pages 242-256, November.
    2. Philip M. Osano & Mohammed Y. Said & Jan Leeuw & Nicholas Ndiwa & Dickson Kaelo & Sarah Schomers & Regina Birner & Joseph O. Ogutu, 2013. "Why keep lions instead of livestock? Assessing wildlife tourism‐based payment for ecosystem services involving herders in the Maasai Mara, Kenya," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 0(4), pages 242-256, November.
    3. Annemiek Pas, 2018. "Governing Grazing and Mobility in the Samburu Lowlands, Kenya," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-24, March.
    4. Bulte, Erwin H. & Boone, Randall B. & Stringer, Randy & Thornton, Philip K., 2008. "Elephants or onions? Paying for nature in Amboseli, Kenya," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(3), pages 395-414, June.
    5. Stephen Devereux, 2010. "Better Marginalised than Incorporated? Pastoralist Livelihoods in Somali Region, Ethiopia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 22(5), pages 678-695, December.
    6. Rebecca Kariuki & Simon Willcock & Rob Marchant, 2018. "Rangeland Livelihood Strategies under Varying Climate Regimes: Model Insights from Southern Kenya," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-22, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Simon Willcock & Javier Martinez-Lopez & Norman Dandy & James M. Bullock, 2021. "High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Data across Large Scales Are Needed to Transform Our Understanding of Ecosystem Services," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-6, July.
    2. Meine Pieter van Dijk, 2022. "Crop Insurance, a Frugal Innovation in Tanzania, Helps Small Maize Farmers and Contributes to an Emerging Land Market," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-12, June.

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