IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i6p740-d1401163.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

NGO-Led Community-Based Conservation: A New Frontier of Territorialization with Implications for Pastoralists’ Land Tenure and Climate Change Adaptation

Author

Listed:
  • Jackson Wachira

    (Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, The University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 29053, Kenya)

  • Joanes Atela

    (Africa Research and Impact Network, Nairobi P.O. Box 53358-00200, Kenya)

  • Paul Stacey

    (Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark)

  • George Outa

    (Centre for Science, Technology and Society Studies, Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi P.O. Box 52428-00200, Kenya)

Abstract

In recent years, many community-based conservancies (CBCs) led by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been established on land inhabited by pastoralists in Northern Kenya. Despite a growing body of research, little attention has been paid to the impacts on pastoralists’ climate change adaptation. We provide a deeper understanding by considering NGO-led community-based conservation (NGO-led CBC) as a new frontier of territorialization and adaptation to climate change and variability as a social-natural process. Based on an analysis of primary data collected in Samburu County, Kenya, we show that NGO-led CBC involves resource enclosures that aggravate conflicts over land rights and pastoralists’ vulnerability to climate change and variability by constraining their mobility. In relation, the legal and institutional environment promoted by NGO-led CBC leads to increased control over ecologically vibrant lands, which erodes pastoralists’ land tenure security and climate change adaptation. Although NGO-led CBC plays an important role in enhancing access to external finance and incentivizing diversification, governance mechanisms remain opaque and overshadow local institutions. Overall, we highlight the need for actors to carefully consider the implications of this conservation/development model for already hard-pressed land-dependent communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Jackson Wachira & Joanes Atela & Paul Stacey & George Outa, 2024. "NGO-Led Community-Based Conservation: A New Frontier of Territorialization with Implications for Pastoralists’ Land Tenure and Climate Change Adaptation," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-26, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:6:p:740-:d:1401163
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/740/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/6/740/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Samuel Mburu & Steffen Otterbach & Alfonso Sousa-Poza & Andrew Mude, 2017. "Income and Asset Poverty among Pastoralists in Northern Kenya," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(6), pages 971-986, June.
    2. David Harvey, 2007. "Neoliberalism as Creative Destruction," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 610(1), pages 21-44, March.
    3. Leach, Melissa & Mearns, Robin & Scoones, Ian, 1999. "Environmental Entitlements: Dynamics and Institutions in Community-Based Natural Resource Management," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 225-247, February.
    4. Mwangi, Esther, 2007. "Subdividing the Commons: Distributional Conflict in the Transition from Collective to Individual Property Rights in Kenya's Maasailand," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 815-834, May.
    5. John G. McPeak & Christopher B. Barrett, 2001. "Differential Risk Exposure and Stochastic Poverty Traps Among East African Pastoralists," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 83(3), pages 674-679.
    6. Barry Smit & Ian Burton & Richard Klein & J. Wandel, 2000. "An Anatomy of Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 223-251, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lenyeletse V. Basupi & Claire H. Quinn & Andrew J. Dougill, 2017. "Pastoralism and Land Tenure Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Conflicting Policies and Priorities in Ngamiland, Botswana," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Alary, Véronique & Hassan, Ferial & Daoud, Ibrahim & Aboul Naga, Adel & Osman, Mona A. & Bastianelli, Denis & Lescoat, Philippe & Moselhy, Naeem & Tourrand, Jean-François, 2014. "Bedouin Adaptation to the Last 15-Years of Drought (1995–2010) in the North Coastal Zone of Egypt: Continuity or Rupture?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 125-137.
    3. Abinash Bhattachan & Matthew D. Jurjonas & Priscilla R. Morris & Paul J. Taillie & Lindsey S. Smart & Ryan E. Emanuel & Erin L. Seekamp, 2019. "Linking residential saltwater intrusion risk perceptions to physical exposure of climate change impacts in rural coastal communities of North Carolina," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 97(3), pages 1277-1295, July.
    4. Yongdeng Lei & Jing’ai Wang & Yaojie Yue & Hongjian Zhou & Weixia Yin, 2014. "Rethinking the relationships of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation from a disaster risk perspective," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 70(1), pages 609-627, January.
    5. Kamaldeen Mohammed & Evans Batung & Moses Kansanga & Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong & Isaac Luginaah, 2021. "Livelihood diversification strategies and resilience to climate change in semi-arid northern Ghana," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1-23, February.
    6. Patrick Bottazzi & David Crespo & Harry Soria & Hy Dao & Marcelo Serrudo & Jean Paul Benavides & Stefan Schwarzer & Stephan Rist, 2014. "Carbon Sequestration in Community Forests: Trade-offs, Multiple Outcomes and Institutional Diversity in the Bolivian Amazon," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 45(1), pages 105-131, January.
    7. Fobissie Kalame & Johnson Nkem & Monica Idinoba & Markku Kanninen, 2009. "Matching national forest policies and management practices for climate change adaptation in Burkina Faso and Ghana," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 135-151, February.
    8. Philip Antwi-Agyei & Andrew J. Dougill & Lindsay C. Stringer, 2017. "Assessing Coherence between Sector Policies and Climate Compatible Development: Opportunities for Triple Wins," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-16, November.
    9. Ruben, Ruerd & Pender, John, 2004. "Rural diversity and heterogeneity in less-favoured areas: the quest for policy targeting," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 303-320, August.
    10. Kao-Lee Liaw & Lei Xu, 2013. "Changes in Wage Distributions of Wage Earners in Canada: 2000-2005," Quantitative Studies in Economics and Population Research Reports 451, McMaster University.
    11. Arun S. Malik & Stephen C. Smith, 2012. "Adaptation To Climate Change In Low-Income Countries: Lessons From Current Research And Needs From Future Research," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(02), pages 1-22.
    12. Eustace Njagi Kithumbu & Julius M. Huho & Humphrey Omondi, 2017. "Environmental Determinants of Choice of Sustainability Strategies Adopted by Group Ranches in Samburu County, Kenya," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 6(3), pages 24-32, April.
    13. Stephen Woroniecki, 2019. "Enabling Environments? Examining Social Co-Benefits of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Sri Lanka," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, February.
    14. Md. Sadique Rahman & Farhad Zulfiqar & Hayat Ullah & Sushil Kumar Himanshu & Mofasser Rahman & Avishek Datta, 2024. "Does the adoption of homestead gardening increase dietary diversity in climate-vulnerable coastal areas? Evidence from Bangladesh," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 859-878, September.
    15. Seo, S. Niggol & Mendelsohn, Robert, 2008. "An analysis of crop choice: Adapting to climate change in South American farms," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 109-116, August.
    16. Patricia Fernández-Kelly & Douglas S. Massey, 2007. "Borders for Whom? The Role of NAFTA in Mexico-U.S. Migration," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 610(1), pages 98-118, March.
    17. Sjöstedt, Martin & Sundström, Aksel & Jagers, Sverker C. & Ntuli, Herbert, 2022. "Governance through community policing: What makes citizens report poaching of wildlife to state officials?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    18. Seo, Sungno Niggol & Mendelsohn, Robert, 2007. "Climate change adaptation in Africa : a microeconomic analysis of livestock choice," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4277, The World Bank.
    19. Zhang, Ying & Andrew, Jane, 2022. "Financialisation and the Conceptual Framework: An update," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Alain Ayong Le Kama & Aude Pommeret, 2017. "Supplementing Domestic Mitigation and Adaptation with Emissions Reduction Abroad to Face Climate Change," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 68(4), pages 875-891, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:6:p:740-:d:1401163. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.