A Field Study in the Status and Threats of Cultivation in Kimana and Ilchalai Swamps in Amboseli Dispersal Area, Kenya

Okello, Moses Makonjio; Kioko, John

doi:10.4236/nr.2011.24026

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Agriculture was perceived to have significantly higher and immediate income compared to wildlife conservation, which has minimal direct benefits for most households (Okello and D'Amour, 2008). Readily available water and pastoralists willing to lease their land to farming communities further promoted commercial agriculture around the Amboseli wetlands (Okello and Kioko, 2011). Additionally, wetter parts of Kajiado, which formed dry season grazing zones for livestock, had been taken up by agriculture posing a challenge to livestock herding (Western and Manzolillo-Nightingale, 2003).…”

Section: Modeling Recent Socio-ecological Changes In Amboselimentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

et al. 2018

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This study presents a multidisciplinary perspective for understanding environmental change and emerging socio-ecological interactions across the Amboseli region of southwestern Kenya. We focus on late Holocene (<5,000 cal yr. BP) changes and continuities reconstructed from sedimentary, archeological, historical records and socio-ecological models. We utilize multi-disciplinary approaches to understand environmental-ecosystem-social interactions over the longue durée and use this to simulate different land use scenarios supporting conservation and sustainable livelihoods using a socio-ecological model. Today the semi-arid Amboseli landscape supports a large livestock and wildlife population, sustained by a wide variety of plants and extensive rangelands regulated by seasonal rainfall and human activity. Our data provide insight into how large-scale and long-term interactions of climate, people, livestock, wildlife and external connections have shaped the ecosystems across the Amboseli landscape. Environmental conditions were dry between ∼5,000 and 2,000 cal yr. BP, followed by two wet periods at ∼2,100-1,500 and 1,400-800 cal yr. BP with short dry periods; the most recent centuries were characterized by variable climate with alternative dry and wet phases with high spatial heterogeneity. Most evident in paleo and historical records is the changing woody to grass cover ratio, driven by changes in climate and fire regimes entwined with fluctuating elephant, cattle and wild ungulate populations moderated by human activity, including elephant ivory trade intensification. Archeological perspectives on the occupation of different groups (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and farmers) in Amboseli region and the relationships between them are discussed. An overview of the known history of humans and elephants, expanding networks of trade, and the arrival and integration of metallurgy, livestock and domesticated crops in the wider region is provided. In recent decades, increased runoff and flooding have resulted in the expansion of wetlands and a reduction of woody vegetation, compounding problems created by increased enclosure and privatization of these landscapes. However, most Githumbi et al.Long-Term Multidisciplinary Perspectives at Amboseli, Kenya of the wetlands outside of the protected area are drying up because of the intensified water extraction by the communities surrounding the National Park and on the adjacent mountains areas, who have increased in numbers, become sedentary and diversified land use around the wetlands.

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Section: Modeling Recent Socio-ecological Changes In Amboselimentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

et al. 2018

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“…The demographic changes are linked to expansion of urban centres, intensifying land use and expanding subsistence and commercial agriculture, supported by Mt. Kilimanjaro's runoff, settlements, development infrastructure, poaching and human-wildlife conflicts (Mworia et al 2008, Okello et al 2009, Okello & Kioko 2011.…”

Section: Population Pressurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A large percentage of wildlife in Kajiado, as elsewhere in Kenya (65-75%), live permanently on, or seasonally use, pastoral lands outside the protected areas (Wishitemi & Okello 2003, Okello & Kioko 2011. At least 80% of the large mammals from the Amboseli National Park disperse to the neighbouring Maasai Group ranches in the wet season.…”

Section: Land Use/cover Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivore Dynamics and Range Contraction in Kajiado County Kenya: Climate and Land Use Changes, Population Pressures, Governance, Policy and Human-wildlife Conflicts

Ogutu¹,

Piepho

Said³

et al. 2014

TOECOLJ

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Wildlife populations are declining severely in many protected areas and unprotected pastoral areas of Africa. Rapid large-scale land use changes, poaching, climate change, rising population pressures, governance, policy, economic and socio-cultural transformations and competition with livestock all contribute to the declines in abundance. Here we analyze the population dynamics of 15 wildlife and four livestock species monitored using aerial surveys from 1977 to 2011 within Kajiado County of Kenya, with a rapidly expanding human population, settlements, cultivation and other developments. The abundance of the 14 most common wildlife species declined by 67% on average (2% / yr) between 1977 and 2011 in both Eastern (Amboseli Ecosystem) and Western Kajiado. The species that declined the most were buffalo, impala, wildebeest, waterbuck, oryx, hartebeest, Thomson's gazelle and gerenuk in Eastern Kajiado (70% to 88%) and oryx, hartebeest, impala, buffalo, waterbuck, giraffe, eland and gerenuk in Western Kajiado (77% to 99%). Only elephant (115%) and ostrich (216%) numbers increased contemporaneously in Eastern and Western Kajiado, respectively. Cattle and donkey numbers also decreased on average by 78% in Eastern Kajiado and by 37% in Western Kajiado. Sheep and goats decreased the least in Eastern (28%) but increased in Western (96%) Kajiadio. Livestock dominated (70-80%) the total large herbivore biomass throughout the 1977-2011 monitoring period. The distribution of wildlife contracted dramatically during 1977-2011, most especially for wildebeest, giraffe and impala. Only zebra and ostrich distributions expanded in the county. However, livestock distribution expanded to densely cover most of the county. Our findings point to recurrent droughts, intensifying human population pressures, land use changes and other anthropogenic impacts, decades of ineffective or failed government policies, legislations, law enforcement, management institutions and strategies as the salient causes of the declines and range compressions. We recommend several urgent measures to rehabilitate the depleted wildlife populations and habitat richness, restore their ecological resilience to droughts and secure pastoral livelihoods.

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“…On the scale of Amboseli NP, Western (2007) Worden et al (2003) noted that conversion and subsequent fencing of Namelok swamp has led to the local extirpation of hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius), buffaloes and elephants from these areas, significantly decreasing the range for the first two species. Swamps are increasingly under threat from unsustainable use and unplanned expansion of agriculture (Okello and Kioko 2011); our land cover maps indicate ( fig. 5) that almost all the swamps of Amboseli basin have been put under cultivation in the last two decades.…”

Section: Land Cover Change and Anthropogenic Influencementioning

confidence: 92%

“…The area has a low potential for rain-fed agriculture but is favorable for pastoralism, the traditional livelihood of the resident Maasai communities (Pratt et al 1966;Grandin 1991). Over the last few decades many Maasai have started cultivating and the wetter areas of the ecosystem are being progressively converted into agriculture (Campbell et al 2000;Okello and Kioko 2011). Amboseli NP (fig.…”

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing land use change to identify migration corridors of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the Kenyan-Tanzanian borderlands

2018

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Acknowledgments:We are thankful for the comments of two anonymous reviewers, which significantly improved the manuscript. AbstractContext: East African ecosystems are characterized by the migrations of large herbivores that are highly vulnerable to the recent development of anthropogenic land use change. Objectives: We analyzed land cover changes in the Kenyan-Tanzanian borderlands of the greater Amboseli ecosystem to evaluate landscape connectivity using African elephants as an indicator species. Methods: We used multi-temporal Landsat imagery and a post classification approach to monitor land cover changes over a 43-year period. GIS based methods were accompanied by a literature review for spatial data on land cover changes and elephant migrations. Results:Land cover changed considerably between 1975 and 2017. Wood-and bushlands declined by 16.3% while open grasslands increased throughout the study region (+10.3%). Agricultural expansion was observed (+12.2%) occupying important wildlife habitats and narrowing migration corridors. This development has led to the isolation of Nairobi National Park which was previously part of a large contiguous ecosystem. Eight migration corridors were identified of which only one is formally protected. Two others are almost completely blocked by agriculture and three are expected to become endangered under continuing land use changes. Conclusions: Landscape connectivity is still viable for this ecosystem (except for Nairobi National Park). However, the current situation is very fragile as anthropogenic land use changes are threatening most of the identified large mammal migration corridors. Sustainable land use planning with regard to important wildlife habitats and connecting corridors is a crucial task for further conservation work to safeguard a viable future for wildlife populations in the Kenyan-Tanzanian borderlands.

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A Field Study in the Status and Threats of Cultivation in Kimana and Ilchalai Swamps in Amboseli Dispersal Area, Kenya

Abstract: ABSTRACT

Cited by 11 publications

References 12 publications

Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

Herbivore Dynamics and Range Contraction in Kajiado County Kenya: Climate and Land Use Changes, Population Pressures, Governance, Policy and Human-wildlife Conflicts

Analyzing land use change to identify migration corridors of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the Kenyan-Tanzanian borderlands

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