Introduction: Conserving Wildlife in Kenya’s Ewaso Landscape

Georgiadis, Nicholas J.

doi:10.5479/si.00810282.632.1

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The region is also home to critical populations of endangered African wild dog, Grevy's zebra, and black rhinoceros. Unlike other parts of Kenya, this region has seen an increase in the populations of many wildlife species in recent decades (Georgiadis 2011;M. Kinnaird et al, unpublished data).…”

Section: Laikipia and Kleementioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons on the relationship between livestock husbandry and biodiversity from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE)

et al. 2012

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Although livestock and wildlife share most of their ranges worldwide, little controlled experimental research has been done on their interactions. Since 1995 we have been manipulating the presence of cattle and large wild ungulates in a Kenyan savanna rangeland in order to better understand the nature of competition and coexistence between these two guilds of herbivores and how they affect biodiversity. In a replicated experiment in which different combinations of cattle and wild herbivores are allowed access to large-scale plots, we have been monitoring the impacts of these herbivores on vegetation, on the wild herbivores, and cattle themselves, and on a variety of other taxa. We have also been conducting experimental research to examine other ways in which livestock management in eastern Africa might affect biodiversity. These include studies on the impacts of fire, livestock corrals, and changes in tree density. This research has revealed the following patterns. (1) Cattle suppress many species of wild herbivores, presumably through competition for their shared resources. The nature of this competition, however, is contingent on rainfall and the presence of other herbivores. (2) Wild herbivores both compete with and facilitate cattle, depending on rainfall. (3) The pastoral practice of housing livestock nightly in protective corral enclosures ("bomas") over time produces long-lived nutrient hotspots preferred by both livestock and wild herbivores. (4) Fire, frequently used by pastoralists in the past, is valuable for improving grass quality, with benefits for many species of wild herbivores. (5) Pastoral practices that reduce woody cover, including burning and boma construction, create local habitat patches that are preferred by wild herbivores, apparently for their greater anti-predator visibility. (6) Despite competition between livestock and wild herbivores, coexistence between these two guilds can be managed, and there are several positive (facilitative) pathways between livestock husbandry and wild herbivores and other biodiversity.

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Section: Laikipia and Kleementioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons on the relationship between livestock husbandry and biodiversity from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE)

et al. 2012

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“…In sharp contrast to major declines in large mammal numbers throughout Kenya, both inside and outside official protected areas, including the Maasai Mara (Western et al 2009), Laikipia's populations of large mammals were, until recently, considered to be stable and, for some species, increasing (Georgiadis 2011b;LWF 2012). The most recent countywide aerial census, however, indicates a decline between 2001 and 2012 in the abundance of 11 of 14 large ungulate species .…”

Section: Large Mammals and Primates Of Laikipiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At present, Laikipia's rangeland agroecosystem, where well managed, provides considerable habitat connectivity among several of Kenya's largest and most important ecosystems for the conservation of biodiversity, particularly for primates and large mammals (Didier et al 2011;Georgiadis 2011b). These sites include the Mathews Range and Samburu Ecosystem to the north, Meru Ecosystem to the east, Mount Kenya to east and south-east, the Aberdares Range to the south-west, and the Eastern Rift Valley to the west (Fig.…”

Section: Threats To Primates In Laikipiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The persistence of biodiversity, including primates, depends not only on the conservation of official protected areas, but also on the conservation of vast tracts of land that lack formal protection, are privately or communally owned, and are occupied by people and their crops and/or livestock (Hutton et al 2005;Didier et al 2011;Georgiadis 2011b;. Agroecosystems are ecosystems in which indigenous plants and animals are partially or completely replaced with crops and/or livestock (Altieri 2003;Estrada et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Primate Conservation in the Rangeland Agroecosystem of Laikipia County, Central Kenya

Butynski¹,

Jong²

2014

Primate Conservation

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“…The river originates in the Central Kenyan Highlands and terminates in a large wetland, the Lorian Swamp, located in the arid zone of North Eastern Kenya. Past development promoted crop and livestock production in the upper catchment [1], while more recent development initiatives aim at promoting wildlife-based tourism in the middle part of the catchment [2][3][4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits of Riverine Water Discharge into the Lorian Swamp, Kenya

Leeuw

Said

Kifugo

et al. 2012

Water

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Use and retention of river water in African highlands deprive communities in arid lowlands of their benefits. This paper reviews information on water use in the Ewaso Ng'iro catchment, Kenya, to evaluate the effects of upstream abstraction on the Lorian Swamp, a wetland used by pastoralists downstream. We first assess the abstractions and demands for water upstream and the river water supplies at the upper and the lower end of the Lorian Swamp. Further analysis of 12 years of monthly SPOT-VEGETATION satellite imagery reveals higher NDVI (Normalized Differential Vegetation Index) values in the swamp than nearby rainfed areas, with the difference in NDVI between the two positively related to river water discharged into the swamp. The paper next reviews the benefits derived from water entering the swamp and the vulnerability to abstractions for three categories of water: (i) the surface water used for drinking and sanitation; (ii) the surface water that supports forage production; and (iii) the water that recharges the Merti Aquifer. Our results suggest that benefits from surface water for domestic use and forage production are vulnerable to abstractions upstream whereas the benefits from the aquifer, with significant fossil water, are likely to be affected in the long run, but not the short term. OPEN ACCESSWater 2012, 4 1010

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Introduction: Conserving Wildlife in Kenya’s Ewaso Landscape

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 publications

Lessons on the relationship between livestock husbandry and biodiversity from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE)

Lessons on the relationship between livestock husbandry and biodiversity from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE)

Primate Conservation in the Rangeland Agroecosystem of Laikipia County, Central Kenya

Benefits of Riverine Water Discharge into the Lorian Swamp, Kenya

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