Rehabilitation of community-owned, mixed-use rangelands: lessons from the Ewaso ecosystem in Kenya

Kimiti, David W.; Hodge, Anne-Marie C.; Beh, Adam; Abbott, Laurie B.

doi:10.1007/s11258-016-0691-9

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Despite the high cost and low success rates reported, Bourne et al suggest that a ''holistic suite of land management actions'' combining active management and oversight with investment in restoration efforts is paramount in ensuring that the ecological and socioeconomic stability of the region is maintained in the long-term. Kimiti et al (2017) describe the extensive degradation of the Ewaso ecosystem in North Central Kenya that has led to the increase of undesirable plant species cover and the expansion of barren lands. Together, this has resulted in the reduction of wildlife and grazing value, further exacerbated soil erosion rates, and reduced soil moisture content through decreased infiltration.…”

Section: Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

The age of restoration: challenges presented by dryland systems

Svejcar

Kildisheva

2017

Plant Ecol

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Intact drylands are highly evolved and complex ecosystems, which allow them to be productive despite harsh environmental conditions. However, drylands are particularly susceptible to degradation, even after minor disturbance events. Conditions for natural plant recruitment in dryland systems are spatially and temporally irregular, which can create challenges for restoration. Large-scale restoration and rehabilitation of dryland ecosystems have become a global concern, prompted by ever-increasing anthropogenic pressure and associated degradation of these natural systems worldwide. The success of plant reestablishment programs in these regions is closely linked to both ecological and socioeconomic opportunities and limitations. This special issue brings together papers that discuss the roles which ecological and socioeconomic factors play in influencing dryland ecosystem restoration outcomes. We aim to (1) highlight the current status of recovery efforts taking place across a range of dryland ecosystems, emphasize advances in the region-specific understanding of plant community development, and (2) provide comparisons between the primary drivers and limitations to restoration that exist across dryland systems.

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Section: Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

The age of restoration: challenges presented by dryland systems

Svejcar

Kildisheva

2017

Plant Ecol

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“…In particular, considerable efforts have been directed towards promoting and facilitating the establishment of community conservancies to bolster conservation of wildlife on communal pastoral lands [8,9]. Consequently, many pastoral rangelands have been transformed into community conservancies where pastoralism and biodiversity conservation are jointly pursued through collaborative, decentralized arrangements for managing communal lands and natural resources [10]. Such conservancies are thought to act as a catalyst for wildlife conservation, environmental rehabilitation, resource conflict resolution, and sustainable livelihood development for local pastoralist communities [6,8,[11][12][13][14] In northern Kenya, a community conservancy typically develops a natural resource management plan that encompasses participatory land zoning, designating zones for core conservation, livestock grazing, and human settlement [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Community Conservancy Model Work for Pastoralists? Insights from Naibunga Conservancy in Northern Kenya

2021

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Community conservancies are increasingly being established across African pastoral rangelands to help bolster wildlife conservation and livelihoods. Enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of such conservancies requires better understanding of local community participation and perceptions of their socioeconomic outcomes. Working in Naibunga Community Conservancy in northern Kenya, we evaluated: (1) local community members’ perceptions of conservancy-related socioeconomic outcomes; (2) their involvement in conservancy management and conservation activities; and (3) association between these factors (perceptions and involvement) and various demographic factors. We conducted surveys in 358 households, selected using multi-stage sampling, and additionally interviewed key informants. Large proportions (65–90%) respondents perceived conservancy-related improvements in their overall socioeconomic status, security, household income, livestock numbers, and accessibility to grazing resources, schools, and health facilities. Over 75% of respondents indicated that they were involved in conservancy management and conservation activities. Involvement in these activities was positively associated with perception of socioeconomic improvements. In addition, various demographic factors shaped both perceptions of socioeconomic changes and involvement in conservancy activities. Our findings suggest that community conservancies can improve local pastoralists’ socioeconomic wellbeing. Such conservancies can achieve far greater outcomes with greater focus on maximizing socioeconomic benefits for local pastoralists and enhancing their participation in conservancy activities.

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“…Furthermore, certain soil types may be particularly sensitive to the formation of bare soil-dominated patches where vegetation reestablishment is impeded, even after a reduction in grazing intensity (e.g., Franz et al, 2012;Kinyua, McGeoch, Georgiadis, & Young, 2010). On these types of soils, implementation of cost-effective restoration strategies depends on understanding the conditions and time scales over which grazing management or removal could potentially restore vegetation cover (e.g., Kimiti, Hodge, Herrick, Beh, & Abbott, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large herbivores maintain a two‐phase herbaceous vegetation mosaic in a semi‐arid savanna

Augustine

Wigley

Ratnam

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Many arid and semi‐arid rangelands exhibit distinct spatial patterning of vegetated and bare soil‐dominated patches. The latter potentially represent a grazing‐induced, degraded ecosystem state, but could also arise via mechanisms related to feedbacks between vegetation cover and soil moisture availability that are unrelated to grazing. The degree to which grazing contributes to the formation or maintenance of degraded patches has been widely discussed and modeled, but empirical studies of the role of grazing in their formation, persistence, and reversibility are limited.We report on a long‐term (17 years) grazing removal experiment in a semi‐arid savanna where vegetated patches composed of perennial grasses were interspersed within large (>10 m2) patches of bare soil.Short‐term (3 years) grazing removal did not allow bare patches to become revegetated, whereas following long‐term (17 years) grazing removal, bare soil patches were revegetated by a combination of stoloniferous grasses and tufted bunchgrasses. In the presence of grazers, stoloniferous grasses partially recolonized bare patches, but this did not lead to full recovery or to the establishment of tufted bunchgrasses.These results show that grazers alter both the balance between bare and vegetated patches, as well as the types of grasses dominating both patch types in this semiarid savanna.Synthesis: Large herbivores fundamentally shaped the composition and spatial pattern of the herbaceous layer by maintaining a two‐phase herbaceous mosaic. However, bare patches within this mosaic can recover given herbivore removal over sufficiently long time scales, and hence do not represent a permanently degraded ecosystem state.

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Rehabilitation of community-owned, mixed-use rangelands: lessons from the Ewaso ecosystem in Kenya

Cited by 18 publications

References 96 publications

The age of restoration: challenges presented by dryland systems

The age of restoration: challenges presented by dryland systems

Does the Community Conservancy Model Work for Pastoralists? Insights from Naibunga Conservancy in Northern Kenya

Large herbivores maintain a two‐phase herbaceous vegetation mosaic in a semi‐arid savanna

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