Life Sciences Commons^™

Participatory Management Of Rangeland Hydrology – A New Socio-Ecological Technology To Effectively Adapt To And Mitigate Climate Change: Case From Morocco, Lhoussaine Bouchaou, El Hassane El Mahdad, El Hassan Beraaouz, Abdelfettah Sifeddine, Alessandro Rizzo, Mohamed Hssaisoune, Hanane Reddad, Abdelghani Chehbouni, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Morocco’s drylands cover over 90% of the land area; low and irregular rainfall and high potential evaporation contribute to extremely high-water deficits. These phenomena have greatly impacted rangeland hydrology and nomadic and transhumant pastoralism. To adapt to this predominant water deficit, the inhabitants of these areas have developed two forms of lifestyles, which include household and livestock mobility: (i) a pendulum movement for seasonal transhumance between the mountains and their bordering plains; and (ii) random nomadic mobility regulated by the sporadic frequency of rains and thus water availability. In both cases, this mobility is controlled by the degree of development …

Producing Useful Knowledge For Sustainable Development, K. A. Galvin

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Africa makes a relatively minor contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions compared with developed nations, yet the African continent will be increasingly vulnerable to climate change processes in the coming decades. Critical challenges include meeting basic needs for food, water, shelter, and other necessities without undermining biodiversity and ecosystem services. Coordination efforts to address multiple global change related stressors has generally occurred at the national level and taken an external approach, with national governments favoring collaboration with foreign-based NGOs and other international institutions. However, the involvement of actors at the local level correlates with decisions that are better adapted to …

Large Scale Land Investments And Food Security In Agro-Pastoral Areas Of Ethiopia, Adugna Eneyew Bekele, Liesbeth Dries, Wim Heijman, Dusan Drabik

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

There is an ongoing debate about the impact of large scale land investments on the livelihoods of rural households in developing countries. This study investigates the impact of large scale land investments on households' food security in Ethiopia. The findings show proximity to large scale land investments is associated with higher food intake with an average treatment effect of 744.71 kcal per day per adult. This is mainly because of the availability relatively good natural capitals near to large scale land investments. Large scale land investments should make sure that the local community has access to grazing to improve food …

Climate Change Policy Narratives And Pastoralist Predicaments In The Horn Of Africa: Insights From Ethiopia And Kenya, T. Campbell

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Drawing on the findings of a two-country case study, this paper examines the discourses and narratives found in contemporary climate change and national development policy in Ethiopia and Kenya, the actors shaping those policy narratives, and in turn, their consequences for pastoralism. The research reveals that while concerns around climate change and calls for strengthening resilience of dryland communities have given a new impetus to pastoral development, old arguments and assumptions that depict pastoral areas, and pastoralists, as unproductive and in need of modernisation remain deeply embedded in policy making. These open up spaces for the state, investors, and local …

Towards A Holistic Understanding Of Pastoralism, M. Cabeza, P. Manzano, D. Burgas, L. Cadahía, J. Eronen, Á. Fernández-Llamazares, S. Bencherif, Ø. Holand, M. Fortelius, O. Seitsonen, María E. Fernández-Giménez, K. A. Galvin, N. Chr. Stenseth

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Pastoralism is a globally-important livelihood, with large social, environmental and economic importance across much of our planet. Yet, it is also a vulnerable practice with widespread crises, urgently calling for better systemic understanding. The current disciplinary compartmentalization of research not only hampers this but allows perpetuation of unfortunate misconceptions. Furthermore, a long-standing marginalization of the livelihood prevails, with pastoralism being largely overlooked in international environmental and economic forums or sustainability agendas.

Here we call for transformative approaches to pastoralism research that can advance an integrated understanding of these social-ecological systems through a comparative lens. We develop a framework that uses: …

Pastoral Traditional Ecological Knowledge Dynamicity: A Global Review, A. Sharifian Bahraman, Á. Fernández-Llamazares, H. Wario, Z. Molnár, M. Cabeza

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

There is a significant knowledge gap concerning the extent to which pastoral traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has changed. We conducted a systematic review of 152 papers on pastoral TEK, focusing specifically on 63 papers that explicitly mentioned types of knowledge transitions (retention, erosion, adaptation or hybridization). Studies on pastoral TEK represent less than 3% of all the scholarly literature on TEK. Geographical distribution of the case studies was largely biased. Knowledge domains of pastoral TEK such as herd and livestock management, forage and medicinal plants, and landscape and wildlife were relatively equally covered, however, climate-related knowledge was less studied. Out …

Priority Areas For Action And Research On Pastoralism And Rangelands In Eastern Africa, M. O. Odhiambo

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

There is an element of irony around pastoralism and research in Eastern Africa. While it is one of the most researched production and livelihood systems, pastoralism is also the least understood by policymakers and development actors, with discussions about its importance characterized by significant gaps in knowledge. What is more, policy actors have difficulties accessing empirical data specific to pastoralism and rangelands in a form that allows well-founded decision-making on policy and action. Most available data tend to be out of date and not disaggregated with reference to pastoralism and rangelands. As a result, much of the discourse around pastoralism …

Changing Perceptions Of Rangelands And Pastoralists Through Multistakeholder Action Before And During The Iyrp, A. Waters-Bayer

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists (IYRP) should draw attention to rangelands and pastoralists and their economic, social, cultural and environmental contributions to global wellbeing. The “gap analysis” by UN Environment revealed much ignorance and misperceptions about rangelands and pastoralism among national governments, international institutions and the general public.

The IYRP campaign seeks to foster better understanding of how rangelands are used in an ecologically sound and resource-efficient way, e.g. through mobile pastoralism. It seeks to raise awareness of the importance of rangelands and pastoralists among policymakers. It seeks to encourage investment in the rangelands and related policy support, …

Women’S Empowerment For Demographic Issues And Conflicts In African Pastoralist Societies, M. R. Cevallos, P. Manzano

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Widespread conflict is a recurring issue in African pastoralist societies. While its roots are debated, there is a missing link with prevailing poverty among communities and particularly among women. We here apply a gender perspective to establish a hypothesis on the role of women in pastoralist conflicts.

The existing polygynic system establishes a violent frame for pastoralist women, who would be sold at increasingly early ages to provide in turn enough resources for furnishing the dowry needed by their brothers. The control on them would thereby be transferred from their own families to their husband and his family, where they …

Exploring The Information Base Needed For Sustainable Management Of Rangeland Resources For Improved Livelihoods, K. I. Johnsen, M. Niamir-Fuller, A. Bensada, A. Waters-Bayer

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Pastoralism is one of the most sustainable production systems worldwide and plays a major role in safeguarding ecosystem services and biodiversity in rangelands. The unique biological and cultural diversity of rangelands contributes to goods, services and knowledge that benefit humans also beyond the herding communities.

Yet data currently available on grassland, forestry, agriculture and livestock are inadequate for informing policymaking on rangeland-based livestock systems. A review of global environmental assessments, online databases, peer-reviewed literature and international project documents showed that available information seldom disaggregates rangelands from other ecosystems or pastoralists from other rural dwellers. Few peer-reviewed publications address pastoral and …

Engaging Stakeholders To Implement Community‐Based Rangeland Rehabilitation Plans In Southern And Northeastern Ethiopia, G. Gebru, D. Amosha, S. Desta, L. Gizachew, A. Kebede, D. Layne Coppock

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Common Property Over Time: Access To And Distribution Of Resources Among Pastoralists In Central Tibet (1884‐2004), Kenneth Bauer

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Securing The Environmental Services Of Mobile Pastoralism: Policy And Investment Options, Jonathan Davies

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

To Fence Or Not To Fence: Policy And Enclosure On The Tibetan Plateau, G. Davidson, R. H. Behnke, C. Kerven

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Policy Drivers For Rangelands In Developing Countries, Maryam Niamir‐Fuller

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Commercial Assets Of The Senegalese Pastoral Population (Ferlo), A. Wane, Ibra Touré, V. Ancey

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Is The Pastoral Production System Compatible With The Ecosystem Sustainability?—Case Of The Tropical African Sahel, Bernard Toutain, C. Ancey, Alexandre Ickowicz

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.