The behavior of animals potentially affects their survival and reproduction. The activity budget ... more The behavior of animals potentially affects their survival and reproduction. The activity budget of the Critically Endangered giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis has been investigated in populations across Africa and found to be influenced by body size, diet and sex. Foraging patterns show how an animal chooses to forage in its environment, and is influenced by resource availability, competition and predation risk. The activity budget and foraging patterns of Nubian giraffes vary considerably between ecosystems. The Nubian giraffe is a recently identified subspecies G. camelopardalis camelopardalis). This Critically Endangered giraffes which includes Rothschild’s giraffes, occurs only within Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Southern Sudan. We observed the behavior of a population of Nubian giraffes in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, to assess seasonal activity budgets and foraging patterns. In the wet and dry seasons, giraffes spent approximately the same amount of time (53 ...
BackgroundEnhancing soil organic carbon storage in areas under extensive livestock grazing has be... more BackgroundEnhancing soil organic carbon storage in areas under extensive livestock grazing has become a challenge in most arid and semi-arid rangelands in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya for instance, continuous unplanned grazing in community lands has led to overgrazing and degradation of the rangelands. For decades, livestock production has shaped the landscape through various management practices. Grazing can be used to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content but intensive use of land can lead to its depletion. This study was set out to elucidate the effect of two types of grazing management under varying land cover types on mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in the soil. The study was carried out in two ranches, Mpala Research Centre (controlled grazing) and Ilmotiok Community Group Ranch (continuous grazing). The experimental design was a completely randomized block design in split-plot arrangement with three replicates. The main plots...
Background: Spiny mice of the genus Acomys are distributed mainly in dry open habitats in Africa ... more Background: Spiny mice of the genus Acomys are distributed mainly in dry open habitats in Africa and the Middle East, and they are widely used as model taxa for various biological disciplines (e.g. ecology, physiology and evolutionary biology). Despite their importance, large distribution and abundance in local communities, the phylogeny and the species limits in the genus are poorly resolved, and this is especially true for sub-Saharan taxa. The main aims of this study are (1) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of Acomys based on the largest available multilocus dataset (700 genotyped individuals from 282 localities), (2) to identify the main biogeographical divides in the distribution of Acomys diversity in dry open habitats in Afro-Arabia, (3) to reconstruct the historical biogeography of the genus, and finally (4) to estimate the species richness of the genus by application of the phylogenetic species concept. Results: The multilocus phylogeny based on four genetic markers shows presence of five major groups of Acomys called here subspinosus, spinosissimus, russatus, wilsoni and cahirinus groups. Three of these major groups (spinosissimus, wilsoni and cahirinus) are further sub-structured to phylogenetic lineages with predominantly parapatric distributions. Combination of alternative species delimitation methods suggests the existence of 26 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), potentially corresponding to separate species. The highest genetic diversity was found in Eastern Africa. The origin of the genus Acomys is dated to late Miocene (ca. 8.7 Ma), when the first split occurred between spiny mice of eastern (Somali-Masai) and south-eastern (Zambezian) savannas. Further diversification, mostly in Plio-Pleistocene, and the current distribution of Acomys were influenced by the interplay of global climatic factors (e.g., Messinian salinity crisis, intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation) with local geomorphology (mountain chains, aridity belts, water bodies). Combination of divergence dating, species distribution modelling and historical biogeography analysis suggests repeated "out-of-East-Africa" dispersal events into western Africa, the Mediterranean region and Arabia.
Over the years, the causes of climatic changes have been visible in the agriculture sector. It is... more Over the years, the causes of climatic changes have been visible in the agriculture sector. It is noted that agricultural practices have the potential to mitigate climate change through climate-smart agricultural practices thus increases production and income of farmers. This study assesses how the effects of intercropping maize with legumes and using animal manure alongside planting of high yielding certified maize varieties mitigates farmers against maize yield losses in Bukembe ward of Bungoma County. A questionnaire set up in Open Data Kit (ODK) was administered to collect data from 250 randomly selected maize producing farmers. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis was performed to ascertain if the climate-smart agriculture practices used in maize production increased maize yields hence mitigating the farmer against maize yield losses. The overall model was significant at P < 0.05 with an R – squared of 42%. Intercropping maize with legumes and adding manure to the...
Water insecurity is a threat to pastoral livelihoods and sustainability. The Water Act of Kenya, ... more Water insecurity is a threat to pastoral livelihoods and sustainability. The Water Act of Kenya, 2002, created the Water Resource Users’ Associations (WRUAs) to enhance water resource conservation access at the local level. Nevertheless, environmental degradation has increased in recent times, further exacerbating water crisis and threatening livelihoods. This study sought to assess the status of community based water resource conservation in the Southern rangelands of Kiserian, Kajiado County, Kenya. Kiserian WRUA members were purposively sampled for this survey. Data was mainly collected through administration of a semi-structured questionnaire. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were also conducted to validate the data obtained from the questionnaire. Chi-square and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 20. Results indicated that access to information on water conservation and training were significantly associated, with memb...
Livestock grazing practices in rangelands are being recognized as management tool for environment... more Livestock grazing practices in rangelands are being recognized as management tool for environmental protection and increased livestock productivity. Continuous grazing has been largely reported to reduce pasture productivity and increase environmental degradation. Rotational grazing is an alternative to continuous grazing and is considered to reduce negative environmental effects and provide quality pastures and browse ensuring availability of quality feed for animals while conserving the environment. This study was conducted in a semi-arid grassland in the south eastern rangelands of Kenya which is primarily used for cattle production to establish how grazing management system affects herbaceous biomass yield, cover, plant species richness and diversity (in 2016). Quadrat method was used to collect vegetation samples. In each plot, a 100 m2 sub- plot was demarcated and five 1×1m quadrats laid out. A quadrat was placed at each of the four corners of the 100m2 plot and the 5th quadra...
Rangelands cover approximately 85% of Kenya’s land mass and is a major resource for livestock far... more Rangelands cover approximately 85% of Kenya’s land mass and is a major resource for livestock farming with a considerable potential to mitigate climate change, yet these lands are stressed differently by various management. Our study aimed at determining the influence of grazing management systems (rotational, continuous and ungrazed) on soil organic carbon stocks in Yoani ranch located in the southern rangelands of Kenya (2016). This research was conducted on a commercial grazing ranch, a section of it was converted from continuous grazing into rotational grazing and has been under rotational grazing for 11 years during the time the research was conducted. Within the same ranch, there was a section with similar geomorphology and soils as the rotationally grazed which was not converted and has been continuously grazed for over 30 years to represent the continuous grazing system. The ungrazed area consists of an abandon section of the ranch for more than 30 years due to a deep gully ...
Land use and land cover changes are important processes that influence the dynamics of human-wild... more Land use and land cover changes are important processes that influence the dynamics of human-wildlife conflicts. Effective management of human-wildlife conflicts requires the participation of local communities and other stakeholders. However, local communities need to identify and understand resource use change and their role in the process, so as to facilitate uptake of appropriate land resource management strategies aimed at counteracting human-wildlife conflicts. Approaches aimed at changing local community behavior towards natural resource use require appropriate technologies that bridge the technology and knowledge gaps between policy makers and local communities. PGIS was used to assess and educate local communities on land use and land cover changes as well as visualize the problems associated with resource changes. Local communities were found to be significantly knowledgeable about resource changes and their causes. PGIS compared well to conventional GIS analysis and theref...
African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2021
Climate variability threatens farmers’ livelihoods. Efforts to address climate stress recognise c... more Climate variability threatens farmers’ livelihoods. Efforts to address climate stress recognise climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a promising approach to minimising the damage caused by increasing weather variability. However, the effect of CSA practices on the resilience of maize farmers in the face of climate variability is not well understood. This study assesses the effects of CSA practices on the resilience of maize farmers. Using primary data from 250 randomly sampled maize farmers in Kenya, a resilience index was generated and then analysed using a structural equation model. The results show that CSA practices increase the resilience of farmers, suggesting enhanced resilience to climate variability. CSA practices improve farmers’ food security and welfare, and their adoption should be promoted.
Journal of Sustainability, Environment and Peace, 2021
Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa face challenges that require the intervention... more Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa face challenges that require the intervention of national governments, development partners and other stakeholders. HEIs also require new investment paradigms to maximize students’ acquisition of work-ready skills, knowledge and attitudes to enable students to contribute effectively to the workforce. The objective of this study was to identify reforms and investments needed to strengthen Higher Education (HE) in Africa and to inform the design and implementation of future investments and policy for sustainable development. A systematic review approach, involving a synthesis of literature on this theme in Africa in recent years, by African governments, education networks, academia and international bodies, was employed. The study used data from UNESCO and World Bank databases which were blended with the synthesis of the literature. The obtained literature was analysed and synthesized on the basis of its relevance and value to the HE...
In this paper, a version modied of contraction Hardy-Rogers type in a metric space and is proved.... more In this paper, a version modied of contraction Hardy-Rogers type in a metric space and is proved. Moreover, we apply this modied version to investigate the existence of unique solution of boundary value problems for the dierential equations and generalized fractional dierential equations through help of the properties of Green function. We also provide an example in support of acquired results. These results extend various comparable results from literature.
Introduction: Long-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livesto... more Introduction: Long-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livestock production, a key livelihood strategy in these areas. This paper presents perceptions of the pastoral community on the dynamics of pastoral livelihoods under three land-use types namely nomadic, semi-nomadic, and sedentary in Amboseli ecosystem located in southern Kenya. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data concerning household livestock herds, perceived livestock trends and their causes, importance of migration, sedentarization, and land subdivision, and were administered to respondents randomly selected from the three land-use types. The study shows that the livestock herd size was higher in nomadic (117.1) and lower in sedentary (56.6) land-use site. The majority of the respondents in nomadic (79%), semi-nomadic (73%), and sedentary (64%) reported a declining trend in household herd size. The declines were mostly attributed to recurrent droughts and loss of grazing lands. Conclusions: Pastoralism remains an important livelihood strategy to majority of households in the study area; therefore, to achieve sustainable livelihood strategies, grazing lands should be maintained.
Introduction: In the recent decades, there has been growing interest in the contribution of non-t... more Introduction: In the recent decades, there has been growing interest in the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to livelihoods, development, and poverty alleviation among the rural populace. This has been prompted by the fact that communities living adjacent to forest reserves rely to a great extent on the NTFPs for their livelihoods, and therefore any effort to conserve such resources should as a prerequisite understand how the host communities interact with them. Methods: Multistage sampling technique was used for the study. A representative sample of 400 households was used to explore the utilization of NTFPs and their contribution to households' income in communities proximate to Falgore Game Reserve (FGR) in Kano State, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze and summarize the data collected. The findings reveal that communities proximate to FGR mostly rely on the reserve for firewood, medicinal herbs, fodder, and fruit nuts for household use and sales. Income from NTFPs accounts for 20-60% of the total income of most (68%) of the sampled households. The utilization of NTFPs was significantly influenced by age, sex, household size, main occupation, distance to forest and market. The findings suggest that NTFPs play an important role in supporting livelihoods, and therefore provide an important safety net for households throughout the year particularly during periods of hardship occasioned by drought. It is suggested that stakeholders should prioritize technical and financial support programs on agricultural value addition and handcrafts that would promote off-farm income generating activities, in addition, provision of alternative domestic cooking energy such as biogas in communities proximate to FGR in order to reduce pressure relating to fuelwood gathering from the forest, this will help to improve forest resources quality.
We dedicate this paper to the late Bill Stanley who devoted much of his career to the study of sm... more We dedicate this paper to the late Bill Stanley who devoted much of his career to the study of small mammals in East Africa. Bill facilitated acquiring numerous samples used in this study and the promise of future collaborations was cut short as Bill passed away unexpectedly during his field trip in Ethiopia in
Introduction: Water-based interventions haphazardly introduced in the drylands of Kenya have led ... more Introduction: Water-based interventions haphazardly introduced in the drylands of Kenya have led to the introduction of piospheres used as concentration mounts. Not much is known about the effect of these piospheres on soil physio-chemical properties, especially in the Kenyan rangelands where the government and other development agencies have created piospheres aimed at curbing water shortages and sustaining livestock production. The study assessed the effect of piospheres on soil physio-chemical characteristics in the southern rangelands of Kajiado, Kenya, in order to provide evidence-based insights that will be useful in guiding future water interventions. Methods: Soil samples were collected within 0.25-m 2 plots at 20-m intervals along 100-m transects from three piospheres (a dam, a trough, and a seasonal river). Two-way ANOVA was used to determine if there were significant differences in soil parameters between piospheric distances. Results: Soil bulk density significantly different between piospheric distances (F = 22.25, P = 0.001) and piospheres (F = 13.10, P = 0.002), being highest at 20 m from the trough (1.1-1.21 gcm −3) relative to a similar distance from the dam (1.01-1.20 gcm −3) and the river (1.1-1.17 gcm −3). On the other hand, mean soil aggregate stability significantly increased (F = 66.89, P = 0.001) with piospheric distance, being lowest at 20 m from the trough (43.9-46.2%), the dam (43.1-48.9%), and the river (46.6-47.5%). Conclusions: High soil bulk density and consequent low soil porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and moisture content demonstrated that grazing was high near the piospheres. It is recommended that livestock should be herded away from the piospheres after drinking water to ensure that grazing livestock spend less time near the piospheres if reduced soil compaction is to be realized. Piospheres should also be better planned and placed at landscape level to exploit landscape heterogeneity.
This study analyzed the changes in the forest areas in Bartin province of Turkey and the surround... more This study analyzed the changes in the forest areas in Bartin province of Turkey and the surrounding areas using remote sensing data and GIS techniques. Three Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images of the study region, recorded in 1987, 1992, and 2000, were utilized. The main land-use characteristics were derived using a maximum-likelihood classification technique. The remotely sensed data allows monitoring of current land use/land cover and detection of temporal changes. Furthermore, a temporal and spatial comparison of the classified image can be performed using Geographical Information System (GIS) to show land-use changes. GIS analysis of the classification results based on reference datasets revealed that the area covered by forests decreased significantly and that the amount of the reduction corresponded mainly to increased agricultural land use. The reasons for this negative impact on forested areas were growth in the region's population, and expansion of agricultural areas and settlements. The classification results also showed that past, afforestation work had been successful.
The behavior of animals potentially affects their survival and reproduction. The activity budget ... more The behavior of animals potentially affects their survival and reproduction. The activity budget of the Critically Endangered giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis has been investigated in populations across Africa and found to be influenced by body size, diet and sex. Foraging patterns show how an animal chooses to forage in its environment, and is influenced by resource availability, competition and predation risk. The activity budget and foraging patterns of Nubian giraffes vary considerably between ecosystems. The Nubian giraffe is a recently identified subspecies G. camelopardalis camelopardalis). This Critically Endangered giraffes which includes Rothschild’s giraffes, occurs only within Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Southern Sudan. We observed the behavior of a population of Nubian giraffes in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, to assess seasonal activity budgets and foraging patterns. In the wet and dry seasons, giraffes spent approximately the same amount of time (53 ...
BackgroundEnhancing soil organic carbon storage in areas under extensive livestock grazing has be... more BackgroundEnhancing soil organic carbon storage in areas under extensive livestock grazing has become a challenge in most arid and semi-arid rangelands in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya for instance, continuous unplanned grazing in community lands has led to overgrazing and degradation of the rangelands. For decades, livestock production has shaped the landscape through various management practices. Grazing can be used to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content but intensive use of land can lead to its depletion. This study was set out to elucidate the effect of two types of grazing management under varying land cover types on mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in the soil. The study was carried out in two ranches, Mpala Research Centre (controlled grazing) and Ilmotiok Community Group Ranch (continuous grazing). The experimental design was a completely randomized block design in split-plot arrangement with three replicates. The main plots...
Background: Spiny mice of the genus Acomys are distributed mainly in dry open habitats in Africa ... more Background: Spiny mice of the genus Acomys are distributed mainly in dry open habitats in Africa and the Middle East, and they are widely used as model taxa for various biological disciplines (e.g. ecology, physiology and evolutionary biology). Despite their importance, large distribution and abundance in local communities, the phylogeny and the species limits in the genus are poorly resolved, and this is especially true for sub-Saharan taxa. The main aims of this study are (1) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of Acomys based on the largest available multilocus dataset (700 genotyped individuals from 282 localities), (2) to identify the main biogeographical divides in the distribution of Acomys diversity in dry open habitats in Afro-Arabia, (3) to reconstruct the historical biogeography of the genus, and finally (4) to estimate the species richness of the genus by application of the phylogenetic species concept. Results: The multilocus phylogeny based on four genetic markers shows presence of five major groups of Acomys called here subspinosus, spinosissimus, russatus, wilsoni and cahirinus groups. Three of these major groups (spinosissimus, wilsoni and cahirinus) are further sub-structured to phylogenetic lineages with predominantly parapatric distributions. Combination of alternative species delimitation methods suggests the existence of 26 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), potentially corresponding to separate species. The highest genetic diversity was found in Eastern Africa. The origin of the genus Acomys is dated to late Miocene (ca. 8.7 Ma), when the first split occurred between spiny mice of eastern (Somali-Masai) and south-eastern (Zambezian) savannas. Further diversification, mostly in Plio-Pleistocene, and the current distribution of Acomys were influenced by the interplay of global climatic factors (e.g., Messinian salinity crisis, intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation) with local geomorphology (mountain chains, aridity belts, water bodies). Combination of divergence dating, species distribution modelling and historical biogeography analysis suggests repeated "out-of-East-Africa" dispersal events into western Africa, the Mediterranean region and Arabia.
Over the years, the causes of climatic changes have been visible in the agriculture sector. It is... more Over the years, the causes of climatic changes have been visible in the agriculture sector. It is noted that agricultural practices have the potential to mitigate climate change through climate-smart agricultural practices thus increases production and income of farmers. This study assesses how the effects of intercropping maize with legumes and using animal manure alongside planting of high yielding certified maize varieties mitigates farmers against maize yield losses in Bukembe ward of Bungoma County. A questionnaire set up in Open Data Kit (ODK) was administered to collect data from 250 randomly selected maize producing farmers. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis was performed to ascertain if the climate-smart agriculture practices used in maize production increased maize yields hence mitigating the farmer against maize yield losses. The overall model was significant at P < 0.05 with an R – squared of 42%. Intercropping maize with legumes and adding manure to the...
Water insecurity is a threat to pastoral livelihoods and sustainability. The Water Act of Kenya, ... more Water insecurity is a threat to pastoral livelihoods and sustainability. The Water Act of Kenya, 2002, created the Water Resource Users’ Associations (WRUAs) to enhance water resource conservation access at the local level. Nevertheless, environmental degradation has increased in recent times, further exacerbating water crisis and threatening livelihoods. This study sought to assess the status of community based water resource conservation in the Southern rangelands of Kiserian, Kajiado County, Kenya. Kiserian WRUA members were purposively sampled for this survey. Data was mainly collected through administration of a semi-structured questionnaire. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were also conducted to validate the data obtained from the questionnaire. Chi-square and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 20. Results indicated that access to information on water conservation and training were significantly associated, with memb...
Livestock grazing practices in rangelands are being recognized as management tool for environment... more Livestock grazing practices in rangelands are being recognized as management tool for environmental protection and increased livestock productivity. Continuous grazing has been largely reported to reduce pasture productivity and increase environmental degradation. Rotational grazing is an alternative to continuous grazing and is considered to reduce negative environmental effects and provide quality pastures and browse ensuring availability of quality feed for animals while conserving the environment. This study was conducted in a semi-arid grassland in the south eastern rangelands of Kenya which is primarily used for cattle production to establish how grazing management system affects herbaceous biomass yield, cover, plant species richness and diversity (in 2016). Quadrat method was used to collect vegetation samples. In each plot, a 100 m2 sub- plot was demarcated and five 1×1m quadrats laid out. A quadrat was placed at each of the four corners of the 100m2 plot and the 5th quadra...
Rangelands cover approximately 85% of Kenya’s land mass and is a major resource for livestock far... more Rangelands cover approximately 85% of Kenya’s land mass and is a major resource for livestock farming with a considerable potential to mitigate climate change, yet these lands are stressed differently by various management. Our study aimed at determining the influence of grazing management systems (rotational, continuous and ungrazed) on soil organic carbon stocks in Yoani ranch located in the southern rangelands of Kenya (2016). This research was conducted on a commercial grazing ranch, a section of it was converted from continuous grazing into rotational grazing and has been under rotational grazing for 11 years during the time the research was conducted. Within the same ranch, there was a section with similar geomorphology and soils as the rotationally grazed which was not converted and has been continuously grazed for over 30 years to represent the continuous grazing system. The ungrazed area consists of an abandon section of the ranch for more than 30 years due to a deep gully ...
Land use and land cover changes are important processes that influence the dynamics of human-wild... more Land use and land cover changes are important processes that influence the dynamics of human-wildlife conflicts. Effective management of human-wildlife conflicts requires the participation of local communities and other stakeholders. However, local communities need to identify and understand resource use change and their role in the process, so as to facilitate uptake of appropriate land resource management strategies aimed at counteracting human-wildlife conflicts. Approaches aimed at changing local community behavior towards natural resource use require appropriate technologies that bridge the technology and knowledge gaps between policy makers and local communities. PGIS was used to assess and educate local communities on land use and land cover changes as well as visualize the problems associated with resource changes. Local communities were found to be significantly knowledgeable about resource changes and their causes. PGIS compared well to conventional GIS analysis and theref...
African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2021
Climate variability threatens farmers’ livelihoods. Efforts to address climate stress recognise c... more Climate variability threatens farmers’ livelihoods. Efforts to address climate stress recognise climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a promising approach to minimising the damage caused by increasing weather variability. However, the effect of CSA practices on the resilience of maize farmers in the face of climate variability is not well understood. This study assesses the effects of CSA practices on the resilience of maize farmers. Using primary data from 250 randomly sampled maize farmers in Kenya, a resilience index was generated and then analysed using a structural equation model. The results show that CSA practices increase the resilience of farmers, suggesting enhanced resilience to climate variability. CSA practices improve farmers’ food security and welfare, and their adoption should be promoted.
Journal of Sustainability, Environment and Peace, 2021
Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa face challenges that require the intervention... more Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa face challenges that require the intervention of national governments, development partners and other stakeholders. HEIs also require new investment paradigms to maximize students’ acquisition of work-ready skills, knowledge and attitudes to enable students to contribute effectively to the workforce. The objective of this study was to identify reforms and investments needed to strengthen Higher Education (HE) in Africa and to inform the design and implementation of future investments and policy for sustainable development. A systematic review approach, involving a synthesis of literature on this theme in Africa in recent years, by African governments, education networks, academia and international bodies, was employed. The study used data from UNESCO and World Bank databases which were blended with the synthesis of the literature. The obtained literature was analysed and synthesized on the basis of its relevance and value to the HE...
In this paper, a version modied of contraction Hardy-Rogers type in a metric space and is proved.... more In this paper, a version modied of contraction Hardy-Rogers type in a metric space and is proved. Moreover, we apply this modied version to investigate the existence of unique solution of boundary value problems for the dierential equations and generalized fractional dierential equations through help of the properties of Green function. We also provide an example in support of acquired results. These results extend various comparable results from literature.
Introduction: Long-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livesto... more Introduction: Long-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livestock production, a key livelihood strategy in these areas. This paper presents perceptions of the pastoral community on the dynamics of pastoral livelihoods under three land-use types namely nomadic, semi-nomadic, and sedentary in Amboseli ecosystem located in southern Kenya. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data concerning household livestock herds, perceived livestock trends and their causes, importance of migration, sedentarization, and land subdivision, and were administered to respondents randomly selected from the three land-use types. The study shows that the livestock herd size was higher in nomadic (117.1) and lower in sedentary (56.6) land-use site. The majority of the respondents in nomadic (79%), semi-nomadic (73%), and sedentary (64%) reported a declining trend in household herd size. The declines were mostly attributed to recurrent droughts and loss of grazing lands. Conclusions: Pastoralism remains an important livelihood strategy to majority of households in the study area; therefore, to achieve sustainable livelihood strategies, grazing lands should be maintained.
Introduction: In the recent decades, there has been growing interest in the contribution of non-t... more Introduction: In the recent decades, there has been growing interest in the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to livelihoods, development, and poverty alleviation among the rural populace. This has been prompted by the fact that communities living adjacent to forest reserves rely to a great extent on the NTFPs for their livelihoods, and therefore any effort to conserve such resources should as a prerequisite understand how the host communities interact with them. Methods: Multistage sampling technique was used for the study. A representative sample of 400 households was used to explore the utilization of NTFPs and their contribution to households' income in communities proximate to Falgore Game Reserve (FGR) in Kano State, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze and summarize the data collected. The findings reveal that communities proximate to FGR mostly rely on the reserve for firewood, medicinal herbs, fodder, and fruit nuts for household use and sales. Income from NTFPs accounts for 20-60% of the total income of most (68%) of the sampled households. The utilization of NTFPs was significantly influenced by age, sex, household size, main occupation, distance to forest and market. The findings suggest that NTFPs play an important role in supporting livelihoods, and therefore provide an important safety net for households throughout the year particularly during periods of hardship occasioned by drought. It is suggested that stakeholders should prioritize technical and financial support programs on agricultural value addition and handcrafts that would promote off-farm income generating activities, in addition, provision of alternative domestic cooking energy such as biogas in communities proximate to FGR in order to reduce pressure relating to fuelwood gathering from the forest, this will help to improve forest resources quality.
We dedicate this paper to the late Bill Stanley who devoted much of his career to the study of sm... more We dedicate this paper to the late Bill Stanley who devoted much of his career to the study of small mammals in East Africa. Bill facilitated acquiring numerous samples used in this study and the promise of future collaborations was cut short as Bill passed away unexpectedly during his field trip in Ethiopia in
Introduction: Water-based interventions haphazardly introduced in the drylands of Kenya have led ... more Introduction: Water-based interventions haphazardly introduced in the drylands of Kenya have led to the introduction of piospheres used as concentration mounts. Not much is known about the effect of these piospheres on soil physio-chemical properties, especially in the Kenyan rangelands where the government and other development agencies have created piospheres aimed at curbing water shortages and sustaining livestock production. The study assessed the effect of piospheres on soil physio-chemical characteristics in the southern rangelands of Kajiado, Kenya, in order to provide evidence-based insights that will be useful in guiding future water interventions. Methods: Soil samples were collected within 0.25-m 2 plots at 20-m intervals along 100-m transects from three piospheres (a dam, a trough, and a seasonal river). Two-way ANOVA was used to determine if there were significant differences in soil parameters between piospheric distances. Results: Soil bulk density significantly different between piospheric distances (F = 22.25, P = 0.001) and piospheres (F = 13.10, P = 0.002), being highest at 20 m from the trough (1.1-1.21 gcm −3) relative to a similar distance from the dam (1.01-1.20 gcm −3) and the river (1.1-1.17 gcm −3). On the other hand, mean soil aggregate stability significantly increased (F = 66.89, P = 0.001) with piospheric distance, being lowest at 20 m from the trough (43.9-46.2%), the dam (43.1-48.9%), and the river (46.6-47.5%). Conclusions: High soil bulk density and consequent low soil porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and moisture content demonstrated that grazing was high near the piospheres. It is recommended that livestock should be herded away from the piospheres after drinking water to ensure that grazing livestock spend less time near the piospheres if reduced soil compaction is to be realized. Piospheres should also be better planned and placed at landscape level to exploit landscape heterogeneity.
This study analyzed the changes in the forest areas in Bartin province of Turkey and the surround... more This study analyzed the changes in the forest areas in Bartin province of Turkey and the surrounding areas using remote sensing data and GIS techniques. Three Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images of the study region, recorded in 1987, 1992, and 2000, were utilized. The main land-use characteristics were derived using a maximum-likelihood classification technique. The remotely sensed data allows monitoring of current land use/land cover and detection of temporal changes. Furthermore, a temporal and spatial comparison of the classified image can be performed using Geographical Information System (GIS) to show land-use changes. GIS analysis of the classification results based on reference datasets revealed that the area covered by forests decreased significantly and that the amount of the reduction corresponded mainly to increased agricultural land use. The reasons for this negative impact on forested areas were growth in the region's population, and expansion of agricultural areas and settlements. The classification results also showed that past, afforestation work had been successful.
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