Rangeland Livelihood Strategies under Varying Climate Regimes: Model Insights from Southern Kenya

Rebecca Kariuki, Simon Willcock and Rob Marchant
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Rebecca Kariuki: York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK
Simon Willcock: Centre for Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural & Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
Rob Marchant: York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK

Land, 2018, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: Rangelands throughout sub-Saharan Africa are currently undergoing two major pressures: climate change (through altered rainfall and seasonality patterns) and habitat fragmentation (brought by land use change driven by land demand for agriculture and conservation). Here we explore these dimensions, investigating the impact of land use change decisions, by pastoralists in southern Kenya rangelands, on human well-being and animal densities using an agent-based model. The constructed agent-based model uses input biomass data simulated by the Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator (LPJ-GUESS) dynamic vegetation model and parameterized with data from literature. Scenarios of land use change under different rainfall years, land tenure types and levels of wildlife conservation support were simulated. Reflecting reality, our results show livestock grazing as the predominant land use that changes with precipitation and land tenure leading to varying livelihood strategies. For example, agriculture is the most common livelihood in wet years and conservation levels increase with increasing support of wildlife conservation initiatives. Our model demonstrates the complex and multiple interactions between pastoralists, land management and the environment. We highlight the importance of understanding the conditions driving the sustainability of semi-arid rangelands and the communities they support, and the role of external actors, such as wildlife conservation investors, in East Africa.

Keywords: agent-based-model; climate change; conservation; grazing; pastoralists; precipitation; savannahs; social-ecological systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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