Use of indigenous ecological knowledge of the Maasai pastoralists for assessing rangeland biodiversity in Tanzania |
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Authors: | Arnold L. Mapinduzi Gufu Oba Robert B. Weladji Jonathan E. Colman |
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Affiliation: | National Environment Management Council (NEMC), P.O. Box 63154, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,;Noragric, Centre for International Environment and Development Studies, Agricultural University of Norway, P.O. Box 5001, N-1432 Ås, Norway,;Department of Animal Sciences, Agricultural University of Norway, P.O. Box 5025, N-1432 Ås, Norway and;Department of Biology, Division of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 5001, N-1432 Oslo, Norway |
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Abstract: | This paper incorporates the indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) of the Maasai pastoralists and ecological methods to assess effects of grazing and cropping on rangeland biodiversity at macro‐ and micro‐landscape scales in northern Tanzania. The joint surveys with pastoralists identified indicator plant species and their associations with micro‐landscapes and livestock grazing suitability (i.e. for cattle and small ruminant grazing), while traditional calf‐pasture reserves (alalili pl. alalilia) were evaluated for preservation of rangeland biodiversity. The macro‐landscapes comprising the cool high plateau (osupuko pl. isipuki) and montane forest highland (endim) were included in the survey. At micro‐landscape scales, the osupuko was classified into uplands (orkung'u), slopes (andamata) and dry valley bottomlands (ayarata). The micro‐landscapes were assessed in terms of herbaceous plant species and woody species richness and risks of soil erosion. Biodiversity varied at both the macro‐ and micro‐landscape scales and in accordance with the land‐use types. Greater plant species diversity and less erosion risks were found in the pastoral landscapes than in the agro‐pastoral landscapes. The calf‐grazing pastures had greater herbaceous species richness than the non‐calf pastures, which in turn had more woody species. The study concludes that the indigenous systems of landscape classification provides a valuable basis for assessing rangeland biodiversity, which ecologists should incorporate into ecological surveys of the rangelands in East Africa in the future. |
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Keywords: | grazing suitability indigenous ecological knowledge landscape Maasai pastoralists rangeland biodiversity species richness |
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