People, Livestock, And Wildlife: Existing Best Natural Resource Management Practices In Naibung’a And Namunyak Community Based Conservancies.

Abstract

There are a number of successful Community Based Conservation (CBC) projects in Ewaso Nyiro ecosystem. The success of CBC depends upon its acceptance by rural peoples, but few studies have examined the factors behind the adoption of CBC as tool for economic diversification option and climate change adaptation strategies by pastoralist.

The objective of the study was to assess Community Based Conservation (CBC) as an alternative sustainable option for pastoral livelihood diversification and mitigating climate change effects in the community owned group ranches of Naibunga and Namunyak conservancies respectively.

Using participatory methodologies, the study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The key methodologies used included; maps and photos, transects walks, personal interview with key informants (20), semi-structured questionnaires (108 households), focused group discussion (10), semi-structured interviews (20), maps and photos.

Community participatory approaches to wildlife conservation have significant influence on the successful natural resource management of Naibunga and Namunyak community conservancies (F=10.751, d.f. = 32, 77, p=< 0.000). There is also high positive correlation between these variables and (CBC) success (r2 = 0.817, n = 108 households). Similarly, conservation friendly culture and ecotourism have significant influence on change of attitudes towards game meat and general acceptance of wildlife as alternative source of income (F = 9.831, d.f. = 32, 77, p<0.000). Pastoralists in these areas have adopted a mobile livestock-based system of land use and wildlife conservation as the most sustainable way of maximizing the human carrying capacity, whilst coping with both temporal and spatial variability of rainfall resulting from climate change. Changing seasonal alternative forage when their usual grazing is damaged by drought.

In nutshell, tackling these challenges requires enabling herd mobility while securing rights to natural resources; supporting pastoral livelihoods and their diversification; strengthening conflict management institutions, climate change and drought mitigation systems; and strengthening their capacity to participate in policy debates.