Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

Chapter 2
The changing face of pastoral systems in grass -
dominated ecosystems of eastern Africa
R.S. Reid, S. Serneels, M. Nyabenge and J. Hanson
SUMMARY
All eastern Africa is in the tropics, but its grasslands cover a very wide range of
altitudes. Extensive grassland s are mostly in arid and semi -arid zones . The area
is subject to droughts and a high degree of pastoral risk . Potential vegetation is
largely desert and semi-desert , bush and woodland, with only a small area of
pure grassland , but the grass -dominated herbaceous layer of the other formations
is very important for wildlife and livestock; 75 percent of eastern Africa is
dominated by grasslands, often with a varying amount of woody vegetation. The
grasslands have been grazed by livestock and game for millennia. Eastern Africa
is a centre of genetic diversity for grasses. Six to eleven main grassland zones
have been described. Grasslands are either under government control , are open
access or are common property resources . Access to resources are under national
laws but frequently traditional land use rights are granted by local communities .
National land tenure systems are unrelated to traditional ones. Governments supported
cropping and reduction of communal grazing land ; contraction of pastoral
systems reduces the scale of resource use by pastoral peoples. The population is
very varied – pastoral groups tend to be of different ethnicities from agricultural or
agropastoral groups. Most pastoral systems are in the semi-arid areas, with small
areas in hyper-arid and subhumid zones. Traditionally, livestock and their products
were for subsistence and wealth, but now many are marketed. Grasslands are
increasingly being integrated into farming as pastoral systems evolve. Sown forages
are widely used in agricultural areas. Cattle , like people, are mostly in the non-pastoral
areas (70 percent), except in countries with little high-potential land. Cattle,
camels , sheep , goats and donkeys are the main livestock kept by the pastoralists for
subsistence; most herds are mixed . Indigenous breeds are the majority, although
exotic cattle are kept for dairying in high altitude zones. Wildlife are widespread in
the grazing lands and are important for tourism . Agricultural development along
watercourses limits access by wildlife and pastoral stock.
SCOPE
This chapter focuses on the grazing lands or rangelands of Burundi, Eritrea ,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia , the Sudan, the United Republic of
Tanzania (Tanzania) and Uganda (Figure 2.1). These comprise extensive semi -
19