Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya

Human activities are driving wildlife population declines worldwide. However, empirical understandings of their operation and consequences for wildlife populations and habitats are limited. We explored relationships between empirical and perceived wildlife and livestock population trends in Kenya us...

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Autores principales: Kariuki, Juliet B., Ogutu, Joseph O., Kifugo, Shem C., Senteu, Jully S., Ojwang, Gordon, Olff, Han
Formato: Conference Paper
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Livestock Research Institute 2021
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/119664
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author Kariuki, Juliet B.
Ogutu, Joseph O.
Kifugo, Shem C.
Senteu, Jully S.
Ojwang, Gordon
Olff, Han
author_browse Kariuki, Juliet B.
Kifugo, Shem C.
Ogutu, Joseph O.
Ojwang, Gordon
Olff, Han
Senteu, Jully S.
author_facet Kariuki, Juliet B.
Ogutu, Joseph O.
Kifugo, Shem C.
Senteu, Jully S.
Ojwang, Gordon
Olff, Han
author_sort Kariuki, Juliet B.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Human activities are driving wildlife population declines worldwide. However, empirical understandings of their operation and consequences for wildlife populations and habitats are limited. We explored relationships between empirical and perceived wildlife and livestock population trends in Kenya using data on i) aerial monitoring of wildlife and livestock populations during 1977-2018, ii) human population censuses; and iii) semi-structured interviews with 338 male and female respondents from 250 households from four zones of the Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem in 2019 and 2020. Wildlife numbers declined by 72.3% but sheep and goats increased by 306.4%. Yet nearly 50% of the interviewees perceived increases in wildlife numbers during 2011-2020 but concurrent decreases in livestock numbers because wildlife compete with livestock for resources. About one third of the respondents perceived an increase in the number of people living within conservancies and around the reserve and considered this indicative of a developing and thriving community. Notable discrepancies between the empirical and perceived trends were often more apparent than real and collectively suggest that incentives that promote wildlife are evidently viewed as less attractive than those that encourage increasing human and livestock numbers. Reconciling such apparent contradictions in empirical and perceived patterns is essential to extracting insights for formulating policies for sustaining livestock and wildlife populations and their habitats while promoting human welfare in grasslands.
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spelling CGSpace1196642025-11-04T16:27:39Z Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya Kariuki, Juliet B. Ogutu, Joseph O. Kifugo, Shem C. Senteu, Jully S. Ojwang, Gordon Olff, Han Human activities are driving wildlife population declines worldwide. However, empirical understandings of their operation and consequences for wildlife populations and habitats are limited. We explored relationships between empirical and perceived wildlife and livestock population trends in Kenya using data on i) aerial monitoring of wildlife and livestock populations during 1977-2018, ii) human population censuses; and iii) semi-structured interviews with 338 male and female respondents from 250 households from four zones of the Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem in 2019 and 2020. Wildlife numbers declined by 72.3% but sheep and goats increased by 306.4%. Yet nearly 50% of the interviewees perceived increases in wildlife numbers during 2011-2020 but concurrent decreases in livestock numbers because wildlife compete with livestock for resources. About one third of the respondents perceived an increase in the number of people living within conservancies and around the reserve and considered this indicative of a developing and thriving community. Notable discrepancies between the empirical and perceived trends were often more apparent than real and collectively suggest that incentives that promote wildlife are evidently viewed as less attractive than those that encourage increasing human and livestock numbers. Reconciling such apparent contradictions in empirical and perceived patterns is essential to extracting insights for formulating policies for sustaining livestock and wildlife populations and their habitats while promoting human welfare in grasslands. 2021 2022-05-26T19:27:42Z 2022-05-26T19:27:42Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/119664 en Open Access application/pdf International Livestock Research Institute Kariuki, Juliet B., Ogutu, Joseph O., Kifugo, Shem C., Senteu, Jully S., Ojwang, Gordon, Olff, Han. 2021. Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya. Paper presented at the Joint XXIV International Grassland and XI Rangeland 2021 Congress, Nairobi, Kenya, 25-29 October 2021. Nairobi: ILRI
spellingShingle Kariuki, Juliet B.
Ogutu, Joseph O.
Kifugo, Shem C.
Senteu, Jully S.
Ojwang, Gordon
Olff, Han
Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya
title Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya
title_full Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya
title_fullStr Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya
title_short Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya
title_sort comparing empirical with perceived trends in wildlife livestock human population and settlement numbers in pastoral systems the greater maasai mara ecosystem kenya
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/119664
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