Search

Rural commons in East-Africa have historically played key socio-economic and environmental sustainability. Despite growing interest in this arena, there are still surprisingly few studies that examine rural customary management of pastoral communities in East Africa. This is striking given that this region is an exemplary area for pastoralism and thus ideal for communal systems such as commons. Deficient studies and political support in this area could be linked to widespread prejudice of branding pastoralism as perilous to the environment. We set out to conduct a study to examine and test pastoralists' customary norms that underpin environmental sustainability/unsustainabity of pastoral commons focusing on Mwanda-Marungu, in Taita hills, Kenya where the first author originates and brought up as a pastoralist up to the age of 24. Through ethnographic approaches and semi-open interviews to 193 respondents conducted in 2019–2021 during water and pasture stress during the dry months of July–October, we examined whether customary governance of Mwanda-Marungu would offer sustainable model that conforms to the IUCN's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Our study showed that pastoral communities in this area have been developing inventive measures for generations that improve good management and ecological protection. These may be tied to the principles of OECMs which contests the misconception about pastoralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite playing a key role in the history and prehistory of human societies in eastern Eurasia, the archaeological record of eastern Mongolia—particularly its rich tradition of rock art and petroglyphs—has been poorly integrated into western archaeological literature. We summarize a large body of recent scholarship from Mongolia’s three eastern provinces, Khentii, Sukhbaatar, and Dornod, to identify evidence of cultural activity in the region stretching from the Palaeolithic through the historic era. Rock art imagery from Eastern Mongolia reveals key insights into the region’s under-investigated archaeological record, including the co-occurrence of humans with megafauna such as the wooly rhinocerous and mammoth during the last Ice Age, occupation of the region by pre-pastoral cultures during the Holocene, and important pulses of activity associated with early pastoral cultures and empires during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. Future analysis of these sites promises to help us understand the murkiest chapters in the region’s past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first 27 years of the Central Australian Laboratory (CAL), to 1980, research focussed almost entirely on the needs of the pastoral industry. By the 1980s, ongoing campaigns for Aboriginal land rights and demands to conserve biodiversity plainly showed that there were other land uses deserving research attention. Initially CAL's research agenda expanded to include conservation in spinifex grasslands and grazing lands but remained biophysical in nature. It subsequently became clear that people's roles in decision-making about land use and management should be part of research. By the 2000s, scientists were able to build trusting relationships with Aboriginal people and organisations and undertake collaborative studies to improve livelihoods and wellbeing on country. Over the 38 years from 1980 to 2018, CAL's research activities responded to diverse societal expectations but it was not enough to prevent the laboratory's eventual closure as public investment in rangelands dwindled. The changing nature of research at CSIRO's Central Australian Laboratory over many decades reflected major shifts in societal expectations, the availability of new knowledge and enabling technologies and the particular skills of its staff. This paper follows the expansion of research from a pastoral focus into, initially, conservation and later into socio-ecological systems and Aboriginal livelihoods. Despite the relevance of the research to participating rangeland communities, the power of remote centralised decision-making led to the slow demise of the laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CSIRO's research in the arid zone was initiated after World War 2 when a strong push to develop the sparsely populated and isolated region of northern Australia was promoted as being in the national interest. This impetus had social and political origins but implementation depended on scientific insights into regional 'potential', which was couched at the time in terms of agronomic and pastoral use. Ray Perry was a key figure in early land resource surveys of the region and later a key motivator for, and supporter of, research in the arid and semi-arid rangelands of Australia. His commitment was fundamental to the establishment of CSIRO's Central Australian Laboratory. Pastoral land use and improving the land for that purpose were the primary concerns when CSIRO's presence in Alice Springs was established in 1953. From an initial focus on 'making the desert bloom', in particular making the vast spinifex grasslands more 'useful', the focus of research shifted to maintaining the productivity of country preferred by cattle and establishing methods for monitoring its health. It was not until the 1970s that Aboriginal and conservation land management appeared in the laboratory's research agenda, somewhat intermittently, in response to important social and political changes in the wider Australian community. When CSIRO's Arid Zone Unit was established in Alice Springs in 1953, the social and political imperative was to develop Australia's north and, more specifically, to make the vast interior more productive for pastoral and agronomic purposes. The research that followed showed the unreality of that goal and the need to nurture the land that cattle preferred to graze. Not until the 1970s were other values for land, such as Aboriginal and conservation uses, considered to be subjects for research, stimulated by social and political change in the wider Australian community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid land governance, mosaics, polycentrism have become ways to describe contemporary rangeland settings - ways of responding to uncertainties through flexible institutions, overlapping boundaries and an assembled, plural bricolage of practices. However, this is frequently thought to be recent, often arising from more formal, regulated systems, whether state, private or communal, and with well-defined land tenure regimes. This paper argues that hybridity (in various forms) has always been present in Amdo Tibet, despite the political changes over time and space. Hybridity is a necessary response to uncertainty and central to the utilisation of variable resources, which is the core strategy of pastoralism. Yet the form of hybridity varies as it must be constructed in particular historical circumstances, constrained by political economic conditions between the feudal, collectivist, liberalised eras. Today's hybridity - and so contemporary rangeland use and management strategies - must be understood in this historical context, as an accretion of practices and strategies that have emerged over different eras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the overlooked political marginalisation of Karamojong pastoralists in Uganda, contrary to a commonly held belief that ecological factors and pastoralism are the leading contributors to poverty and underdevelopment in Karamoja.1 Anchored within the theoretical strand of marginalisation, this article discusses how the actions of those operating at the centre of power perpetuate persistent poverty in Karamoja. A particular focus is placed on political representation, resource allocation and the engagement of local people in poverty eradication and development. The paper argues that the grants from central government are meagre and misguided, Karamoja is poorly and ineffectively represented at policy levels, and the local people have a limited voice in poverty alleviation and development programmes. The paper concludes that Karamoja's persistent poverty is to a great extent a product of political marginalisation. Finally, it recommends affirmative action, effective local leadership, sensitisation and involvement of local people in poverty alleviation initiatives and combating corruption in public offices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the dynamics of pastoralist herd mobility in West Darfur State, Sudan, a region affected by persistent conflict. The paper examines the annual cycle and seasonal trajectories of mobility for camels, cattle, and sheep, comparing mobility patterns by livelihood specialisation and reviewing the mobility of multi-species herds. Using social research tools and remote sensing livestock tracking technology, the study found diverse livestock mobility patterns within the region. Conflict and insecurity have reduced the freedom and flexibility of these movements. Persistent insecurity combined with climate shocks have led to adaptations, including changes in herd species composition and owner preference, and a shift from long to short-distance mobility closer to the home area. Ultimately these changes have undermined the resilience of the pastoral system. The paper considers the implications of these changes in pastoralist mobility for humanitarian needs, building livelihood resilience and promoting peaceful integration with other users of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pastoralism as a mode of production has had an important bearing on the livelihoods of many people in arid and semiarid environments. In the recent decades' policies for land management in pastoral communities have changed from customary to statutory policies. This study analysed the dynamics of land management and their influence on the pastoral livelihood system at Kimana and Njoro villages in Kiteto district, northern Tanzania. Data for the study were collected from two focus groups, six key informants at the district level, and 296 households (equivalent to 10.1%) using household questionnaires, Findings show that whereas land is managed under customary and statutory laws, the emphasis is more on statutory laws. Statutory laws foster individualization of land ownership to some activities such as crop production, whereas communal lands are left for animal grazing only. Under statutory laws, individual land ownership is likely to be influenced by crop production, male-headed households, climate change, and resource use conflicts. However, statutory laws cannot guarantee sustainable resource management as the natural resources management institutions cannot dictate activities done in individual lands, as opposed to traditional systems. There is a need to harmonize traditional and modern forms of land management for increasing productivity and enhancing sustainable natural resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasingly fragmented rangelands, restricted mobility and climatic stress, diversification has accelerated among East African pastoralists. Diversification is also promoted as a climate change adaptation strategy to reduce climatic exposure. Through a study of a Maasai communal land in southern Kenya, we analyze how pastoralists navigate changing access to key productive resources that are linked to diversification processes, social differentiation, and the reshaping of livelihood practices. By integrating an intersectional approach in access theory, we unpack a deeper level of context specific patterns of inclusion and exclusion embedded within evolving production relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assessment of Leo Marx’s career, from his youth in New York and Paris, Harvard education, and military service in World War II, to the major themes in his scholarship during 65 years of teaching at Minnesota, Amherst College, and MIT. Best known for his The Machine in the Garden, Marx was one of the founding scholars of American Studies, but he also made seminal contributions to the History of Technology and the environmental humanities. His work is a useful legacy for scholars assessing technological solutions proposed to deal with ecological crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives Non-communicable disease risk and the epidemic of cardiometabolic diseases continue to grow across the expanding industrialized world. Probing the relationships between evolved human physiology and modern socioecological conditions is central to understanding this health crisis. Therefore, we investigated the relationships between increased market access, shifting subsistence patterns and cardiometabolic health indicators within Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists who vary in their engagement in traditional lifestyle and emerging market behaviors. Methodology We conducted cross-sectional socioecological, demographic and lifestyle stressor surveys along with health, biomarker and nutrition examinations among 225 (51.6% female) Daasanach adults in 2019–2020. We used linear mixed-effects models to test how differing levels of engagement in market integration and traditional subsistence activities related to blood pressure (BP), body composition and blood chemistry. Results We found that systolic and diastolic BP, as well as the probability of having high BP (hypertension), were negatively associated with distance to market, a proxy for market integration. Additionally, body composition varied significantly by socioeconomic status (SES), with significant positive associations between BMI and body fat and higher SES among adults. Conclusions and implications While evidence for evolutionary mismatch and health variation have been found across a number of populations affected by an urban/rural divide, these results demonstrate the effects of market integration and sedentarization on cardiometabolic health associated with the early stages of lifestyle changes. Our findings provide evidence for the changes in health when small-scale populations begin the processes of sedentarization and market integration that result from myriad market pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pastoral mobility occupies an important place in the West African livestock sector. Despite its importance, the transhumant livestock system still faces serious constraints that threaten its productive base. Thus, we carried out a systematic review using the PRISMA method in order to document the scientific knowledge on the dynamics of the transhumant livestock system and the factors of its transformation, and to finally identify the prospects for research. Thus, 64 peer-reviewed scientific articles in French and English between 2011 and 2020 dealing with the evolution of transhumance were used. However, the literature has made it possible to distinguish four evolutions of the following transhumant livestock systems: agropastoralism, the semi-intensive system, Ranching and Neo-pastoralism. This ongoing transformation is due to environmental, socio-economic and political factors. The reduction of grazing areas linked to the extension of cultivated areas, the cultural occupation of pastoral areas, the appearance of new diseases, conflicts between actors, etc. lead to difficulties of livestock mobility and access to natural resources. This access vulnerability is accentuated with the environmental and socio-political crises that Africa is going through. The new issues and challenges for transhumant pastoralism in West African coastal countries are population growth, monetarization and decentralization. Beyond decentralization, the problem of land and modes of access to land remains a concern in a context of redefining local powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the 1990s, archaeological and paleoenvironmental investigations have been carried out both in high and middle mountains in order to understand how these territories have been enhanced by human societies over the past centuries. The same objectives have led geoarchaeological research in the Mont du Forez. Since 2016, archaeological surveys and paleoenvironmental studies have begun and have been multiplied, especially in the upper part of the mountain named “Hautes-Chaumes”. A total of 24 sites have been referenced thanks to pedestrian prospections. Field studies have provided valuable information on the Gallo-roman occupation and its architecture during the early roman period. Archaeological excavations were carried out on five sites from that period in order to highlight architectural processes and their evolution over time. These changes are probably linked to the socio-economic dynamics that appear in the neighboring plains of the Dore and the Loire. In the Hautes-Chaumes window, the dynamics of land use that appeared at the beginning of the roman period actively participated in the management of the environment through the development of agro-sylvo-pastoral activities that increased during this period.

Reindeer pastoralism, practiced by groups of the Indigenous Sámi people in Sweden, is being threatened by a new wave of encroachments. In this paper I take stock of how the Sámi movement has mobilized around grievances related to the ecological conditions that support natural pasture-based reindeer pastoralism. I apply the contentious politics approach to social movement theory, and Felix Kolb’s conceptualization of five strategies that social movements have used when interacting with the state to achieve political change. Drawing upon 10 years of data from the Sámi public news service, my study makes three main contributions. First, I identify a set of themes found in the public grievances connected to ecological conditions articulated by reindeer pastoralist organizations in the public sphere that are a focus for mobilization. Second, I present an overview of the five strategies that the Sámi movement applies in claims-making to address those grievances: the public preference mechanism, the political access mechanism, the judicial mechanism, the international politics mechanism, and the disruption mechanism, and show how they relate to one another. Third, I discuss the limitations of current mobilization efforts, and argue that cross-movement coalitions are needed to challenge the hegemonic bloc.

Millet is a highly adaptable plant whose cultivation dramatically altered ancient economies in northern Asia. The adoption of millet is associated with increased subsistence reliability in semi-arid settings and perceived as a cultigen compatible with pastoralism. Here, we examine the pace of millet’s transmission and locales of adoption by compiling stable carbon isotope data from humans and fauna, then comparing them to environmental variables. The Bayesian modelling of isotope data allows for the assessment of changes in dietary intake over time and space. Our results suggest variability in the pace of adoption and intensification of millet production across northern Asia.

Several models which remain equivocal and controversial cite migration and/or diffusion for the emergence and spread of pastoralism and farming in southern Africa during the first millennium AD. A synthesis of archaeobotanical proxies (e.g., palynology, phytoliths, anthracology) consistent with existing archaeobotanical and archaeological data leads to new insights into anthropogenic impacts in palaeorecords. Harnessing such archaeobotanical evidence is viable for tracing the spread of pastoralism and farming in the first millennium AD because the impact of anthropogenic practices is likely to result in distinct patterns of vegetation change. We assess this impact through the synthesis of published archaeobotanical evidence of pastoralism and farming, as well as vegetation changes in southern Africa during the first millennium AD. It has been argued that the decline of forests during the first millennium AD in southern Africa predominantly relates to climate change. This argument often precludes anthropogenic effects on vegetation. Our reassessment of the relationship between vegetation, climate, and human activities in southern Africa reveals evidence of human impact during the same period. We also highlight gaps in the current knowledge of early pastoralism and farming and potential future research directions. We hypothesize that the pattern exhibited by the decline of forest tree pollen, coupled with the increase of open-land indicators, the occurrence of pioneer trees, as well as the spores of coprophilous fungi, and possible changes in the fire regime are reflective of, and consistent with, anthropogenic activities of pre-European pastoralists and farmers.

Abstract Background Food insecurity increases the risks of hunger and malnutrition and remains a formidable health challenge in resource-poor settings. Pastoral communities, which are largely restricted to marginal lands, tend to experience heightened levels of food insecurity. However, empirical evidence of food insecurity for communities living on the edge of conservation areas is limited. This study assessed the prevalence and determinants of food insecurity in pastoral communities of Ngorongoro, Tanzania. Methods Data were collected through a household survey (n = 238), key informant interview and field observation. Food insecurity was measured through Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data were subjected to descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and multivariate regression analysis. Results Based on three HFIAS domains, the surveyed communities experience anxiety and uncertainty about food supply (77.3% of the households), insufficient quality in terms of variety and preferences (74.1%), and insufficient food intake (55.9%). Overall, more than half (55%) of the households are food insecure. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics show that household food insecurity is independent of socio-demographic factors. Culture, environmental factors, and production system determine food access, food consumption practices, and overall household food security. The odds of food insecurity are higher in households whose location to the market exceeds 5 km [AOR (95% CI) = 6.20 (1.66–9.09)] and those reporting limited access to water [AOR (95% CI) = 1.09 (0.17–6.43]. A similar pattern is recorded in households not owning small stocks [AOR (95% CI) = 1.12 (0.41–1.65)] or donkeys [AOR (95% CI) = 1.19 (0.18–7.65)]. Conclusion Empirical evidence shows that the prevalence of food insecurity in the study community is high. This situation emanates from a wide range of factors including those linked to culture, physical environment, and production system. Thus, interventions are needed to leverage nutrition education, promote sustainable energy technologies, and develop strategic social service infrastructure in the community development zone. There is also a need to look into long-term settlement plans with the view to improve the welfare of the pastoral communities.

ABSTRACT The study was devised with the aim to evaluate the relationship between hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) in beetal goats being reared under pastoralism. It also aims to devise a hematological formula for estimation of Hb from PCV. Female (n=59) and male goats (n=41) were bled for PCV determination through microhematocrit method, and Hb estimation through Sahli’s hemoglobinometer (HbD) as well as through calculation being 1/3rd of PCV (HbC). The HbD and HbC were statistically non-significant (P≥0.05) for male and female beetal goats. Overall, significantly (P≤0.01) positive correlation coefficient was noticed between HbD and PCV, and between HbD and HbC (r=0.75; adjusted r-square=0.57). As the overall model predicted that 57% variability in HbD could be deduced from PCV, hence, in order to enhance the prediction probability, the regression equation i.e. Hb concentration= 0.24(PCV) +1.5 was utilized to deduce corrected hemoglobin (CHb). The comparison of this CHb with HbD gave a non-significant (P≤0.05) difference. Similarly, linear regression of CHb with PCV gave a 99% prediction. We accordingly recommend a simplified pen-side hematological formula for deducing Hb concentration from PCV viz. Hb concentration= 0.24(PCV) +1.5 for beetal goats instead of its calculation as one-third of PCV.

ObjectiveTo understand the basics of sleep quality in a pastoralist population and to explore predictors of this variation.DesignCross-sectional.SettingNorthern Namibia, dry seasons of 2016 and 2017.ParticipantsThe Himba, a nonindustrial seminomadic agropastoralist population without access to the electrical grid.MeasurementsUsing Actiwatch-2 devices, 75 participants completed 721 days of wear. We calculated sleep duration, efficiency, and activity counts before and after sunset/sunrise and onset/offset. Participants were also interviewed about sleeping arrangements and nighttime disruptions.ResultsHimba show lower sleep duration and efficiency than other populations studied, and men had substantially lower duration and efficiency than women. Sex differences were not attenuated when napping was included with total sleep time. Age predicted longer sleep duration and lower evening and morning activity levels. Number of adult co-sleepers predicted increased sleep duration and efficiency in women. Livestock disturbance was not a commonly reported cause of nighttime waking.ConclusionsThese findings support predictions that pastoralist groups may have lower sleep quality than other subsistence populations, but this does not appear to be a consequence of noise from livestock. Instead, lower sleep quality appears to be the result of subsistence and social activities, particularly for men and young adults overall.

Community-based conservation efforts represent an important approach to facilitate the coexistence of people and wildlife. A concern, however, is that these efforts build on existing community structures and social norms, which are commonly dominated by men. Some biodiversity conservation approaches may consequently neglect women’s voices and deepen existing inequalities and inequities. This paper presents two community case studies that draw upon the knowledge and experience gained in our snow leopard conservation practice in pastoral and agro-pastoral settings in Mongolia and India to better understand women’s roles and responsibilities. In these settings, roles and responsibilities in livestock management and agriculture are strongly differentiated along gender lines, and significant gaps remain in women’s decision-making power about natural resources at the community level. We argue that context-specific and gender-responsive approaches are needed to build community support for conservation actions and leverage women’s potential contributions to conservation outcomes.

The Georgian region, Samtskhe-Javakheti, has a long tradition of pastoralism. Our research focused on the study of pastoral agriculture across XVI--XX centuries. The study is based on census documents, which provide information on the number of sheep and their distribution, statistical and modern field-based materials. The research goal was to study the pastoral systems and related socio-economic sectors and analyze their spatial and temporal dimensions. The paper presents thematic maps prepared by the authors, which reflect the state of pastoralism in the sixteenth to twentieth centuries and the present situation. The tabular and cartographic material presented allows to assess the changes that have taken place over a long time and to analyze modern conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As calls for climate action gain momentum, governments and international organisations are committing to ambitious climate targets and scaling up their climate action. In this article, we argue that to address climate change, 'just' climate action is required which moves away from portraying local communities as 'victims' and/or 'beneficiaries' and focuses on investing in their social and material capabilities so that they determine their futures and pathways of change. Climate action will have little meaning or will produce counterproductive results unless it is mobilised to question deep-seated inequalities and unjust framings that feed into epistemic closures and foreclose possibilities of plural pathways towards radical social change. Drawing on our research with front-line communities in India, we emphasise the importance of processual aspects of addressing climate (in)justice. We underline why climate action must be steered from 'below' for transformative change, and why this requires attention to more 'vernacular' forms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In discussions around food systems and the climate, livestock is often painted as the villain. While some livestock production in some places contributes significantly to climate change, this is not universally the case. This article focuses on pastoral production systems - extensive, often mobile systems using marginal rangelands across around half of the world's surface, involving many millions of people. By examining the assumptions behind standard calculations of greenhouse gas emissions, a systematic bias against pastoralism is revealed. Many policy and campaign stances fail to discriminate between different material conditions of production, lumping all livestock systems together. Injustices arise through the framing of debates and policy knowledge; through procedures that exclude certain people and perspectives; and through the distributional consequences of policies. In all cases, extensive livestock keepers lose out. In reflecting on the implications for European pastoralism, an alternative approach is explored where pastoralists' knowledge, practices, and organisations take centre stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates risk-oriented frameworks for explaining environmental, social, and economic changes faced by fishing and herding communities in the Turkana Basin during and after the African Humid Period (AHP, 15–5 ka). The orbitally-forced AHP created moist conditions, high lake levels, and unusual hydrological connections across much of northern and eastern Africa. As arid conditions set in and rainfall decreased between 5.3 and 3.9 ka in eastern Africa, Lake Turkana (NW Kenya) shrank dramatically. Shoreline retreat coincided with an expansion of open plains, creating new ecological conditions and potential opportunities for early herders in the basin. In this changing landscape, economies shifted from food procurement (fishing/hunting aquatic resources) to food production (herding), likely through both in-migration by pastoralists and adoption of herding by local fishers. Early pastoralists also built at least seven megalithic pillar sites that served as communal cemeteries during this time. Recent research has shown that local environmental dynamics – both during and after the AHP – were complex, demanding a more careful interrogation of the notion that post-AHP life entailed new and/or heightened risks. Risk-buffering strategies might include mobility, diversification, physical storage, and exchange. Archaeologists working around Lake Turkana have proposed that economic shifts from fishing to pastoralism entailed increased mobility as a risk-buffering strategy to deal with aridity and resource unpredictability, and that pillar sites – as fixed landmarks in an unstable landscape – provided settings for congregation and exchange amongst increasingly mobile herding communities. However, recent research has shown that local environmental dynamics in the Lake Turkana basin – both during and after the AHP – were more complex than previously thought, necessitating re-evaluation of the notion that post-AHP life entailed new and/or heightened risks. Here, we explore risk buffering strategies (e.g. mobility, diversification, physical storage and/or exchange) as only one category of potential explanation for the new social practices observed in the region at this time. Gauging their applicability requires us to (a) assess the spatial mobility of communities and individuals interred at pillar sites; (b) evaluate whether and how mobility strategies may have changed as pastoralism supplanted fishing; and (c) examine alternative explanations for social and economic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are major constraints for wildlife, livestock production and human health. Chemical acaricides are widely promoted for the control of TBDs despite the uncertainty that farmers and state support can manage TBDs. This paper explores how spatial biopolitics related to TBDs are enacted by livestock keepers in Laikipia, Kenya. The results show that control of TBDs is the product of indigenous knowledge of pastoral farmers and western veterinary thought with two different logics, sometimes converging but often at odds. The analysis reveals power relations, tensions and contradictions emerging from an attempt to impose a western model for the management of TBDs resulting in marginalization of the pastoralists and their livestock. This paper shows that a practice-based approach, focused on situated agency, can provide an empowering way of understanding the spatial biopolitics of acaricide use and management of TBDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a complicated natural hazard that has far-reaching social and environmental impacts. In Ethiopia's diverse agro ecological zones, drought remains a severe challenge and problem. Livestock rising is one of the agricultural sub-sectors that provide income and livelihood to around one-third of African inhabitants and accounts for 30–50 percent of agricultural GDP. Pastoralists on the Ethiopia-Kenya-Somalia border endured extreme suffering, including the loss of nearly 80% of their cattle and huge migration out of drought-stricken areas. Drought can cause severe economic hardship and stress for farmers and local economies, like; lost productivity, population reduction, and the trauma of witnessing livestock, crops, soil, and native vegetation damage. Between 1990 and 2000, and 2001-2002/03, drought-related animal death rates in the Somali region increased by 60% and 80% of the entire cattle population, respectively. Drought has the greatest immediate effects on farmers, including depletion of water resources, crop failure, and an increase in food prices, ill health, livestock output losses and death, and a decline in livestock prices in the Borana zone. Drought adaptation and mitigation measures depending on geography and livestock system may improve the study's trajectory in the future if further review is done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to assess whether anthropogenic activity affects wildlife distribution and resource use to appraise the efficacy of multi‐use protected areas. Habitat degradation and vegetation damage as indicators of competitive and facilitative livestock‐wildlife interactions were the focus of this study. Foot transects were conducted in the dry season of 2011, wet season of 2012, and dry season of 2012 in five wildlife sanctuaries in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya, to determine whether habitat degradation and vegetation damage affected wildlife distribution and wildlife‐livestock interactions. Simpson's and Jaccard's biodiversity indices and Pianka's niche overlap index were used to assess wildlife‐livestock interactions across a gradient of habitat degradation. In the dry season, Jaccard's, Pianka's, and Simpson's indices (0.50, 0.84, and 0.99, respectively) peaked at the highest level of degradation. In the wet season, Jaccard's index (0.42) peaked at a fairly high level of habitat degradation, Pianka's index (0.82) at a fairly low level, and Simpson's (0.80) at the lowest level. Two‐way ANOVA revealed that there was no effect of degradation or vegetation damage on wildlife distribution irrespective of the feeding guild. Therefore, it appears that continued shared use of the Amboseli landscape by wildlife and livestock is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed the history of anthropogenically created alpine pastures from the 15th century to the present, as landscape resources for the chamois reintroduction in the second half of the 20th century in the Western Carpathians mountain arc (Slovakia), using the example of the Ďumbier Tatras (the second highest mountain range of the arc). Analysis and reconstructions were carried out on the basis of detailed archival and field research, which showed that grazing herds in the mountain peaks from the Middle Ages to the 20th century created anthropogenically suitable and sufficiently extensive grassy habitats for the chamois reintroduction and the survival of its population. The native chamois population became extinct in the Ďumbier Tatras at the end of the last ice age (about 10,000 years ago). However, anthropogenic deforestation has once again created suitable conditions for its distribution. In the 20th century, a new factor emerged, namely nature conservation and the proclamation of a national park, which meant the end of grazing in the alpine environment and the onset of succession. In the second half of the 20th century, modern tourism became another negative factor for the relocated Alpine chamois population, from the High Tatras back to its quasi-original environment. Tourism development was related to the construction of extensive infrastructure and superstructure in the chamois habitats in the Chopok and Ďumbier massifs. At present, therefore, the preservation of these 'anthropogenic' habitats requires active conservation and landscape management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Balcanica Posnaniensia. Acta et Studia is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Context Pastoralism obeys logics that are sometimes misunderstood by public decision)makers and that are at the origin of many interventions that are often inappropriate. The controversial effects of pastoral public policies are accentuated by several exogenous and endogenous hazards. In Senegal, particularly in the Ferlo area, populations are developing endogenous strategies to cope with this situation. Goals of the work This work proposes to analyse the perceptions of pastoralists on the phenomena that threaten the practice of pastoralism as well as their perceived impacts on their way of life. Based on a qualitative approach, this study also attempts to identify the prospective visions of pastoralists, articulated around proposals for models of governance of pastoral spaces and resources. Methodology The data were collected using a qualitative approach. Thirty-two (32) interviews with resource persons and ten focus groups were conducted. In addition to these interviews, data collected during participatory workshops on pastoralism in the Ferlo region carried out by CIRAD (Centre Internationale de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement), the Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis (UGB) and the NGO Enda Pronat (Enda-Protection de la Nature) were also mobilised and collected using a participatory tool (TerriStoriesTM) developed by CIRAD (d'Aquino and Bah, 2014, d'Aquino, 2014). Results The results show that pastoralists do not have a homogeneous perception/representation of climate change. Depending on the area and the issues at stake, the effects of climate change mentioned by pastoralists vary. In order to adapt to the new realities, practices appear as responses to the threats resulting from the progressive establishment of intensive hydro-agricultural activities along Lake Guiers. The increasing scarcity of water and grass cover also calls into question the logic of pastoralism and the sustainability of the activity. In addition, the current state approach, in which agriculture seems to have priority in terms of access to land in a perspective of agricultural intensification with a geometric and cadastral vision of the territory, is perceived as a real threat. It must be said that this vision is opposed to the representations based on a fluid conception of the territory of pastoralists who think of land in relation to the resources they carry. Faced with the threats of agriculture, the pastoralists of the Ferlo adopt offensive strategies that are mostly expressed through investment in agriculture in conjunction with livestock farming. Pastoralists are also investing in national networks for the defence of the rights of rural populations and are raising the issue of livestock farming separately from that of agriculture. This contributes to the construction of a land identity among pastoralists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we provide a review of research on the existing and abandoned wells in Marsabit County, Northern Kenya, and associated Indigenous Knowledge concerning water governance, institutions of leadership, and how these have contributed to sustaining a resilient pastoral economy in these harsh landscapes. The article discusses the socio‐ecological systems that have been maintained by pastoralists for generations, linking their sustainability to leadership structures and institutional memory, with a particular focus on the Gabra. It further highlights internal and external interventions by governmental and nongovernmental organizations that are expected to improve the livelihoods of the Gabra and other pastoralists inhabiting the area, but have sometimes had a negative effect on the traditional strategies of water governance and socio‐ecological systems, undermining the long‐term viability of the pastoral economy in Marsabit. This article is categorized under:Human Water > Water GovernanceHuman Water > Value of WaterHuman Water > Rights to Water [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many longitudinal studies of regional avifaunas have been conducted in Australia, but the majority concern temperate inland regions. We examined changes in the avifauna of the Rockhampton region (10 500 km2) in subtropical, coastal Central Queensland, Australia, over 130 years, comparing accounts from 1888, 1925 and 1973–1974 with survey data from 2000 to 2019. Of the 307 confirmed species recorded until 1975, 11 resident species have since disappeared from the region, while another 11 species appear to have declined. This is the highest number of extinct bird species reported to date in a region larger than 1000 km2, although the annual extinction rate is surpassed by that of Coomooboolaroo, a pastoral property of 454 km2 only 100 km away, which lost 18 species over a similar period. Eleven (50%) of the 22 extirpated or declining species forage primarily on the ground, and 12 (55%) are primarily insectivorous. Eucalypt woodland is the major habitat of 11 species (50%), while another five (23%) are associated with rainforests. Species loss and decline coincided with habitat loss: 63% of the eucalypt woodland and 70% of the rainforest have been cleared since Europeans settled in the region. Livestock overgrazing probably played a role in the extirpation of four species of finches. The decline of at least 11 species since 1975 coincided with three consecutive decades of low rainfall, and an ongoing increase in ambient temperature. Of the 307 confirmed bird species recorded in the Rockhampton region of Australia between 1887 and 1975, 11 species have disappeared, most likely due mainly to clearing of eucalypt woodland and rainforest, and overgrazing. This is the highest number of extirpated species reported for an area of greater than 1000 km2 in Australia to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of overgrazing to high-elevation rangeland degradation is a problem across the Himalayan region, and it leads to tensions among users. In the alpine areas of eastern Bhutan, 2 communities of settled and seminomadic herders have been engaged in enduring open conflict over access to a large natural pasture. To reestablish a communication channel between these communities, a participatory modeling and simulation process was implemented with the concerned stakeholders. A training workshop on this collaborative approach and its key tools, particularly computer-assisted role-playing games, was attended by research and extension officers and was immediately followed by a field workshop attended by 6 herders from each community. The participants used their empirical knowledge to improve the relevance of the spatial distribution of the land degradation problem on the proposed game board. They also established a link between the features and rules of the role-playing game and the actual circumstances of the rangeland. The gaming sessions allowed the participants to share their respective viewpoints on the land degradation process in a nonthreatening environment. The assessment of the field workshop identified multiple effects regarding awareness of the problem, participants' confidence, colearning, and mutual trust. This intervention enabled the emergence of social capital ahead of the preparation of major development-oriented interventions in the watershed. This study demonstrates the pertinence of using simple but relevant abstract models, codesigned with their users, to mitigate tensions between parties in conflict over the use of renewable natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of multifunctionality permeates European agriculture. Pastoralism is not spared and is valued as a vector of environmental management of the mountainous areas. Multifunctionality is nonetheless connected to entrepreneurial agriculture. Although entrepreneurship is disseminated in the European agricultural sector, little is known about the entrepreneurial evolution within traditional mountain pastoralist communities. This ethnographic paper builds on the case study of mountain sheep pastoralists in Braganza, Portugal, to augment this knowledge. It dives into the dynamics of production of sheep farming to uncover the cultural drivers of traditional pastoralism in Northern Portugal. Results show that pastoralists are unresponsive to the entrepreneurial narratives of multifunctionality as they respond to the occupational identity of shepherds in a moral economy of subsistence ethics. Pastoralists nevertheless exercise valuable environmental agency grounded in their condition as rural dwellers. Tailored narratives to their subsistence ethic are then required to rapidly address and valorize this environmental agency as new fire regimes progress and traditional pastoralism stands at the brink of extinction in Portugal. These results may ultimately contribute to the global literature and policy making on pastoralism, multifunctionality and environment: worldwide pastoralist communities share holistically cultural features and convergent historical trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-altitude island environments, with their characteristic strong seasonal contrast and limited resources, are challenging contexts for human subsistence. However, although archaeological contexts in this kind of setting hold great potential to explore the diversity of human biological and cultural adaptations, such sites are rare. In this paper, we present the results of a microcontextual geoarchaeological study carried out at Roques de García Rockshelter, the highest altitude cave archaeological site in the Canary Islands (Spain). The site was inhabited by the aboriginal population of the island and has yielded a rich archaeological context derived from combustion activity. We carried out soil micromorphology to characterize site function and lipid biomarker analysis to investigate the natural and anthropogenic organic record. Our data indicate that the aboriginal groups that occupied the site kept goats with them (in the rockshelter) and probably used Juniperus turbinata (sabina) wood, a current distant fuel source. These results suggest that the aboriginal societies of Tenerife occupied the highlands regularly, taking their herds and firewood with them. Further research is necessary to explore the use and exploitation of fuel sources, the seasonality of these occupations and their differences with lowland sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Bronze Age multiple human burials from Deh Dumen, Iran, were uncovered in the Zagros Mountains. Using cross‐sectional geometry and histology, a sample (n = 23) of fragmented femora from these burials was examined to test for possible adaptation to transhumant pastoralism. Midshaft femur remodelling and modelling characteristics examined across males, females and age‐at‐death groups partly indicated sex‐specific pastoralist behaviours and possible experiences of walking on rugged terrain in this small sample. We discuss the value of combining histology and cross‐sectional geometry techniques when attempting to reconstruct past human behaviours in multiple burial contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Via ethnographic and oral history methods and transcultural memory work, this article presents the complex, ambiguous and at times contradictory relationship between a Greek family and an Aboriginal community, including the traditional landowners, in Central Australia in the 1960s. Within a commonplace narrative of colonists and pastoralists buying, owning and selling First People's land, ownership by Greek migrants and the historical presence of Aboriginal people provides an entry point into a microhistory that illustrates and reveals under-acknowledged, fraught and fragmented facets of transcultural life in 1960s rural Australia, and the place of ethnic-settler-colonisers in Australia's history of settler-colonialism, dispossession, and pastoralism. Through this case study, we argue the importance of uncovering, recovering and reclaiming the history of Mediterranean migrants' transcultural relationships with First Nations people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the archaeolinguistic implications of Semitoid loanwords in Proto-Indo-European. Contact linguistics offer a unique opportunity to calibrate speech communities in relation to each other, but the Steppe hypothesis of Indo-European does not contain a concise explanation of the immutable similarities in primarily Neolithic vocabulary shared with Southwest Asian speech communities. The study introduces a baseline of 21 pivotal items with the distribution and age in both Indo-European and Semitic that should be accounted for. It is concluded that a parsimonious archaeolinguistic scenario is available on the "persistent frontier" between the early European farmers and the nascent Steppe pastoralists on the eastern perimeter of the Carpathians. Subject to further scrutiny, a sub-family here called Old Balkanic on the Afro-Asiatic language tree is posited as the source of the Semitoid words in Proto-Indo-European. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Today there is a disjuncture between migration flows that are complex, mixed and constantly evolving and the emerging global migration governance paradigm that seeks to impose clarity, certainty, regularity and order. Addressing the gap between policies and realities, this article explores lessons for migration policy and governance from mobile pastoralists’ experience. Using examples from human migration flows within and between Europe and Africa and insights from pastoral systems from India, Italy and Kenya, the article identifies important similarities between international migration and pastoral mobility. We focus on four interconnections: both international migration and pastoral mobility show multi-directional and fragmented patterns; both involve multiple, intersecting socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental drivers; both must respond to non-linear systems, where critical junctures and tipping points undermine clear prediction and forecasts, making social navigation and reliability management more useful concepts than risk-based prediction and control and finally for both uncertainty is not conceived of as a state of crisis but an inherent feature, pregnant with possibility and hope. Building on these four points, and drawing from pastoralists’ experiences, we propose some methodological, practical and policy reflections for bridging the disjuncture between migration realities on the ground and global migration governance policies and discourses.

This paper provides an insight into the framework employed to revisit Mongolian modern history. The term “environmental disaster” signifies the social process of entanglement in human-environmental interactions, emphasizing the failure of human actions. The Mongolian pastoral society is vulnerable to various kinds of disasters, among which the most problematic is dzud (cold and snow disaster), resulting in heavy damage to livestock. A severe disaster can be a cue to initiate social change, which emerges at the phase of resilience, as disasters may be recognized as a result of social instability. Although there were two severe dzud, the total number of livestock was relatively stable during the collectivization era (1959–1992). After the collapse of the socialist regime and the end of economic dependency on the USSR, the nation’s total number of livestock increased until 1999. However, it saw a sharp decrease during the nationwide dzud (in 1999–2002), which continued for three years. This unprecedented dzud also brought about a change in pastoralism. Nowadays, even the people in pastoral lands depend on imported commodities associated with globalization. The rural landscape in Outer Mongolia has changed into two types: suburban areas, including areas around cities and near major roads; and remote areas, including typical Mongolian rural areas that do not have up-to-date socio-economic services. This distinction makes it a complex situation, especially when the questions of disasters arise for the Mongolian people.

Abstract Most studies and conceptualizations of tipping points in environmental and climatic systems have been conducted using natural science perspectives and approaches. Socio-scientific contributions—including Anthropology—are scarce. This has resulted in a limited understanding of the socio-cultural dimensions of tipping point phenomena at the local level. This paper contributes to ongoing discussion and provides an ethnographic study of local perceptions of desertification tipping points (DTPs) amongst Ovaherero pastoralists in Namibia’s semi-arid Okakarara constituency. Following a qualitative approach, this study shows that experienced farmers are aware of these phenomena and have accumulated extensive knowledge enabling them to identify and anticipate DTPs in different, complementary ways. The paper discusses how DTPs are managed in a communally farmed setting and presents the challenges that livestock farmers face in practical prevention of DTPs.

The northeast Tibetan Plateau, functioning as an alpine pasture, has been influenced by prehistoric settlements for millennia. However, the extent to which climate and anthropogenic activities have shaped this rangeland remains contentious. Here, we present sedimentary ancient DNA evidence from Lake Donggi Cona sediment core, focusing on the trn L p6-loop region of vascular plants and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA for Poaceae and Cyperaceae. Our findings indicate that before 7.4 cal ka BP, the rangeland was characterized by alpine steppe with low richness, influenced by dry environmental conditions. By 7.4 cal ka BP, more taxa migrated to the study region, with a relatively high richness supported by a humid environment. The climate conditions, coupled with low grazing pressure, sustained a relatively high pastoral quality. Intensified nomadic activities after 4 cal ka BP contributed to a severe decline in pasture quality, characterized by a high abundance of poisonous taxa. This study highlights that both human activity and moisture availability contribute to the rangeland characteristic, with human activity as the predominant factor since 4 cal ka BP. • Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals characteristic changes to Tibetan rangeland during the Holocene. • The ITS1 metabarcoding method for Poaceae and Cyperaceae has high taxonomic resolution. • Pastoralism causes a decline in pasture quality during the late Holocene. • Moisture availability and human activity contribute to increased plant richness on NE Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of pastoralism, as an alternative or adjunct to farming in China's long history, a clear understanding of the spreading routes and mechanisms of pastoralism in China is lacking. Fungal spores can be a useful addition to zooarchaeological evidence and have been widely used to explore the origins and development of pastoralism in different regions of the globe. The northern Loess Plateau is one of the most important areas for the emergence and development of pastoralism in early China. The aim of this paper was to take the fungal spores in the Baihemiao (BHM) core that we extracted from a site in the Yulin region, combine them with the zooarchaeological records to explore their relationship with climate and environmental changes, and reconstruct the evolution of animal husbandry in the northern Loess Plateau since the mid-Holocene. The results indicate that the climatic conditions in the northern Loess Plateau during the first period of 6–4.2 ka were relatively humid, the number of domesticated herbivores was small, animal husbandry was not developed, and the spores of coprophilous fungi in the sediments mainly originated from wild herbivores. Fungal spores as well as zooarchaeological evidence reveal that cattle and sheep grazing developed rapidly in the region during the second period, c. 4.2–3 ka. We suggest that the arid climatic conditions during this period facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau. However, this pastoral economy gradually weakened after 1.2 ka. • Sporormiella suggests a high volume of herbivore activities in the Baihemiao area in 6–4.2 ka. • Fungal spores and zooarchaeological record from the archaeological sites indicate that grazing activity was strong in 4.2-3 ka. • Arid climatic conditions facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau in 4.2–3 ka. • Pastoralism weakened and declined during the period from 3 ka to 1.2 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]