Evaluating Planned Grazing as an Approach to Improving Rangeland Habitat for Grevy’s Zebra and Pastoralists in Kenya

The Grevy’s zebra is an endangered species found in Kenya and Ethiopia. Only 3,000 are left in the wild with 95% found in northern Kenya where the zebras share their habitat with pastoralists. Rangeland health is critical to the future of Grevy’s zebra, other wildlife and peoples’ livelihoods in this region. However, in many areas there is increasing land degradation as a result of overgrazing by livestock, with traditionally nomadic communities becoming more sedentary and settling around growing urban centers, affecting livestock movement and grazing.  Community-run conservancies have been established and may provide a mechanism to improve rangeland health through the effective management of grasslands. This project brings together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and practitioners from Grevy’s Zebra Trust in northern Kenya and Saint Louis Zoo and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The project goal is to evaluate the results of planned grazing programs carried out in Westgate Community Conservancy and compare those results to the Uaso Rongai Community in El Barta, where traditional decision-making structures and pastoralist grazing practices remain strong. Through this initiative, we aim to understand the extent to which the conservancy model has been successful in implementing measures with the potential to reverse rangeland degradation and improve grassland condition for wildlife, livestock, and people.

Research Team

Martha Fischer, Saint Louis Zoo
Belinda Low Mackey, Grevy’s Zebra Trust
Peter Lalampaa, Grevy’s Zebra Trust
Sheila Funnell, Grevy’s Zebra Trust
Carolyn Lesorogol, WashU (Brown School of Social Work)