Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In recent decades, pastoralists have faced increasing problems of
resource degradation as a result of immigration of other populations and
changes in land-use. In many parts of the country this has led to appar-
ently unsustainable forms of land-use and the exclusion of many of the
indigenous population from their homelands, with a resulting increase in
poverty and deprivation. The reasons and consequences of such changes
in land-use are discussed below.
The causes and consequences of change in the pastoral lifestyle
Settlement policies
. Pastoral settlement leading to agricultural farm-
ing is a common government policy in many African countries.
Security of land tenure
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. Many pastoralists are also settling of their
own accord in response to decreasing rangeland areas and also in
order to guarantee land tenure.
Tourism and wildlife conservation
●
. Government policies have encour-
aged the takeover of land for private hunting enterprises. This has
resulted in the progressive reduction of rangeland area for grazing
and in the loss of wildlife resources important for the pastoral
lifestyle.
Forestry
●
. Clearance of forested land has occurred for charcoal and
in order to increase grazing area.
Land privatization
●
. A policy of agricultural promotion as the pre-
dominant land-use has encouraged the migration of agriculturalists
into ecologically fragile areas. With land privatization has come the
fencing of areas of rangeland for private ranching. This has resulted
in the expropriation of the land for the rich and a system of farming
incompatible with the ecological conditions.
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In conjunction, these policies have resulted in the deterioration of the
dryland ecosystems of Tanzania through habitat loss, wildlife decline,
deforestation and overgrazing. Settled agriculture results in active clear-
ance of vegetation to make space for livestock and has thus reduced the
tree and plant diversity that has traditionally provided food and medicines
for the local population. In addition, lower grazing pressure in distant
pastures often results in the invasion of the range in these areas by unpal-
atable plants.
Settlement of pastoralists has also resulted in the breakdown of tra-
ditional systems for managing natural resources, resulting in inei cient
management of the habitat and a consequential decrease in livestock prod-
uctivity and increased impoverishment of this sector of the population.
The predominance of a social and cultural emphasis towards agriculture
