By Leonie Meier, Global Grasslands and Savannahs Initiative Lead & William Nelson, Senior Advisor, Sustainable Soil and Agricultural Management in the Tropics & Subtropics.

From the drylands of Northern Kenya to the grasslands and savannahs of South America, WWF is working with land stewards to preserve their ancestral knowledge and support them in protecting, managing and restoring their land for future generations. Intergenerational learning for land stewardship is a focus of this year’s International Desertification and Drought Day - an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of conserving rangelands, grasslands and savannahs.

In Northern Kenya, WWF works with a community-run organisation called Nature and People as One (NaPO) through the Voices for Climate Action programme, which serves as a great example of harnessing the intergenerational knowledge and experience of pastoralist communities. Founded in 2018 by young people from Karare, Marsabit, NaPO works closely with pastoralists to address the challenges they are facing constructively, in order to protect, manage and restore rangelands and the valuable ecosystem services they provide.

Pastoralism is an ancient form of livelihood throughout the Kenyan drylands, especially in northern Kenya. Although pastoralists have always faced challenges, communities are under increased threat from the rising frequency of back-to-back failed rains, the expansion of large-scale energy projects, and ongoing political instability.

As pastoralist communities are left to graze herds of camels, goats and sheep on decreasing rangeland areas, the risk of degradation is heightened, and in turn biodiversity and wildlife suffers. However, rangeland systems are complex. They are in continual flux with no ‘stable state’, which pastoral communities have evolved with and mirrored with their movement for thousands of years, a system governed through rich intergenerational knowledge. A lack of understanding of these complex ecosystems leads to the promotion of inappropriate interventions that do more harm than good.

“We have wildlife species we want to protect, including reticulated giraffes, elephants, and the endangered grevy’s zebras, but we want to do so in a way that recognises and respects pastoral livelihoods and its role in safeguarding important landscapes in northern Kenya” (Adrian Leitoro, NaPO CEO).

One approach that NaPo is taking is ‘Ramat’, which, in the local Samburu language means ‘to take care of’. This is based on enhancing community efforts to increase awareness about the need for sustainable restoration and implementing pastoralist-led ecosystem rehabilitation. This includes the management of trees and shrubs, to ensure they are not cut down for charcoal production or as fencing material. Instead, they are managed and are able to fulfill their important role in reducing soil erosion, providing microclimates, and supporting biodiversity. A key part in this process is getting the community together to develop an awareness about why it is important to restore rangelands, and agree on where this restoration can take place. These discussions are led by village elders, who are highly respected within the community. Young trees and shrubs are then marked with paint on their stems, which signals to herders that these are to be protected from grazing animals for at least two years. Local bylaws enforced by elders and the wider community ensure those marked trees are left to grow. The cost of being caught cutting or browsing a marked tree or shrub is one goat, a community-enforced bylaw.

It is important to note that this management suits this particular ecosystem, but may not be suitable elsewhere. For example, in southern Ethiopia, the proliferation of trees and shurbs is decreasing grass availability for cattle, therefore degrading the system from the perspective of local herders. Tree and shrub ecosystems where NaPO operate, suit the camel and goat herds they support. The term ‘degradation’ must therefore be used with caution and with the context in mind.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to restoration. As reflected in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Principles, ecosystem restoration needs to be tailored to the local ecological, cultural and socioeconomic contexts, while considering the larger landscape.

“We should not try to stop pastoralism, as it is a way to adapt to climate change. We support local pastoralists and compliment their way of life, as opposed to looking for alternatives” (Adrian Leitoro, NaPO CEO).

WWF also works with indigenous communities, cattle ranchers and land owners to restore grassland and savannah ecosystems in South America, including the Humid Chaco, Orinoquia, Pampas and Pantanal in Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay. Much of the grasslands in these countries are privately owned. Forging relationships with landowners and supporting indigenous communities, who have prevented land degradation on their lands for thousands of years, is an important part of WWF’s work in the region. These communities are also key stewards of biodiversity, while restoring degraded pastures and improving land productivity. 

The transitional zone between Dry and Humid Chaco in Paraguay is dotted with palm trees, as well as native Quebracho trees, and pastures. WWF works with a family-run farm there, which tries to bridge that difficult gap between conservation and production by moving to sustainable land management practices. Camera traps that detect wildlife on their 4000 ha farm have found astonishing numbers of Jaguars, Armadillos, Giant Anteaters, and Pumas, co-existing amongst cattle and sheep. The cows are held in rotational grazing paddocks, moved around to let the soil recover, whilst benefiting from shade provided by the many trees that have been preserved on the property. In the Chaco, there is a perception that grasses don't grow below the Quebracho tree, which used to be a very common native tree but is now increasingly being cut down in pastures. There are farmers who have successfully adopted silvo-pastoral systems with Quebracho trees, providing their cows with much needed shade during the long dry season, whilst improving the growth of native grasses. A notable win considering that grasslands are the biome that is most at risk of conversion. 

Rangelands, grasslands and savannahs, cover over 50% the earth’s land surface and face some of the fastest rates of degradation of any ecosystems. More must be done to preserve them and intergenerational learning is one key way in which land owners and land stewards are empowered and enabled to do so.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.