including rangelands cover 45% of the global terrestrial surface, providing food and livelihoods for millions of people while also making available critical habitat for wildlife species (Herrero et al. 2013). The importance of rangelands was recently emphasised by the United Nations (UN) when they declared this the decade (2021-2030) of ecosystem restoration, and placed particular importance on restoration and recognition of African rangelands as important open ecosystems (UN 2019). Here restoration is used in the sense of rehabilitation to a desired state, or where known, a native historical state. The consequences of rangeland mismanagement, often involving livestock, can be seen in rangeland resource degradation (e.g. soil erosion, loss of plant productivity), land use conflicts and decisions that favour short-term, piecemeal responses (UNCCD 2008). Yet in many of the arid and semi-arid rangelands of Africa, livestock are often the only viable production alternative to crops, and play a critical role in the cultural practices of pastoralist communities (Krätli et al. 2013) while partially fulfilling a niche in the absence of wildlife. "Optimal grazing", as one pathway in natural climate solutions, may provide opportunities to restore rather than degrade soil and vegetation (Griscom et al. 2017;Griscom et al. 2020). One overlooked tool in "optimal grazing" and rangeland restoration may be the use of traditional, short duration and overnight kraals. Kraals (corrals or bomas) are barriers used by pastoralists to confine livestock overnight or for longer periods and are made of either natural material (scrub or logs), fencing, or synthetic mobile sheeting (Augustine 2003). Kraaling activity dates to ancient pastoral societies who herded their livestock alongside wild animals, often following similar migration routes and seasonal foraging patterns to wild herbivores (Fynn et al. 2016). Thus, a primary reason for pastoralists to herd and kraal livestock was to protect them from predation, i.e. for favourable animal production. However, these activities may have multi-faceted gains or 'desired effects' for the ecosystem compared to fenced or unattended livestock, e.g. herding and planned grazing may maintain plant biomass production and diversity, while animal confinement during kraaling potentially enables nutrient enrichment for plant growth as well as multiple actions such as animal observation, veterinary treatment, and milking.While very little quantitative and comparative information exists on the effect of herding on ecosystems, more information is available for kraaling. Over the last decade, the concept and implementation of kraaling as an active restoration method has received increased attention in east and southern Africa, e.g. Hawkins et al. (2022);Huruba et al. (2018);Huruba et al. (2022). Kraals have long been known as sites of nutrient enrichment (Porensky and
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.