Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

Abstract

This study presents a multidisciplinary perspective for understanding environmental change and emerging socio-ecological interactions across the Amboseli region of southwestern Kenya. We focus on late Holocene (<5,000 cal yr. BP) changes and continuities reconstructed from sedimentary, archeological, historical records and socio-ecological models. We utilize multi-disciplinary approaches to understand environmental-ecosystem-social interactions over the longue durée and use this to simulate different land use scenarios supporting conservation and sustainable livelihoods using a socio-ecological model. Today the semi-arid Amboseli landscape supports a large livestock and wildlife population, sustained by a wide variety of plants and extensive rangelands regulated by seasonal rainfall and human activity. Our data provide insight into how large-scale and long-term interactions of climate, people, livestock, wildlife and external connections have shaped the ecosystems across the Amboseli landscape. Environmental conditions were dry between ∼5,000 and 2,000 cal yr. BP, followed by two wet periods at ∼2,100-1,500 and 1,400-800 cal yr. BP with short dry periods; the most recent centuries were characterized by variable climate with alternative dry and wet phases with high spatial heterogeneity. Most evident in paleo and historical records is the changing woody to grass cover ratio, driven by changes in climate and fire regimes entwined with fluctuating elephant, cattle and wild ungulate populations moderated by human activity, including elephant ivory trade intensification. Archeological perspectives on the occupation of different groups (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and farmers) in Amboseli region and the relationships between them are discussed. An overview of the known history of humans and elephants, expanding networks of trade, and the arrival and integration of metallurgy, livestock and domesticated crops in the wider region is provided. In recent decades, increased runoff and flooding have resulted in the expansion of wetlands and a reduction of woody vegetation, compounding problems created by increased enclosure and privatization of these landscapes. However, most Githumbi et al.Long-Term Multidisciplinary Perspectives at Amboseli, Kenya of the wetlands outside of the protected area are drying up because of the intensified water extraction by the communities surrounding the National Park and on the adjacent mountains areas, who have increased in numbers, become sedentary and diversified land use around the wetlands.

Continuous presence of proto-cereals in Anatolia since 2.3 Ma, and their possible co-evolution with large herbivores and hominins

“…The vast freshwater stretch of Acıgöl, located in a predominantly arid limestone hills environment, seems to have been a crucial resource for the mammalian fauna, which probably concentrated around the site in search of water and pastures. Indeed, low percentages of arboreal pollen imply that the landscape remained open throughout the sequence and suggest a marked grazing pressure by herbivores in addition to climatic factors 21 – 23 .…”

Application of the Socio-Ecological System Framework to Forest Fire Risk Management: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Concerning the contributions to the development of an interdisciplinary approach, the work of Githumbi et al [73] is also particularly interesting. The authors combined the ABM approach with the historical perspective approach, integrating the two into a multidisciplinary framework characterised by archaeological techniques and the analysis of documentary and oral historical sources.…”

Unveiling the Past, Current and Future of Global Sustainable Livelihoods Research by Visual and Quantitative Analysis

“…As mentioned earlier, due to climate change and intensi cation of human activities, the instability, and vulnerability of ecosystems have increased to some extent, strengthening the frequency of livelihood risks, especially food security, water security, the emergence of uncertain climate, etc. will directly impact the livelihoods of farmers in vulnerable areas, because how to enhance livelihood capital and the ability to cope with risks and optimize livelihood strategies in a vulnerable environment has been a research component of sustainable livelihoods 10,[65][66][67][68][69] .…”