Ideal Free Distributions of Mobile Pastoralists in Multiple Seasonal Grazing Areas
Abstract The pastoral system in the Far North Region of Cameroon is best described as an open system in which mobile pastoralists have open access to common-pool grazing resources. We hypothesized that there is a self-organizing management system of open access to common-pool grazing resources and predicted that we would find an Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) of mobile pastoralists within seasonal grazing areas. In this paper we used mobility data and remote sensing data from two seasonal grazing areas at the end of the dry season in three consecutive years to evaluate that hypothesis. We found evidence of an IFD in the two seasonal grazing areas of the Logone Floodplain and the Lake Maga area. These findings offer further support for our hypothesis that there is a complex adaptive system in which pastoralists distribute themselves effectively over available grazing resources.
An Integrated Approach to Modeling Grazing Pressure in Pastoral Systems: The Case of the Logone Floodplain (Cameroon)
The discussion about the impact of pastoral systems on ecosystems has been profoundly shaped by Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons” argument that held pastoralists responsible for overgrazing the range. Recent studies have shown that grazing ecosystems are much more complex and dynamic than was previously assumed and that pastoralists adaptively manage these systems. However, we still have little understanding how everyday herding affects ecosystems at the landscape level. We conducted a study of daily herd movements and grazing strategies in a mobile pastoral system in the Logone floodplain, Cameroon. We integrated GPS/GIS technology, video recordings of animal behavior, and ethnographic methods to develop a more accurate measurement of grazing pressure that takes into account both livestock densities and grazing behavior. We used the resulting grazing pressure data to evaluate existing conceptual models of grazing pressure at a landscape level. We found that models that predict that grazing pressure is skewed towards the direction of water most accurately reflect the situation in the Logone floodplain in the dry season. However, we found that the higher grazing pressure is not only the result of a higher density of cattle but also a change in the grazing behavior of animals after watering. Finally, we caution that the models of grazing pressure in the dry season cannot simply be extrapolated to the landscape level because mobile pastoralists do not remain in one central place.
The use of global positioning and geographical information systems in the management of extensive cattle grazing
The results of a study aimed at verifying the possible use of global positioning system (GPS) and geographical information system (GIS) technologies to understand the behaviour of domestic and wild animals bred for extensive grazing are presented. For this purpose an experimental survey was carried out in order to track animal location in the various grazing areas at the Animal Research Center of the University of Kentucky. The data have been analysed and indicate some potentially positive and useful technical applications. Using GPS, it is possible to automatically gather data with increased accuracy in the locations. Applications of GIS have proved suitable for data processing (resting and grazing times, available land surfaces, etc .). It has furthermore been determined how the ‘kernel home-range’ method may be used to reach objective conclusions on territorial and biological matters in order to solve problems of environmental planning connected with extensive cattle grazing.