| dc.description.abstract | This study assessed the impact of modern conservancies on four areas: land tenure security
and pastoral mobility, vegetation cover and ecosystem health, social cohesion and community
governance, and policy strategies for sustainable grazing and conservation in Merti Sub-
County, Isiolo County, Kenya. The area is predominantly inhabited by Borana pastoralists
who depend on communal rangelands for their livelihoods. The emergence of community
conservancies has introduced new dynamics in land governance, raising questions about their
influence on customary land rights, ecosystem functionality, and local governance systems.
The study pursued four objectives: to explore conservancies’ impact on land tenure security
and pastoral mobility; to evaluate their effect on vegetation and ecosystem health; to analyse
their influence on social cohesion and community governance; and to propose policy
strategies for sustainable grazing and conservation. A mixed-methods approach engaged 150
participants, including 138 pastoral households and 12 key informants comprising
conservancy officials, local leaders, and government officers. Data were collected through
household questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and document review. Remote
sensing analysis using 30-m Landsat imagery processed via Google Earth Engine was used to
assess vegetation dynamics over time. To examine the impact of conservancies on land tenure
security and pastoral mobility, household survey results showed that 81.9% of respondents
perceived their tenure as secure despite 92.8% lacking formal land documentation. However,
14.5% reported restricted access to grazing areas due to the expansion of conservancy
boundaries, and 58.7% observed changes in grazing access, with 26.1% attributing these
directly to conservancy rules. Only 35.5% believed conservancies supported traditional
mobility patterns, suggesting limited alignment with pastoral land-use systems. To evaluate
the effect of conservancies on vegetation and ecosystem health, household responses were
mixed: 40.6% believed conservancies contributed positively to environmental outcomes,
45.7% saw no impact, and only 30.4% considered conservancy lands better managed. In
contrast, remote sensing analysis showed increased vegetation greenness and density within
conservancies, supported by 2024 land cover maps that revealed improved shrub, grassland,
and tree cover—indicating localized ecological recovery under conservancy management.
To analyse the influence of conservancies on social cohesion and community governance,
55.1% of households reported receiving tangible benefits such as education support, water
access, and livestock services, while 44.9% received none. Additionally, 50.7% felt excluded
from conservancy decision-making. Interviews and focus groups reinforced these
perceptions, highlighting elite capture, limited community involvement, and weak integration
of customary governance systems like the Dedha. To propose policy strategies for sustainable
grazing and conservation, the study drew on document reviews and stakeholder consultations.
Key recommendations include the legal registration of communal lands to safeguard mobility
corridors; formal inclusion of Dedha committees in conservancy governance; establishment
of inclusive decision-making structures; investment in drought-resilient grazing
infrastructure; promotion of community-based geospatial monitoring; and implementation of
transparent, equitable benefit-sharing frameworks. In conclusion, while modern
conservancies have potential to support rangeland restoration and diversify livelihoods, their
effectiveness depends on aligning with customary tenure and mobility systems, producing
measurable ecological benefits, and fostering inclusive, culturally legitimate governance. | en_US |
