Managing variability: Herding strategies in communal rangelands of semiarid Namaqualand, South Africa

被引:37
作者
Baker, Laura E. [1 ]
Hoffman, M. Timm [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Cape Town, Dept Bot, Leslie Hill Inst Plant Conservat, ZA-7701 Cape Town, South Africa
关键词
pastoralism; herd mobility; livestock production; opportunistic management;
D O I
10.1007/s10745-006-9036-y
中图分类号
Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
030303 ;
摘要
Herd mobility is a tool for managing environmental variability in African pastoral systems. This study examines the monthly mobility patterns of 24 herds over six years in the 20,000 ha communal area of Paulshoek, Namaqualand, and assesses the social, economic, and ecological factors affecting the livestock movement of individual herds and all herds combined. When the mobility pattern of all herds was considered, no seasonal or between-year differences in response to rainfall were evident. An analysis of individual herd mobility patterns showed that half of the herds were relatively sedentary over the study period while the other half were regularly mobile. Although herders used mobility to manage their herds in the unpredictable semiarid environment, their daily decisions were often made in response to their social, economic, or personal situations. There was no significant difference in livestock production between herding strategies, but sedentary herders had a greater localized impact on the rangeland than mobile herders. Our analysis suggests that non-environmental factors play a significant role in herd mobility and may consequently affect the efficiency of livestock production and environmental management.
引用
收藏
页码:765 / 784
页数:20
相关论文
共 45 条
  • [11] Duany W., 1999, Managing mobility in African rangelands: the legitimization of transhumance., P124
  • [12] DYSONHUDSON R, 1972, PERSPECTIVES NOMADIS, P30
  • [13] Rural livelihoods and Poverty Reduction Strategies in four African countries
    Ellis, F
    Freeman, HA
    [J]. JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, 2004, 40 (04) : 1 - 30
  • [14] STABILITY OF AFRICAN PASTORAL ECOSYSTEMS - ALTERNATE PARADIGMS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT
    ELLIS, JE
    SWIFT, DM
    [J]. JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT, 1988, 41 (06): : 450 - 459
  • [15] Reconsidering the role of absentee herd owners: A view from Mongolia
    Fernandez-Gimenez, ME
    [J]. HUMAN ECOLOGY, 1999, 27 (01) : 1 - 27
  • [16] Land degradation in African pastoral systems and the destocking controversy
    Hary, I
    Schwartz, HJ
    Pielert, VHC
    Mosler, C
    [J]. ECOLOGICAL MODELLING, 1996, 86 (2-3) : 227 - 233
  • [17] HENDRICKS HH, 2004, THESIS U CAPE TOWN C
  • [18] Hitchcock R. K., 1990, The world of pastoralism: herding systems in comparative perspective., P216
  • [19] Evaluation of strategies for tracking climatic variation in semi-arid grazing systems
    Illius, AW
    Derry, JF
    Gordon, IJ
    [J]. AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, 1998, 57 (03) : 381 - 398
  • [20] JONAS Z, 2004, THESIS U CAPE TOWN C