Environmental Impacts of Livestock-Wildlife Ranching in Laikipia District, Kenya

Abstract

Livestock and wildlife ranching, either separately or as mixed enterprises are the main economic options in the semi-arid rangelands of Laikipia District. However, environmental impacts of these production systems in the commercial and group ranches are yet to be comprehensively evaluated. In this paper, wild and domestic herbivore biomass vis-a-vis the available vegetation biomass in the rangelands of Laikipia district are quantified. Aspects to consider in the quantification such as dynamics of herbivore biomass and their corresponding dry matter (DM) intake requirements, type of animal and stocking density, distribution and utilisation of vegetation biomass by herbivores in space and time are discussed.