DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Maasai Traditional Fire Management: the Conflict Between Conservation and Pastoralism in Northern Tanzania

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Environmental degradation of savanna ecosystems is seen as one of the main factors leading to the increased vulnerability of African pastoral and agro-pastoral economies. While the knowledge base on the ecological effects of fire in sub-Saharan Africa is considerable, the specific dynamics surrounding anthropogenic burning and savanna systems remain largely understudied and poorly understood, especially in regard to the linkages among human burning practices, fire regimes, and savanna vegetation. Graduate student Ramona Butz, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Potter, will address land use conflict and the impact of pastoral fire management through an investigation of how plant community structure, species composition, and relative abundance differs between areas managed and unmanaged by Maasai pastoralists in two northern Tanzanian villages. The research will establish existing and historic burning conditions through observation, interviews, written history, and interpretation of available aerial photography. Ms. Butz will also determine whether burning practices alter species richness and structure of vegetation communities, particularly with respect to "green desertification," a form of savanna degradation involving the nearly complete replacement of perennial grasses by annual grasses and the widespread encroachment of acacia thornbush into grassland communities. The results of the previous stages will then be used to create conservation strategies and alternatives designed specifically for Maasai villagers, local conservation organizations, and governing officials. In addition to clarifying the historical and contemporary processes that govern plant community composition and its relationship with traditional fire management, this work has important implications for policy and conservation efforts. It is an opportunity to use science to influence critical policy decisions, not only for Tanzania, but as a model for other joint land use management systems. This award is co-funded by NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering.