Evrim Yazgin
Cosmos science journalist
Grasslands in Africa are key to the lives of people as well as wildlife. New research shows that grassland restoration leads to less conflict between humans and animals.
Kenya’s grasslands are home to animals including elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalo and hyenas.
They are also key areas for human activity.
New research published in the Frontiers in Environmental Science journal examined interactions between humans and animals in these vast plains. Researchers monitored grassland restoration efforts and their impact on conflicts between local people and animals.
“Grasslands maintain 60% of the livestock produced in Kenya and support 70% of all the wildlife that is found outside protected areas, so people, livestock, and wildlife rely on those grasslands for their survival and live in close proximity,” says lead author Camila Donatti, an ecologist at US-based nonprofit environmental organisation, Conservation International.
“This means this system is ideal for studying the connections between grassland restoration and peace and security.”
Donatti says the results indicate that restoration is linked to a more peaceful life for animals and humans alike.
Her team surveyed households in the Chyulu Hills in Kenya’s southeast. The Chyulu rangelands cover about 420,000 hectares and support roughly 2.5 million people.
“Grassland restoration is playing a role in reducing human-wildlife conflicts, social conflicts and the overall feeling of insecurity in Chyulu Hills,” she says.
They found that 89% of the households experienced conflict with wildlife, while 32% experienced social conflict. This area is particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis, and is expected to experience longer, increasingly severe droughts.
“Grasslands prevent soil erosion while supporting agriculture and livestock grazing, which sustain the livelihoods of pastoralists and farmers in Kenya,” says co-author Maureen Mwanzia, who used to be with Conservation International Kenya, but now works as a statistician at the World Health Organisation.
“Additionally, they support rich biodiversity. Beyond their ecological functions, grasslands hold cultural significance and offer tourism and recreation opportunities, making their protection and restoration essential for both environmental and human wellbeing,” Mwanzia adds.
Efforts to restore 11,000 hectares of Chyulu Hills grassland began in October 2021. The restoration program includes reseeding and earthwork to collect water.
The team conducted 1,567 household surveys across 4 sites around the restoration areas between September 2022 and October 2023.
They asked about animal crop raids, attacks on humans, livestock killings and property damage. They didn’t ask about retaliatory killings of wildlife, because these are illegal. They also asked about social conflicts, and participants’ feelings around security or community relationships.
“Of the total households interviewed, 23% had at least one member experiencing non-lethal attacks by wildlife,” Donatti says. “Elephants, giraffes, lions, spotted hyenas, and buffalos were the most likely species to be involved.”
Human-wildlife conflict levels were highest in the rainy season. This may be because predators struggle to find prey and resort to hunting livestock, while herbivores are tempted by ripe crops.
The larger the area of grassland restored locally, the less conflict there was between humans and wildlife. Larger restored areas of grassland also led social conflict to drop.
“However, we only have 16 months of data,” Donatti says. “Tracking conflicts should continue in the area to understand long-term patterns. Additionally, the information we requested from household members relates to the conflicts and mitigation strategies we have previously identified; other conflicts and strategies may have been happening in the area.”
