| Abstract |
Intensive land use, e.g. in form of dense livestock grazing, causes landscape degradation, which finally leads to the desertification of 12 million hectares annually. To stop this development from progressing further, environmentally friendly methods of livestock management have to be detected. Since this issue concerns both, nature and society, the rangeland use is an objective of social-ecological research and the relations of farmers and nature can be analyzed by means of a social-ecological system (SES). Social-ecological processes emerging in the interaction sphere of nature and society are key to the formation of the final societal management and, thus, state of the ecosystem as each livestock management type has a specific ecological impact. In this study, two neighboring villages practicing different livestock management methods in the Cuvelai-Basin in northern Namibia were interviewed. A methodological triangulation was used and, therefore, individual interviews, group discussions, and participatory mapping applied. Based on the qualitative data analyzed, the conventional method continuous grazing with free roaming animals and the highly community-based planned grazing were described in detail. In addition, the qualitative database revealed that planned grazing methods contribute to an improved rangeland condition in the study area and, moreover, are helpful to cope with drought impacts. Additionally, everyday problems seem to be lower when practicing a cooperative livestock management. Furthermore, with an own adjustment of the planned grazing method as a response to constantly declining rainfall since 2011 a social innovation was established by the practicing village. With this modification, planned grazing structures are still present, even if it is in a weakened form. In general, the results support studies which state that planned grazing methods have the potential to improve people’s livelihood and enhance sustainable development. |
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