Abstract
Implementation of socially acceptable and environmentally desirable solutions to soil erosion challenges is often limited by (1) fundamental gaps between the evidence bases of different disciplines and (2) an implementation gap between science-based recommendations, policy makers and practitioners. We present an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to support co-design of land management policy tailored to the needs of specific communities and places in degraded pastoral land in the East African Rift System. In a northern Tanzanian case study site, hydrological and sedimentary evidence shows that, over the past two decades, severe drought and increased livestock have reduced grass cover, leading to surface crusting, loss of soil aggregate stability, and lower infiltration capacity. Infiltration excess overland flow has driven (a) sheet wash erosion, (b) incision along convergence pathways and livestock tracks, and (c) gully development, leading to increased hydrological connectivity. Stakeholder interviews in associated sedenterising Maasai communities identified significant barriers to adoption of soil conservation measures, despite local awareness of problems. Barriers were rooted in specific pathways of vulnerability, such as a strong cattle-based cultural identity, weak governance structures, and a lack of resources and motivation for community action to protect shared land. At the same time, opportunities for overcoming such barriers exist, through openness to change and appetite for education and participatory decision-making. Guided by specialist knowledge from natural and social sciences, we used a participatory approach that enabled practitioners to start co-designing potential solutions, increasing their sense of efficacy and willingness to change practice. This approach, tested in East Africa, provides a valuable conceptual model around which other soil erosion challenges in the Global South might be addressed.
Highlights
Interdisciplinary approach to support co-design of land management policy tailored to the needs of specific communities and places in degraded pastoral land in the East African Rift System
The formulation of policy solutions for achieving sustainable land management has often been detached from those responsible for implementing them on the ground. We argue that it is (1) the interdisciplinary gap left between specialist researcher groups, and (2) the implementation gap between policy makers and practitioners, that lie at the heart of a collective failure to achieve greater socio-ecological resilience in the face of this environmental challenge
Historical data in the form of sedimentary archives and community anecdotal evidence reveal an increase in the rate and extent of erosion processes and increased landscape vulnerability through loss of vegetation cover leading to increased soil surface fragility which, coupled with the onset of intense climate events, has resulted in decreasing ecological resilience
Summary
The formulation of policy solutions for achieving sustainable land management has often been detached from those responsible for implementing them on the ground. We argue that it is (1) the interdisciplinary gap left between specialist researcher groups, and (2) the implementation gap between policy makers and practitioners, that lie at the heart of a collective failure to achieve greater socio-ecological resilience in the face of this environmental challenge. The approach we offer here aims to address the ‘interdisciplinary’ and ‘implementation’ gaps that are hampering soil erosion control in northern Tanzania and the wider East African Rift System (EARS) region, with relevance to challenges in the wider Global South
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