ecosystems. Pastoralists need help to
regain land lost to competing uses—such
as unsustainable agricultural uses in the
few pockets of available water resources,
without which the whole pastoral liveli-
hood system is jeopardised across the
landscape.^12 They also need help to
regain/ restore pasture through appropri-
ate water points in their paths and migra-
tion routes. And their social organisation,
which demonstrated enormous resource
management capacities in some of the
most difficult environments on earth, can
be much better recognised, valued and
strengthened. Importantly, traditional
management systems should never be
replaced by top down institutions and
projects, even if designed in support of
lofty decentralisation, development and
conservation objectives or any other “sav-
ior scheme” promoted from outside. We
owe a profound respect to the Gabbra and
other mobile indigenous people. We
should listen to them, and not allow dia-
logue to be sabotaged through convenient
stereotypes.^13 The Gabbra’s wealth of
knowledge, skills and institutions allowed
them to conserve much of their biodiversi-
ty while the rest of the world, in much
easier environments, was busy destroying
its own. We should admire their intelli-
gence, care and stamina and, first and
foremost, learn from them before coming
in with any of our recipes to “improve
their lives” and “conserve their biodiversi-
ty”.Conservation aas ccultural aand ppolitical ppractice
Guyo O. Haro([email protected]) is
Chairman of the Board of Directors of PISP and a
member of WAMIP on behalf of a Gabbra sub-
tribe. Both Chachu and Guyo are Gabbra.Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend([email protected])
is Chair of CMWG/CEESP and an associate mem-
ber of WAMIP.Francis Chachu Ganya([email protected]) is
Chief Executive Officer of the Pastoralist
Integrated Support Programme (PISP) in
Marsabit. Chachu is a member of CEESP/SLWG
and member of the Coordinating Committee of
WAMIP (the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous
Peoples).
Notes(^1) Kassam, A., and D. Stiles, An Ethno-Botanical Study
of Gabbra Plant Use: Marsabit District, Kenya, manu-
script, 1983.
(^2) Bake, G., “Water resources”, pp 53-62inSchwartz,
H.J., S. Shaaban and D. Walther (eds.), Range
Management Handbook of Kenya, Volume II(1)
Marsabit District, MOLD, Nairobi, 1991.
(^3) Kariuki, G. K., T.Tadingar and K.O.Farah,“Socio-eco-
nomic Impacts of Small Holder Irrigation Schemes
among the Boran Nomads of Isiolo District, Kenya”,
The African Pastoral Forum, Working Paper Series No
12, PINEP, University of Nairobi, Kenya, 1996.
(^4) Intermediate Technology Development Group,
Northern Kenya Pastoralists Project Annual Report
1997/1998, Report to CAFOD, RAPP, ITDG, Nairobi,
1998.
(^5) Stiles, D., “Nomads on Notice: Can Kenya’s Gabbra
survive drought, bandits, and foreign relief?”, Natural
History, 53, September 1993.
(^6) Legesse, A., “Adaptation, drought, and development:
the Boran and Gabbra of northern Kenya”, pp 261-
278 in Huss-Ashmore, R & S.H, Katz (eds.) African
Food Systems in Crises, Part One: Microperspectives,
Food & Nutrition in History & Anthropology, Volume
7, Gordon & Breach, New York (NY, USA), 1993.
(^7) Maybury-Lewis, D., Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and
the Modern World, Viking, Penguin Books, New York
(NY, USA), 1992.
(^8) Legesse, op. cit.
(^9) Legesse, op. cit.
(^10) Oba, G.,Pastoralists Traditional Drought Coping
Strategies in Northern Kenya, Euroconsult and Acacia
Consultants, Marsabit, Kenya, 1997.
(^11) In this article we have not discussed the local fauna,
but interesting practices also exist in favour of animal
biodiversity.
(^12) Bassi, M., “The making of unsustainable livelihoods”,
Policy Matters, 10: 7-12, 2002.
(^13) Farvar, M.T. “Myths, challenges and questions on
mobile pastoralism in West Asia”, Policy Matters, 12:
31-41, 2003.