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TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

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KENYA: SEEKING REMEDIES FOR DESERT ENOROAaHMENT 315<br />

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FIGURE 8-2 Some of the facton cauling desert encroachment in northern<br />

Kenya. (Reproduced. from Natvrc <strong>and</strong> Ruoureu, 14,4,1978)<br />

Water Supplles<br />

The main cause of the degradation is the new trend towards<br />

settlement in the traditionally nomadic tribes. Centers of human<br />

<strong>and</strong> livestock concentration have arisen <strong>and</strong> have exp<strong>and</strong>ed rapidly<br />

around the few springs <strong>and</strong> wells, but especially near recently installed<br />

boreholes. Although fresh water is the main attraction for<br />

such concentrations, shops, schools, medical centers, <strong>and</strong> famine relief<br />

centers are additional incentives to settle.<br />

Of equal importance is the protection that the villages, many<br />

with small police posts, offer against intertribal raiding. Lack of<br />

security over large tracts of l<strong>and</strong> is a major reason for avoiding them<br />

<strong>and</strong> for the gross overexploitation of the more secure areas. Each

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