The environment and ecology of pastoralists in arid savannas

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Periodical article

Title:	The environment and ecology of pastoralists in arid savannas
Author:	Western, David
Year:	1982
Periodical:	Development and Change
Volume:	13
Issue:	2
Period:	April
Pages:	183-211
Language:	English
Geographic term:	East Africa
Subjects:	Maasai environment animal husbandry
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.1982.tb00117.x
Abstract:	For the purpose of looking at human ecology in arid savannas, predominantly within the context of East African savannas and pastoral society, especially the Maasai, three interrelated environmental components are delineated and discussed: the physical (or abiotic), the biotic, and the population. To understand the significance of the environment to a pastoral society, a consideration of all three aspects and their interactions is needed, and it is only by doing so that the efficiencies and limitations of pastoralism can be understood. Moreover, by looking at the way in which traditional pastoralists exploit resources and their relative efficiency and stability in doing so, it becomes possible to examine the consequences of introducing new technologies more critically. Note, ref., tab.