January 2025: New interdisciplinary paper on understanding desertification at the village level

Dr. Diego A. Menestrey Schwieger led a comparative analysis integrating methods from rangeland ecology and anthropology to understand the different states of desertification in three pastoral settlements. 

Desertification significantly threatens pastoral systems in sub-Saharan Africa, yet there is a lack of interdisciplinary studies focusing on local anthropogenic drivers. This research addresses this gap through three case studies in Namibia’s eastern communal areas, using an integrated approach of rangeland ecology and anthropology. Our comparative analysis reveals how distinct social contexts influence desertification levels in individual pastoral settlements. Key findings highlight the importance of social institutions in managing grazing pressure and aridity impacts on perennial grasses. Despite signs of desertification, the presence of grasses aboveground and in the soil seed bank indicates that a tipping point has not yet been reached, presenting a crucial opportunity for intervention. The discussion also considers the potential applicability of these findings to other Namibian communities, emphasizing the need for effective social institutions in both colonial and post-colonial contexts.

The full paper, which was published in the journal Human Ecology, can be found here.