Land use/land cover changes and implication for natural resources management in the maasai steppe ecosystem

The Maasai Steppe in northern Tanzania is among the most diverse and complex grassland savannah ecosystem in the world. The Maasai Steppe contains a mosaic of different land uses, including rain-fed agriculture, pastoral rangelands, commercial agriculture, forest reserves, tourist hunting and photographic tourism. Like elsewhere in the country land use/cover has been undergoing dynamic changes. A continued land use/cover change is likely to lead to intensification of the already existing environmental problems like soil erosion, and deforestation. This study has explored how the different land use/cover changes in Naberera have had implications on natural resources management. The main objective of this study was to assess land use/land cover changes and their implication for resources management in the Maasai steppe. The methodology employed included remote sensing and GIS for change detection analysis, key informant and household interviews, and ground truthing using GPS. Remote sensing and GIS data was analysed using three softwares; Arc-GIS 9.1, ERDAS IMAGINE, and IDRISI 32. The socio-economic data from household interviews were analysed using SPSS. The findings show that there are significant changes in different land use/cover in the area, especially on grasslands, woodland, shrubs, and human settlements. There are many drivers of land use/cover change in the area, the major ones being population increase that is linked to in-migration, institutional decisions and agricultural expansion. Land use change in the area has resulted into changes in management regimes of natural resources, resource degradation and competition over resources. Land use/cover changes have significant implications on natural resources including water, rangelands, forests andwildlife. In the context of the observed changes, it is recommended that the government, the local communities and other actors and stakeholders should look into the best ways of utilising rangelands and other natural resources. Sustainable use of the rangelands could enhance provision of environmental services such as carbon sequestration and habitats for both wild and domestic animals.