The environmental problems of pastoralism in Tanzania

This paper tries to throw light on the problem complex pertaining to the interrelationship between pastoralism and the environment in Tanzania, It is essential, at the beginning of a discussion on pastoralism to define it, in order to avoid misunderstandings. Pastoralism is a socio-economic land use system mainly dependent on mobile livestock husbandry with transhumance. Purely pastoral communities in Tanzania are rare. More common are semi-pastoralists or agro-pastoralists. Very often it is difficult to draw the line between pastoral and farming societies.