In the sub-humid
(Ariaal) zone, the study sites were represented by the Karare and Lkijiji settlements. This zone
included a National Forest Reserve and Game Reserve that is protected from livestock grazing,
which served as a benchmark for monitoring vegetation change. The arid lowlands (Rendille), were
represented by the Kargi and Korr settlements. In order to implement the framework the research
was aimed at (a) understanding herder knowledge and ecological methods for assessing and
monitoring the impact of pastoral sedentarization on land degradation; (b) applying herders’
knowledge of landscape classification by asking participatory questions for monitoring changes in
biodiversity; (c) using herder and ecological indicators for assessing and monitoring land
degradation; and (d) understanding long-term changes in vegetation cover using herder monitoring
and ecological monitoring methods.