For addressing the goals in implementing the framework, herders’ knowledge and ecological
methods were integrated in three sequential steps. Semi-structured interviews and group discussions
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with key informants were used to generate information on livestock management, changes in
vegetation indicators and historical changes in land use patterns. Joint transect walks were conducted
with knowledgeable herders to assess environmental change using ecological indicators (vegetation
and soil) and herder anthropogenic indicators (i.e. landscape grazing potential and landscape grazing
suitability). Monitoring of marked transects, satellite images taken at different times, and herders’
knowledge were used to evaluate long-term changes in vegetation cover around permanent
settlements in the arid lowlands that were previously mapped as desertified sites. Finally, a workshop
was organized with herders and Environmental Management Committees (EMCs) in which they
participated in informal discussions on issues addressed by the joint research project.