Wide-scale subdivision and fencing of southern Kenyan rangelands jeopardizes biodiversity conservation and pastoral livelihoods: Demonstration of utility of open-access landDX database

Globally, rangelands are undergoing rapid social-ecological changes, yet the scale of these changes is rarely measured. Fencing, sedentarization, and land conversion limit access by wildlife livestock to vital resources such as water seasonal forage, leading rangeland degradation. In addition, connectivity between sub-populations, triggering a spiral decreasing biodiversity weakening ecosystem function. Moreover, combination privatization, sedentarization fencing endangers pastoral livelihoods reducing resilience drought diminishing holdings per person. We provide unique, urgent, snapshot across >30,000 km 2 southern Kenya’s rangeland, covering four ecosystems renowned for their rich megafauna people. document explore drivers extensive (~40,000 km), proliferation enclosures (>27,000), cultivation (~1,500 ). Our analyses were based on an open-access database recently synthesized region. Fencing generally more prolific in areas that have been converted from community tenure private title, especially where values raised agricultural potential proximity capital, Nairobi. These factors drive transfer ownership traditional pastoralists speculators, eventually resulting transformation into agricultural, industrial urban uses. Space (and pastoralism) limited private, subdivided land, at highest density, there less unfenced untransformed compared conservation commons. Conflicting planning incentives, policies, economic forces driving unsustainable potentially irreversible transitions over unprecedented spatial scales. The lesson Kenya range financial, policy governance-related interventions required allow people nature coexist sustainably African savannas.