Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Africa

The Laikipia Maasai are a community of the wider Maasai who live in Laikipia County in north central Kenya. The Samburu are known to be distant cousins of the Maasai, and live in Samburu county and parts of Laikipia, Isiolo and Marsabit. They migrated to Kenya from North Africa. They speak the Maa language. Both communities practice pastoralism in the northern rangelands of Kenya. The mobility of people and livestock is a key element of their livelihood, and fundamental for the optimal use of rangelands and range resources.