Abstract:
Rangelands contribute at least 30% of terrestrial net primary productivity, making them an
important part of natural ecosystems despite low and unpredictable rainfall regimes.
Rangelands are sensitive to anthropogenic activities, making management interventions key to
maintaining forage quality and quantity for wildlife. This study explored the effects of mowing
of grasslands and carrying away (MO), prescribed grazing (PG), and unprescribed grazing (UG)
on above-ground biomass, basal gaps, and wildlife abundance at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in
Meru, Kenya. Data collection was done 18 months after treatment for PG and MO, while UG
was continuous. Treated blocks were selected in a systematic and random way, while adjacent
untreated plots acted as controls. Blocks were divided into 100 m × 100 m grid cells using
ArcMap 10.8.1, where sampling plots were drawn. T-statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA)
tests were used to test statistical significance. We found a significant reduction in the above ground biomass between MO and its control (t = 4.886, p = 0.003) and between UG and its
control (t =5.487, p = 0.007). No significant change was observed between PG and its control (t
= 1.192, p = 0.287). MO increased wildlife abundance (t = -4.670, p = 0.003), while PG (t = 0.589,
p = 0.583) and UG (t = -0.262, p = 0.803) showed no difference compared to their controls. The
mean length of basal gaps between MO and its control decreased (t = 7.069, p = 0.001), while
those between UG and its control increased (t = -4.053, p = 0.001), with no effect observed
between PG and its control (t = 1.882, p = 0.061). This study recommends the use of mowing of
grasslands and carrying away on rangelands as it positively influence the metrics under
investigation.
