Technology, tradition and co-existence

How one CDKN partner is working with pastoralist communities to monitor and steward their environment

By SouthSouthNorth Climate and Development Knowledge Network

February 4^th, 2026

The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) is one of SSN's flagship programmes. CDKN has been working with Nature and People as One (NaPO), a CDKN knowledge-to-action grantee, since 2024, to support their work on ecosystem restoration and governance by Indigenous pastoralist communities in Mt. Marsabit, a semi-arid region of northern Kenya. NaPO advances locally-led solutions that integrate indigenous knowledge, community stewardship, and sustainable ecosystem management. This photo story documents their Herder Conservation Network (HCN) initiative, which equips local pastoralist herders with the technical skills and technology to monitor and steward community lands outside formal protected areas.

Sincere thanks to Arash Ghoddousi and to NaPO for providing the images used in this photo story.

Across the rangelands of northern Kenya, Indigenous pastoralist herders possess an intimate understanding of land, livestock, water, and wildlife. This knowledge is born of decades of movement across shifting seasons and landscapes, in search of grazing pastures and water.

Recognising this wealth of knowledge, the Herder Conservation Network (HCN) collaborates with herders from different settlements, who draw on their deep understanding of the terrain and community dynamics to provide critical conservation data. This involves identifying areas with frequent human–wildlife conflict, where targeted interventions can help protect both people and wildlife, as well as recording the presence and behaviour of endangered species and key rangeland resources such as water points and livestock movements.

Through the HCN, herders' daily observations and deep awareness of environmental change are mobilised to help shape broader biodiversity management and rangeland management.

Pastoralist herders use GPS devices and mobile applications (such as the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool - SMART) to map key rangeland features, combining geospatial data with traditional knowledge and local observations on animal behaviour and seasonal changes.

The mobile technology is configured so herders can use icons instead of text to identify and map where they encounter wildlife. This means that herders who cannot read or write can still monitor endangered species, identify conflict hotspots, map livestock movements and seasonal water points, and contribute to informed management of shared rangelands.

As the herders move through the rangelands, they act as record keepers, researchers, and stewards of the land. The data collected is used to inform rangeland co-management and support the work of Kenya Wildlife Service.

In 2025, the herders covered 6471.61 km on foot.

Since the formation of the HCN, nine herders have been able to actively earn incomes from wildlife and livestock monitoring.

They made 1,582 direct wildlife sightings and mapped 506 foras

Foras are temporary settlements strategically located in rangelands that serve as resting points during seasonal livestock movements. Due to their constant presence in the landscape, foras are important partners for the Herder conservation network.

A key element of the herders’ network's success is that they are part of larger herding communities, with whom they share their lessons and findings, acting as knowledge brokers. Additionally, regular engagement with Foras creates many opportunities for knowledge sharing. As a result, this work helps reshape relationships in the herders’ communities, shifting perspectives so that wildlife is not just a threat or a resource, but part of a shared environment. This is not to say conflict never occurs. Rather, the presence of the herder network helps strengthen positive interactions between pastoralist communities and wildlife, exploring ways to limit harm to both livestock and wildlife in future encounters.

The HCN also builds trust between communities and state institutions. By valuing herders as conservation professionals and compensating their contributions, the programme enhances local livelihoods while reinforcing stewardship ethics. The model shows that biodiversity conservation in pastoralist landscapes is most effective when it grows from the lived experience of those who depend on these lands the most.

In the years to come, NaPO hope to expand the HCN to include more herders who monitor other nearby ecosystems. This highlights the interconnectivity of these landscapes and enables the amplification of locally-led adaptation.

It’s a quiet revolution, land cared for by those who know it best, and conservation that doesn’t put people in opposition to the land. This is the future of locally-led and inclusive climate action, where human and ecological needs converge.

For more information on NaPO

See their project page on the CDKN website
Read about the work NaPO did in 2025
Watch the NaPO Documentary
Learn more about NaPO's football for environmental action model

Reflection on being a CDKN Knowledge-to-Action Grantee — Adrian Leitoro, NaPO Team Lead

“The CDKN K2A programme has enabled the scaling of the herder conservation network from a pilot stage to integrate nine indigenous herders. The deep indigenous knowledge of pastoralist herders is at the forefront of stewarding important natural resources. They track endangered species whose survival depends on the health and connectivity of landscapes beyond protected areas. Recognising that loss of biodiversity in this context does not solely impact wildlife: it also undermines pastoralist systems that rely on secure access to pasture, water, and mobility."