Pastoralists Picture Land Use: Pastoralists Use Maps and Satellite Images to Depict Land Use in Ethiopia

This online article, published in ICT Update Issue 52, outlines the participatory mapping techniques being used by the Lay Volunteer International Association (LVIA) in Ethiopia to better understand changing land patterns and preserve indigenous knowledge. The system involves engaging communities in the interpretation of high resolution satellite maps. The article shows how spatial visualisation tools, such as three-dimensional modelling, rural appraisal community maps, printed maps, and even screen-based computer planning exercises with communities can help to give an overview of available natural resources and how they are shared among various land users.

These techniques are commonly used to improve land planning, promote communication, encourage debate and research, and develop environmental management strategies. According to the authors, they have in some cases even solved boundary disputes between ethnic groups, and play a key role in giving communities the chance to express their needs and understand the delicate balance on which their livelihoods are based. Drawing sketch maps also becomes an important contact point between local knowledge systems and science. However, these maps are of limited use when taken outside the original village or read by non-pastoralists.

LVIAs satellite mapping methodology aims to provide a bridge between pastoralist sketch maps and scientific geo-referenced maps. LVIA identified four woredas (districts) and used 1:25,000 scale maps to carry out a series of participatory exercises with 15 different pastoralist groups. Consulting both the scale maps and high resolution satellite maps, the community members were asked to identify a variety of features on the maps. The article states that within a few minutes of explanation, the pastoralists could consistently and accurately interpret features on the maps and satellite images. Women in particular showed a great ability and accuracy for locating features such as cultivated land and private enclosures. Men were more reliable in pointing out administrative boundaries, while the young livestock scouts could quickly recognise migration routes.

By combining the input from the different groups, the team was able to gather complete and accurate information on infrastructure, the locations of wet and dry grazing areas, livestock migration routes, water sources, and administrative boundaries, as well as detailed information on the sharing of natural resources across multiple territorial units. The team manually entered all the information they collected into a geographic information system (GIS) programme. They then produced a number of posters and maps, which they took back to the communities for verification. These final results will be used by local and central governments to support planning initiatives, manage vulnerable water resources, and protect the livelihoods of pastoralists.

One immediate benefit of the research is that because the study area still has a wide variety of animal and plant species, the government has designated a large part of it as a protected area, and the article reports that it could soon become a reserve. In conclusion, the article points out that while the main focus of the research was to preserve indigenous knowledge and the pastoralists' way of life, the results will also improve understanding of the needs of all land users and help maintain a rich diversity of life.