Social and Ecological Constraints on Decision Making by Transhumant Pastoralists: A Case Study from the Moroccan Atlas Mountains  

作　　者：Zakia AKASBI Jens OLDELAND Jürgen DENGLER Manfred FINCKH 

机构地区：[1]Biodiversity,Evolution and Ecology of Plants,Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden,University of Hamburg,Ohnhorststr.18,22609 Hamburg,Germany [2]Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II,B.P.6202 les instituts,10000-Rabat,Morocco

出　　处：《Journal of Mountain Science》2012年第3期307-321,共15页山地科学学报（英文）

基　　金：funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (Grant no. 01 LC 0601A)

摘　　要：Transhumant pastoralism is an important activity in southern Morocco. Migration pattern of transhumant pastoralists can be affected by physical factors (e.g. droughts and diseases) or socioeconomic factors (e.g. schooling options for children and migration costs). We studied the spatio-temporal rangeland usage of the three tribes Ait Mgoun, Ait Zekri, and Ait Toumert in the south-central Atlas region with a two-fold approach. First, we tracked the migration movements of one representative transhumant herd using the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) collars, which record coordinates from satellite signals. Second, we interviewed herders to obtain information about general grazing practices of the respective tribe and to gain more direct information on motivations underlying decisions. For each tribe we observed small-, medium- and large-scale movements. We found that the most important drivers of migration decisions were seasonal fodder availability and weather conditions in combination with herd-specific risk and cost assessment, as well as personal factors. In conclusion, general migration patterns vary in time, both between and within the tribes, but according to a regulatory framework. Moreover, it appears that both the customary rules and its flexible adaptation to physical constraints are generally beneficial in terms of conservation of the arid and semiarid rangeland resources.

关 键 词：Ait Mgoun Ait Zekri Ait Toumert ARGOS Goat grazing High Atlas Jebel Saghro Migration pattern RANGELAND Small ruminant TRANSHUMANCE 

分 类 号：C912.4[经济管理]