IMAS, the integrated management and assessment system to be used by East African scientists, managers, and stakeholders to address land management questions. The project, which is supported by the Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program of USAID, integrates computer modeling of ecosystems, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and field studies to provide information and understanding necessary to conserve biodiversity, wildlife, and ecosystem integrity while increasing pastoral food security. The system enables alternative policy and management strategies to be objectively explored, debated, implemented, and reassessed.
The IMAS quantifies the impacts of land tenure, enterprise scale, and conservation policy on four objective functions:
- livestock production
- pastoral welfare
- wildlife
- ecosystem integrity
The system will enable alternative policy and management strategies to be objectively explored, debated, implemented,and reassessed.
The IMAS is being implemented in the following locations:
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
- Kajiado District, Kenya
- Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda
Regional analyses are being conducted to identify areas of high and low conflicts between pastoralists and wildlife, the economic costs of conflicts and the benefits of their solutions, and appropriate policies for mitigating and preventing unfavorable pastoral-wildlife interactions in an era of rapid land use changes, human population growth, and modernization.
The IMAS website also provides access to:
- information about current projetcs
- online research papers and other documents
- an online discussion forum