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Getting better with age: Lessons from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE)

Published Article

Kenya

Publication date: December 31, 2024

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The Kenya Long‑term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE), running since 1995, examines how livestock, wildlife and megaherbivores individually and jointly shape semi‑arid savanna ecosystems. Spanning nearly three decades of drought–rain cycles, KLEE reveals ecological effects that only emerge over long timescales, quantifies year‑to‑year variability, and captures signatures of anthropogenic change. The project also illustrates how long‑term research fosters scientific collaboration and generates insights unattainable in short‑term studies, informing resilience, stability and management of rangeland ecosystems.

Subject Tags

  • Land management
  • Life Sciences
  • Savanna

Abstract

The Kenya long-term exclosure experiment (KLEE) was established in 1995 in semi-arid savanna rangeland to examine the separate and combined effects of livestock, wildlife and megaherbivores on their shared environment. The long-term nature of this experiment has allowed us to measure these effects and address questions of stability and resilience in the context of multiple drought-rainy cycles. Here we outline lessons learned over the last 29 years and how these inform a fundamental tension in long-term studies: how to balance the need for question-driven research with the intangible conviction that long-term data will yield valuable findings. We highlight the value of (1) identifying experimental effects that take many years to manifest, (2) quantifying the effects of different years (including droughts) and (3) capturing the signatures of anthropogenic change. We also highlight the potential for long-term studies to create a collaborative community of scientists that brings new questions and motivates continued long-term study.

Citation

Riginos, C., Kimuyu, D. M., Veblen, K. E., Porensky, L. M., Odadi, W. O., Sensenig, R. L., ... & Young, T. P. (2024). Getting better with age: Lessons from the Kenya Long‐term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE). Ecology Letters, 27(12), e14466. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14466

TNC Authors