As women and youth in Naibunga-Mukogodo dug over 170,000 semicircular bunds by the end of October 2025, a recent biodiversity assessment indicated positive changes and evidence that a healthier pastoralist rangeland is achievable through combined efforts of community mobilization, science and innovative approaches to solving problems.

Semicircular bunds are half-moon-shaped soil embankments dug to capture and retain rainwater on slopes primarily to prevent soil erosion and increase water infiltration for vegetation regeneration. In Kenya’s Northern Laikipia, where Naibunga-Mukogodo, is located, communities partnering with the Wyss Academy for Nature and Justdiggit use this resource-efficient technique to restore degraded land by creating micro-catchments. 

A joint assessment conducted by the Wyss Academy for Nature and the National Museums of Kenya was initially conducted in February 2025 and served as a baseline for subsequent assessments. In the latest assessment conducted in June 2025, results indicate that organic material (biomass) nearly doubled in restored sites. Also noted were vegetation shifts pointing to healthier soils. The most exciting and visible finding from the assessment was the increased visitation of key wildlife including Grevy’s zebra and elephants.

For years, the hills and plains of Naibunga–Mukogodo have faced mounting pressure resulting from climate-induced drought, overgrazing and declining vegetation. For the pastoralist communities who live here, it meant moving further in search of grass and water, resulting in inevitable conflicts with neighboring private ranches, other communities and wildlife. But beneath the dust and heat , was an enduring connection among the youth and women whose shared belief was that their land could heal if people and nature worked together to find practical solutions. 

In response to the community’s desire to restore their lands, the Wyss Academy for Nature, Justdiggit, the National Museums of Kenya, and community leaders came together to build a restoration model grounded in science, citizen participation and innovative landscape restoration structures. Together, more than 170,000 semicircular bunds (SCBs) have been dug across degraded rangelands over the last two years.  

To strengthen monitoring and learning, the partnership has invested in Indigenous knowledge and capacity. For effectiveness of assessment activities, livestock keepers, youth, women groups members, and community scouts were trained to undertake activities such as identifying and classifying grasses and herbs, using quadrats to measure plant cover and diversity, recording wildlife signs including dung, tracks and movement, capturing and validating  field data as well as monitoring bunds performance over time.  

The new skills and tools have enabled community members to become active monitors of their own landscape restoration. This unique approach also allowed community members to understand and own the restoration as it was happening with them, by them.  

With the guidance of scientists in June, community members collected data and information across the Loika, Lorubai, and Losupukei sites. The data was later analyzed at the National Museums of Kenya. Among the key findings, vegetation shifts had taken place within the restored sites compared to control sites where no interventions occurred. While control sites were dominated by plants known to thrive in nutrient-poor, undisturbed soil, the restored sites recorded three new species: carrot-seed grass, shrimp plant, and African purslane. These new plants point to improved soil moisture, higher nutrient levels, and advancing successional stages—a clear sign that the land is regaining stability.

The assessment further revealed that organic material nearly doubled in restored sites with bunds compared to unrestored control sites. Loika results, for instance, indicated 2.5 tonnes per hectare (t/ha) of biomass on the restored site compared to 1 t/ha on the control site. More biomass means more forage, deeper roots, better soil cover, and greater resilience against future droughts.

The most visible sign of recovery was the documented increase in animal presence. Systematic dung counts showed increased elephant activity in restored sites, while Endangered Grevy's zebra was recorded at much higher frequencies, reaching 30 percent increased presence in Loika. Both animals are considered ecosystem engineers whose grazing and movements help shape the recovering landscape, reinforcing a positive cycle of regeneration.

By building on ecological science, Indigenous mobilization, and governance, the Naibunga-Mukogodo restoration serves as a model for how local involvement can support long-term sustainability in semiarid rangelands. In the process, community members are becoming champions of the very ecosystem that sustains them. The promising future of this restoration effort is built on empowerment structures that ensure knowledge is transferred to communities and stays long after the facilitating organizations have left.

As climate change intensifies and rangelands across East Africa face new challenges, the Naibunga-Mukogodo approach offers a scalable solution: affordable, evidence-based, community-led, and ecologically robust. It is a living example of what happens when communities, innovative approaches, and purpose-oriented organizations come together with a shared goal.