Worldwide, there is increasing recognition in the application of nature-based solutions (NbS) that can be generated among others from nature-based approaches (NbA) to restore degraded natural habitats. This paper reports systematic evidence established from performing a series of laboratory, screen house (ex situ) and field (in situ) experiments for over a decade to collate and communicate the effectiveness of NbA for managing ecosystems degraded by invasive plants. We first tested ex situ (2015-2017); the effect of Desmodium uncinatum leaf extracts and re-seeding of a native grass Cynodon dactylon on the growth and development of selected species of the family Asteracea following a completely randomized design (CRD). We then tested in situ (2018-2020) by targeting invasive plants of the same family in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) by setting 12 pilot blocks of 28 & times; 28 m, following a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The in situ trials were conducted to assess the effectiveness of C. dactylon re-seeding, spraying of D. uncinatum leaf extract and D. uncinatum seeding on invasive plant species ground cover, native plant species diversity and invasive and native plants' seedling density. The in situ trials were then followed by a validation workshop (2020-2021) and later on (2022 onwards) the approach was up-scaled. Compared to control plots, in situ we found that our NbA were able to reduce invasion by over 60%. The highest level of invasive plant suppression was observed when 6.65 g/m2 of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers) and 100% Silver leaf Desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum (Jacq.) DC.) leaf extract were reseeded and sprayed, respectively. This improved forage species diversity by four species and reduced the number of germinated invasive plant seeds by over 85%. These two treatments further improved the soil seedbank of forage species by over 55%. Practical implication: Taken together with the ex situ evidence, the in situ evidence suggests that invasive plants, often dominated by the family Asteraceae, can be effectively controlled in sub-Saharan Africa landscapes by our novel NbA while simultaneously restoring them. Our results inform wider landscape level restoration actions to prevent and mitigate further invasive plants' encroachment and associated negative effects.

Globally, bush encroachment poses a great threat to the conservation of biodiversity and rangeland productivity. However, control methods of encroaching woody species have rarely been experimentally quantified. We assessed the impact of tree thinning intensities on tree mortality, and the herbaceous community in Borana rangelands, an Ethiopian savannah ecosystem. At two 1.4 ha areas of mono-specific Vachellia drepanolobium stands, we set up 20 m x 10 m experimental plots with four tree-thinning treatments (0%, 33%, 67%, and 100% tree removal), with three replications in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) across two sites. The 0% plot was left uncleared and used as control. Over two growing periods, we monitored resulting tree mortality, coppicing, seedling mortality, and recruitment as well as herbaceous layer attributes (diversity, biomass) and the rangeland conditions. Tree thinning intensity significantly increased abundance of the dominant desirable grass species. Total herbaceous and grass species richness, diversity and biomass were significantly improved under high (100%) and moderate (67%) tree removal intensity. We conclude that tree thinning at moderate intensity (67%) was most effective in enhancing mortality of encroached trees, and improving grass diversity, and herbaceous biomass. We stress that effective tree thinning requires post-thinning management and repeated bush control measures. Our findings contribute to development of recommendations on controlling bush encroachment, species restoration, and rangeland productivity in Ethiopian rangelands.

Shrub encroachment poses a significant challenge in many grassland ecosystems, particularly where disturbances such as heavy livestock grazing and uncontrolled fires are prevalent. Fire is frequently employed as a management tool to mitigate shrub encroachment and preserve native vegetation, as it influences both resprouting and seed germination. However, few studies have examined the effects of fire timing on resprouting and seed germination both in the field and ex situ. We investigated the resprouting ability of Helichrysum shrubs after being completely, partially or not at all burned. In addition, we collected soil seed bank samples from each early burned, late burned and unburned area at depths of 0–2, 2–4 and 4–6 cm to assess plant species recruitment via seedlings. The data were analysed using a generalized linear regression model with a Gaussian link function. We found significant differences in the number of resprouts and seedling abundance across early burned, late burned and unburned sites. Resprouting of both partially burned and completely burned shrubs was more abundant compared to unburned shrubs. The surface soil in unburned sites contained a greater abundance of Helichrysum seedlings compared to that of burned sites, suggesting that fire negatively affects seed germination, particularly in the upper soil layers. Overall seedling recruitment was lower in early and late burned areas, whereas resprouting was higher in areas burned later in the season. Practical implication . The findings highlight the significance of fire timing in grassland management. We advocate for the implementation of planned early burning to mitigate shrub encroachment, promote biodiversity and save ecologically sensitive grasslands.

Oyster nut [Telfairia pedata (Smiths ex Sim)] Hook is a regularly cultivated crop in East African countries such as Tanzania (including Zanzibar Island), Uganda, Angola, Mozambique, and along Kenya’s coast, which is regarded to be underutilised. Despite its relevance to small-scale farmers in terms of conservation, income creation and food security, little is known about the farmer’s knowledge, practices and utilisation in Northern Tanzania. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating aspects of its production, including farmers’ practices, utilisation and preferences. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured questionnaires in the regions of Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Tanga. Descriptive analysis was done whereby frequencies, means and percentages were calculated using SPSS from the farmers’ responses. The results on oyster nut preferences, knowledge, cultivation and utilisation were presented in the form of tables and graphs. The findings revealed that 87% of respondents who were knowledgeable about oyster nuts were female, 89% of interviewed farmers grew the nuts on inherited family lands, 24% of respondents stored oyster nuts in perforated plastic bags, and 90% of the farmers used recycled seeds as their primary method of propagation without the use of any agricultural inputs. Conclusively, the study gives significant baseline data for future research on oyster nuts and development projects in Tanzania to enhance its conservation and sustainable usage while ensuring nutritional security for the majority of resource-poor people.

This study explored the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) to enhance agroecology education through experiential learning (EL). Using an AR authoring tool, twenty-four participants from two higher learning institutions engaged in hands-on learning activities. A qualitative thematic analysis of participant feedback and reflections gathered during the EL process revealed several opportunities: enhanced understanding and visualization of complex agroecological concepts, increased engagement through interactive experiences, and the use of AR as a research and communication tool. Key challenges included technical constraints, the learning curve for users, and the resources needed to develop effective AR materials. The findings suggest that AR can significantly enrich agroecology education by supporting various EL modes, though addressing these challenges is essential to ensure equitable and impactful adoption. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and development in AR-enhanced agroecology education. Förderung des agroökologischen Wissens durch Augmented Reality-gesteuertes Erfahrungslernen. Diese Studie untersuchte das Potenzial von Augmented Reality (AR) zur Verbesserung der Agrarökologie-Ausbildung durch experimentelles Lernen (EL). Unter Verwendung eines AR-Authoring-Tools nahmen vierundzwanzig Teilnehmer aus zwei höheren Bildungseinrichtungen an praktischen Lernaktivitäten teil. Eine qualitative thematische Analyse des Feedbacks und der Reflexionen der Teilnehmer, die während des EL-Prozesses gesammelt wurden, zeigte mehrere Möglichkeiten auf: ein besseres Verständnis und eine bessere Visualisierung komplexer agrarökologischer Konzepte, ein größeres Engagement durch interaktive Erfahrungen und die Nutzung von AR als Forschungs- und Kommunikationsinstrument. Zu den wichtigsten Herausforderungen gehörten technische Einschränkungen, die Lernkurve der Nutzer und die für die Entwicklung effektiver AR-Materialien erforderlichen Ressourcen. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass AR die agrarökologische Bildung durch die Unterstützung verschiedener EL-Modi erheblich bereichern kann, obwohl die Bewältigung dieser Herausforderungen für eine gerechte und wirksame Einführung von entscheidender Bedeutung ist. Die Studie schließt mit Empfehlungen für die zukünftige Forschung und Entwicklung im Bereich der AR-gestützten Agrarökologieausbildung.

Human land use can have lasting impacts on landscape characteristic, yet there remains a lack of information on how former land use affects plant communities in protected African grasslands. In this study, we investigated how land uses prior to the creation of Kitulo National Park, Tanzania, shaped the presence and abundance of the native shrub, Helichrysum species. We evaluated both plant species composition and soil properties across the park by dividing our sample into three different zones of historical land use based on participatory mapping. We divided the park into three former land uses: (1) livestock grazed and cultivated; (2) grazed only and (3) wild grazing with limited human impact. We observed that former grazed cultivated land use had five times higher Helichrysum abundance than former 'wild' land use. Soil pH, magnesium and phosphorus levels varied significantly across zones of historical land use but not between sites with and without Helichrysum species. Helichrysum splendidum was more abundant in soils with low soil phosphorus and magnesium concentrations. Our study demonstrates that historic grazing and cropping land uses through changes in soil nutrient properties can explain current Helichrysum species spread in protected areas. As such, conservation management plans would benefit from integrating mapping of former land uses to target interventions for problematic encroaching shrubs.

Nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the Mongolian population. Recent socio-economic constraints have challenged pastoral livelihoods and led to declines in herder household numbers. Meanwhile, livestock numbers have risen countrywide, threatening overall rangeland health and biodiversity conservation. In the Mongolian Gobi, herder families fully depend on livestock production. Little is known about the current and future trends of their livelihoods and its compatibility with protected area goals to reduce livestock numbers. We combined data from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions in the Great Gobi B strictly protected area with secondary data on regional and national herder household income and livestock numbers. We determined the importance of social networks, the willingness to continue a herding lifestyle, and the involvement of herders in the protected area management. Our data confirmed that herding is no longer centred around a subsistence lifestyle but rather around cashmere production. Herder families are currently still increasing livestock numbers, which is counter to protected area goals. Costs for education, health care, travelling, and modern communication are high in the economic reality of a market economy and drive the need to increase livestock numbers. Most of the young herder generation are employed urban centres with limited time to support the family herding household. Herders, despite valuing pastures within protected areas, faced challenges due to inadequate communication and conflicting livestock numbers goals. We conclude that herders in the Great Gobi B SPA are reaching livestock numbers which are neither socio-economically nor ecologically sustainable.

Context Although shrub encroachment is a common phenomenon in grasslands, which often suppress co-existing herbaceous plants, little is known about how encroaching native shrubs affect endemic and threatened orchid species. Aims We assessed the effect of the native dwarf shrub Helichrysum species on orchid species in a protected mountainous grassland system in Tanzania. Methods We selected five Helichrysum shrub-dominated blocks and applied four treatments in each, i.e. no or low encroachment (<20% Helichrysum cover; ‘low cover’), high encroachment (>50% Helichrysum cover; ‘high cover’), cutting all stems of Helichrysum shrubs to ground level (‘stem cut’) and removing both stems and roots of all Helichrysum shrubs (‘uprooted’). We then compared orchid species diversity, abundance and functional traits by using a mixed linear model across treatments. Key results Orchid species diversity and abundance were significantly lower in ‘high cover’ plots than in other treatments. In ‘high cover’ plots, orchid species such as Disa robusta, Satyrium acutirostrum, and S. sphaeranthum had a significantly lower chlorophyll content than they did in ‘low cover’ plots. The ‘uprooting’ treatment showed significantly higher orchid species diversity in the second field season. Conclusion The expansion of Helichrysum shrubs adversely affected orchid abundance, diversity, and individual vigour, which in turn affected the regenerative ability of orchids. Implications We suggest that management should focus on shrub removal, because only ‘cutting’ had a beneficial effect on orchids. Shrub removal should be focused on areas of high shrub cover to promote further orchid species growth in this mountainous grassland of Tanzania.

Integrating Augmented Reality (AR) in learning environments has revolutionized traditional learning approaches by providing immersive and interactive experiences beyond conventional constraints. While several studies have used AR to enhance learning for individuals with disabilities, there is a significant gap in research focusing on generating captions within AR environments to optimize the experience for users who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This study aims to investigate a personalized captioning strategy tailored to the unique needs of the DHH community. To achieve this, a scoping review of published articles in three databases was conducted to discover how captions are generated, where they are placed, and what attributes of captions are personalizable in AR spaces. Using the PRISMA methodology followed by an interview, the study identified nomenclature discrepancies in AR spaces for hand-held devices, proposing the terms "world-lock-view" and "screen-lock-view". While analyzing captioning technology, the study identified a lack of customization options in Automatic Speech Recognition implementations. This is particularly significant for DHH users in AR spaces, who require control over font styles, background settings, and caption placement to enhance accessibility for DHH users within AR environments, contributing to a more inclusive and enriched learning experience. The study also discusses the limitations of the captioning strategy and proposes solutions to these limitations.

Land management by seasonal migratory herding, traditionally implemented by pastoralists, has allowed semi-arid rangeland ecosystems to remain productive and resilient to highly erratic, seasonal rainfall patterns. Changing pastoralist practices and rainfall patterns due to climate change have the potential to negatively influence the resilience of rangelands. To test the impact of different communal rangeland practices and increasing frequency of disturbance on the rangelands' vegetation, we established a clipping experiment in three rangeland management types: rainy season rangeland, dry season rangeland and seasonal exclosures, in the Maasai Steppe, northern Tanzania. Across these rangeland management types, we tested two clipping frequencies monthly vs. once per growing period and either fenced or open to grazing (herbivory) over two consecutive growing periods. We found that rainy season rangeland exhibited lowest regrowth rates and highest proportion of bare ground across herbivory, clipping frequency and growing period. When rainfall was low, seasonal exclosures showed lowest proportion of bare ground across herbivory and clipping frequency and plots that were seasonally clipped and excluded herbivores generated significantly more grass biomass, higher grass regrowth rates and lowest proportion of bare ground compared to all other treatments. Excluding herbivores had little impact on the vegetation biomass and cover but had a positive impact on grass regrowth rates when rainfall was high. Seasonal clipping allowed for lower proportion of bare ground, and in most cases higher regrowth rates and higher biomass compared to monthly clipping. We conclude that traditional seasonal migratory herding is a relevant concept to sustain rangeland productivity and resilience under increasing intensity of disturbance if grazing pressure on rainy season rangelands is adapted to rainfall conditions and sufficient resting time after heavy defoliation is granted. Dry season grazing (including rainy season resting) proved to be the most sustainable concept to maintain regrowth and control erosion.

Worldwide, bush encroachment threatens rangeland ecosystem services, including plant biodiversity and forage for livestock. Various control methods for encroaching woody species and restoring herbaceous vegetation exist but have rarely been explored experimentally. We assessed the impact of post-tree thinning management on tree mortality, the herbaceous community, and overall rangeland condition in Borana, an Ethiopian savanna ecosystem. At two 1.4 ha areas of encroached mono-specific Vachellia drepanolobium (whistling thorn) stands, we set up twenty-four 20 × 10 m experimental plots with four post-tree-thinning treatments (goat browsing only (1), prescribed fire (2), fire and goat browsing (3), and control (4) (i.e., no management after tree cutting), with three replications in a complete block design. Over two growing periods, we monitored resulting tree mortality, coppicing, seedling mortality and recruitment, as well as herbaceous layer attributes (diversity, biomass) and overall rangeland condition. All three post-tree thinning management scenarios significantly enhanced tree mortalities, reduced seedling recruitment and increased the abundance of the dominant desirable grass species. Prescribed fire and fire and goat-browsing treatments resulted in significantly greater grass and forb species richness, forb diversity, and biomass, as well as the overall rangeland condition compared to goat browsing only and the control treatment. However, grass species diversity did not respond to treatments. Post-tree management significantly increased tree mortality, reduced seedling recruitment, and increased the abundance of desirable grass species. Our findings strongly suggest that post-thinning management, particularly prescribed fire or a combination of fire and browsing, is highly effective in suppressing woody encroachment and improving biomass and overall rangeland condition.

Nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the Mongolian population. Recent socio-economic constraints have challenged pastoral livelihoods and rising livestock numbers threaten overall rangeland health and biodiversity conservation. In the Mongolian Gobi, herder households fully depend on livestock production but little is known about their livelihood trends and potential compatibility with protected area goals. We combined interview data in the Great Gobi B strictly protected area (SPA) with secondary data on regional and national herder households to determine the importance of social networks, willingness to continue a herding lifestyle, and degree of involvement in protected area (PA) management. Our descriptive data confirm that herding is no longer centred on a subsistence lifestyle but rather around cashmere production. Contrary to sustainability goals, especially in protected areas, herder households continue to increase livestock numbers in response to high expenditures in the economic reality of a market economy. We conclude that herders in the Great Gobi B SPA are reaching neither socio-economically nor ecologically sustainable livestock numbers which challenge herders’ livelihoods and PA management alike. We recommend enhancing communication between the PA management and the herding community and increasing participatory conservation activities. National strategies are needed to resolve the current dilemma of increasing livestock numbers to meet livelihood demands and the growing threat to rangeland health.

Land use/land cover (LULC) change, caused by human activities, can strongly affect wildlife species and their habitats. Yet, human impacts onto lakes and associated indicator bird species such as the lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) have rarely been investigated. We used remote sensing images from 1989 to 2019, with additional interviews and focus group discussions to investigate how LULC change and agricultural activities adjacent to the Momella lakes, Tanzania, have affected the flamingo habitat. Agricultural areas increased strongly over time, and most respondents earned their living through crop farming. The use of synthetic fertilizers, and limited knowledge about fertilizer effects on environmental health, were evident. We highlight that LULC data combined with socio-economic assessments is essential to understanding the dynamics and impacts of human activities on wildlife. We recommend training for sustainable farming practices around areas of high conservation values and integrating land use changes and socio-economic dynamics into conservation efforts.

A risk assessment for disasters is usually composed of hazard, vulnerability and exposure variables, which are hardly studied and modeled simultaneously. In volcanology, it remains ambitious to anticipate risk trajectories of pre- and post-eruption regimes. The interdependencies and feedback loops of the system's components, between geological, ecological, social and economic ones, give rise to trade-offs and synergies that should be disentangled for supporting decisionmakers and helping local communities to face the risks. We developed here an innovative discrete-event and possibilistic model based on a dynamical network representation to assess volcanological multi-risk and long term post-eruption impacts of such a multifactorial system. We illustrated our method with the region around Mount Meru (Northern Tanzania), a strato-volcano with various eruption styles, located in a growing economic and touristic region (>1 M.inh.).We used qualitative and rule-based Petri nets, largely unused in environmental sciences, for an integrated assessment of the overall system dynamics and associated risks. As a central result, we showed that the region could recover from a blast eruption, irrespective of the timescale. Our study highlights the fact that agriculture and pastoralism remain key activities to favour the recovery of this region. Yet, as soon as subsidies from governmental and non-governmental organizations are lacking, the modeled region remains isolated from national and international activities and shifts to rural dynamics. Our case study can equip environmental risk assessment with innovative models, new dynamical indices (e.g. desirable and non-desirable trajectories), and rigorous reasoning for an ultimate integrated management of social-ecological systems at stake.

In Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the population, increasing livestock numbers, socio-economic constraints and climate change raise concerns over rangeland health. Little empirical evidence explains what triggers camp moves of pastoralists in the Dzungarian Gobi in Mongolia, which factors influence grazing mobility around camps, and how altitudinal migration benefits small livestock. We combined GPS tracking data of 19 small livestock herds monitored from September 2018 to April 2020 with remotely sensed climate and environmental data. We used general linear-mixed models to analyse variables influencing camp use duration and daily mobility patterns. To understand the importance of the altitudinal migration, we compared climatic conditions along the elevation gradient and looked at seasonal body weight changes of small livestock. We found that available plant biomass and season best explained camp use duration. Daily walking distance and maximum distance from camp increased with camp use duration. Pasture time increased with increasing biomass and rising temperatures. We conclude that herders in the Dzungarian Gobi have optimized pasture use by reacting to changes in biomass availability at landscape and local scale, and by embracing altitudinal migration. Flexibility in grazing mobility seems to have enabled local herder communities to practise sustainable pasture use. Maintaining this mobility will most likely be the best strategy to deal with environmental change under the current climate change scenarios.

Wastewater treatment systems, such as Constructed Wetlands (CWs) and Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSPs), have untapped biodiversity enhancement and development potential. Birds, insects, and reptiles, which are displaced by human development, might find refuge in these ecosystems. However, the lack of a detailed characterization of the biodiversity status of these wastewater treatment systems hinders their widespread adoption. Point counts, direct observations, and camera traps were used to assess bird diversity across five CWs and three WSPs in Tanzania in 2021. For insects and reptiles, pitfall and pan traps were laid along established transects, in addition, direct observations and fishnets were also used to assess the reptiles dwelling within the WSPs. Abundance, Shannon index, Simpson index, Margalef index, and evenness index were the diversity parameters used to analyze the diversity of birds, insects, and reptiles. Our results show that among the studied groups and between WSPs and CWs, birds had high species abundance (n = 1132), richness, Margalef index (D = 4.266), evenness (E = 0.815), Shannon diversity (H = 2.881) and Simpson index (lambda =0.903). The abundance and diversity of studied groups differed significantly (P < 0.05) between WSPs and CWs. Our study also recorded four reptile species belonging to three orders. Molecular analyses confirmed that insect species belong to nine orders and 13 families, with the order Diptera dominating both CWs and WSPs, followed by Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, and Araneae. We conclude that CW and WSP wastewater treatment systems are important for hosting various populations of birds, reptiles, and insect species.

Augmented reality is increasingly becoming significant in people’s everyday life in different sectors. Particularly to users with disabilities, augmented reality can be an instructional tool and assistive technology, making it worth a vital tool for users with disabilities. For such an important tool, it is essential to understand how these applications are evaluated in order to improve their throughput and extend their accessibility. In that regard, a systematic literature review for peer-reviewed articles published between 2012 and 2022 was conducted to discover which methods, metrics, and tools/techniques researchers use during the accessibility evaluation of augmented reality applications. The PRISMA methodology allowed us to identify, screen, and include 60 articles from three databases. The finding shows that most researchers use task scenarios as the method, qualitative feedback as the metric, and questionnaire as a tool to collect data for accessibility evaluation. The conclusion and future studies are also discussed.

The aim of our study was to investigate whether social interactions between individual wildebeest can generate the empirical power law distributions of wildebeest aggregations. Animals are often found in groups such as fish schools, bird flocks, insect swarms, and ungulate herds. Being in a group helps members to engage in different behavioral activities such as in foraging, predator avoidance, and resistance to toxic environmental conditions, reproduction or socialization. In this study, we present the power law, truncated power law and the exponential distribution. We also quantified the distribution of real herds by analyzing the frequency distribution of wildebeest counts in aerial survey images collected in 2015. We then used a Lagrangian model of animal interactions to simulate individual movement and herd aggregation patterns. The simulations of our agent-based model exhibited characteristic aggregation patterns that were most similar to the empirical data. We observed a close match between parameters from the empirical data and agent based model. These parameters include the scaling parameter from the power law (\(\alpha\)) and the standard deviation \(\sigma\). With parameter values that matched empirical distributions, we fitted the model. Our analysis of the empirical data shows that the aggregation patterns of wildebeest herds are governed by a truncated power law. We contend that social interactions between individual wildebeest can explain this behaviour.

The structure of pollination networks is critical to ecosystem stability and functioning. We investigated pollinator-plant interactions to understand the foraging preference and develop pollination networks in a semi-arid rangeland of different grazing management categories in Tanzania. Along three line transects, each measuring 100 m, in each of the four grazing management categories (private and communal enclosures, wet and dry season grazing areas), we laid out three quadrats measuring 5 m x 5 m (25 m2,) located 30 m apart. We recorded insects visiting flowering plants for two consecutive days in each quadrat every week at each site from April to May, in 2019 and 2020. Aspilia mossambicensis received the most significant proportion of insect visitors (28%), followed by Justicia debile (21%). The mean protein concentration in sampled pollen varied significantly between plant species (& chi;2 = 25.9, P = 0.001), with Solanum incanum containing the highest concentration (299.3 & PLUSMN; 0.68) g/100 g. We did not notice any correlation between honey bee visitation and protein concentration in pollen (r = -0.471, P = 0.239) nor with fatty acids concentration (r = 0.253, P = 0.546). When comparing pollinator-plant network properties including connectance, nestedness, robustness, number of links, modularity, network diversity and linkage density across rangeland management, we found that the private enclosure contained significantly larger networks than the communal enclosure, the dry and the wet season grazing sites. We conclude that particularly private enclosures are vital to promote pollination networks in our studied rangeland system as they include important pollinator forage plants.