Paper short abstract:

We focus on the complexity of temporal & spatial interactions & interdependencies in the social-ecological systems in a number of focal case studies in East Africa to understand the interactions between people, their environment, wildlife, & livelihoods over the past millennium.

Paper long abstract:

Recent initiatives such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment highlight the enormous value of the goods and services people obtain from nature, and their crucial role in supporting livelihoods. Ecosystems are the primary resource for human well-being & provide key functions essential to the sustainable economic development, especially for African nations whose economies are heavily dependent on agriculture, rangeland pastoralism, forestry management & wildlife tourism. East African environments are heterogeneous & dynamic, have a long history of interaction with human populations. We focus on the complexity of temporal & spatial interactions & interdependencies in the social-ecological systems in a number of focal case studies in East Africa to understand the interactions between people, their environment, wildlife, & livelihoods over the past millennium. These case studies have been selected to determine how societies, ecosystems & Protected Areas responded to climate change & management, so as to better understand how they may respond to future climate change, management interventions & societal use. Taking this perspective we assess the role of the past in developing nature-based solutions to contribute to East Africa achieving future sustainable development pathways such as achieving the SDGs.