Data for: Long-term dynamics of pastoral ecology in northern Kenya: An old model for new resilience

Abstract As the pace of global climate change accelerates, residents of the arid and semi-arid lands of northern Kenya face significant obstacles to maintain viable communities. Colonial and post-colonial political governance and economic models have broken down traditional mechanisms for coping with ecological stress. An archaeological example from the Chalbi Desert is presented as evidence of longue-duree persistence of human occupations through extreme climatic fluctuations. Occupations spanning from ca. 5000 to 600 years BP indicate the presence of robust regional exchange networks and either continuous or repeated occupation of this hot, dry, mosaic woodland. These systems are contrasted against the extrinsically imposed models that began in the late 1800s with the arrival of colonialism in which political economies are more focused on ethnic-territorial and global interests rather than regional cooperation. A long-term ecological model on how traditional systems evolved to cope with vulnerability associated with extreme climate conditions is needed to build resilient communities.