Sustaining indigenous Maasai Alalili silvo-pastoral conservation systems for improved community livelihood and biodiversity conservation in East African rangelands

residential area (around the settlement areas). In contrast to communal Alalili, private Alalili were found far from the wilderness and some of them were confined with a live or local fence for protection against wildlife encroachment and depredation (Fig 3). They are also utilized as shared grazing resources between livestock and wildlife that graze/hide within them during night hours especially when crossing from one PA to another. Most of them are up to 30 years old although some are aged up to 70 years. 3.2 Size of Alalili systems across types The size of communal Alalili systems varied significantly (t = 4.4646, p < 0.001) from private Alalili systems. Communal Alalili conservation systems had the largest mean area coverage (1,122±198 ha) compared to private Alalili (209±52.1 ha) (Fig 4). Furthermore, there was a significant variation in the size of Alalili between GCA and other land use categories (F = 3.806, df = 3, p = 0.0123). Alalili in GCA had the largest mean area (1409±307 ha) followed by those in WMA (608±224 ha), NCA (480±167 ha), and open areas Fig 2. One among the communal Maasai Alalili systems surveyed in northern Tanzania. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303649.g002 Fig 3. One among the private Maasai Alalili system surveyed in northern Tanzania. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303649.g003 PLOS ONE Sustaining Alalili systems in rangelands of East Africa PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303649 May 16, 2024 9 / 24