Encroachment on Water Corridors Drives Farmers-Giraffe Conflicts Along River Tana Ecosystem in Eastern Kenya

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is an escalating global issue that is influenced by climate change, human population growth, and agricultural expansion. In arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) such as Garissa County in Kenya, where resource scarcity intersects with expanding human land use, the effects of HWC are particularly severe, threatening the survival of species like the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata). We investigated how degradation of historical water corridors contributes to increasing conflicts between farmers and the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata). Using field surveys, spatial mapping, and supplementary feeding trials, we assessed (1) the current status and drivers of water corridor degradation, (2) spatial hotspots of conflict risk, and (3) the effectiveness of targeted mitigation strategies, specifically supplementary feeding. Our results show that Prosopis juliflora invasion (63.0%), farmland expansion, and riverbank erosion are the primary drivers of corridor degradation along the River Tana Ecosystem in Eastern Kenya. Conflict hotspots were closely associated with areas near water sources (≤ 0.011 km) and intensive croplands. Supplementary feeding trials significantly reduced giraffe incursions into farmlands (t = -9.18, p < 0.0001). These findings highlight the central role of supplementary feeding in managing human-giraffe coexistence and offer a practical, scalable framework for conflict mitigation in water-stressed, human-modified landscapes.