354 W. H. PEARS ALL 



I understand that you feel that annual burning is unsatisfactory under these 

 conditions. In West Africa cleared ground recolonizes to forest very quickly: 

 surely much the same would happen here, were there no burning, and this 

 would lead to an even lower stock-carrying capacity than at present. 



W. H. Pearsall : Forest is preferable to unpalatable grassland and is also 

 useful because it is a natural protective unit. Because land is not immediately 

 useful agriculturally, it does not mean that it is being wasted. Water is the 

 prime need in much of Africa — and the place where it is needed is in the 

 ground. Forests check evaporation and conserve water. The Masai, in contrast 

 are burning forests which are essential for water conservation. If the land is 

 ever to become productive the useless fire-climax vegetation must be 

 eliminated. There is a twofold need in these regions: fuel and food, and 

 population density depends on the rate at which these can be produced in a 

 manner which is also consistent with conservation. 



J. B. Cragg: There is one practical snag which strikes me. Surely to 

 harvest the game one would have to alter the way of life of the Masai? 



W. H. Pearsall : I see no reason why the Masai should not conform to 

 the basic natural principles of the region. 



W. Banage: The greatest problem which we have in East Africa is to 

 maintain a balance between pastoralists and agriculturalists. I cannot see that 

 we shall solve any problem by confming the Masai in one region and the 

 game in another. There may be a solution through technological advances 

 in the Masai areas — for example in irrigation and the introduction of better 

 nutrient grasses. 



W. H. Pearsall: In East Africa two sorts of people are messing about 

 with the habitat — Native and European agriculturahsts — both aiming at 

 using the bush country in a wholly inappropriate way. There is a need to 

 fmd a new method of utihzation, since the present methods are wasteful, 

 dangerous, and indeed seek to do something which cannot be done. Until 

 then, the best solution would be to leave the area alone, deriving the protein 

 harvest from native game which is as productive as native cattle and less 

 harmful. 



A. M. Jordan: One of the great dietary deficiencies over much of 

 Africa is protein. This is despite the fact that much of Africa is suitable for 

 grazing, and it is mainly due to the presence of the tsetse-fly and trypano- 

 somiasis. There is one experimental area in southern Nigeria where zebu 

 cattle imported from the north of the country have thrived in an area of 

 high tsetse density, owing to a two-monthly protective Antrycide pro-salt 

 regime. Until veterinary trypanosomiasis can be controlled there does seem 



