Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment

Institutions: 
University of California-Davis
Karatina University
Egerton University
Utah State University
University of Texas
University of Notre Dame

Principal Investigators: 
Truman Young (University of California-Davis)
Duncan Kimuyu (Karatina University)
Wilfred Odadi (Egerton University)
Kari Veblen (Utah State University)
Amy Wolf (University of Texas)

Project Managers:
Jackson Ekadeli
Mathew Namoni 

Most of Africa's wildlife occurs on land shared with livestock, yet most biodiversity research occur sin protected areas. The Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE) seek to redress this shortfall through of a series of plots that differentially exclude three groups of large mammalian herbivores: cattle (C), wildlife 25-900kg (W), and mega-herbivores (M: elephants and giraffes). Using different semi-permeable barriers, six different herbivore combinations are generated: O (no large herbivores allowed), C, W, WC, MW, MWC. Each plot is 4ha (200m x 200m), arranged into three blocks of six contiguous plots. For more details of the KLEE design, see Young et al. 1997.

In the years since its inception in 1995, multiple embedded experimental sub-plots testing additional stressors have been added, including rodent exclosures (1995), over-grazing treatments (2008), annual and triennial controlled burns (developed 2013-2022), NutNet and DRAGNet plots (2024), and recently, experimental reversals (2025). Associated external experiments include tree clearing and corral ("boma") placements. Termite mounds and multiple droughts over the past thirty years provide additional layers of stressor/disturbance. One of the themes of current research at KLEE is how these different stressors, singly and in combination, impact the stability/resilience of this savanna rangeland ecosystem.

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Publications:

KLEE is the most productive field experiment ever conducted in Africa, with (as of 2025) 166 peer-reviewed publications and 35 outreach publications. KLEE has hosted (and funded) 20 Kenyan graduate dissertations and 18 U.S. and international graduate dissertations. The results of all these are too many to adequately summarize here, but KLEE has greatly expanded our understanding of savanna rangeland ecology, management and conservation.