The Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE) was established in 1995 to determine the separate and combined effects on savanna ecology of herbivory by cattle, elephants, and other wildlife species, as well as fire.

KLEE consists of 18 large (ten acre) experimental plots that can be viewed as representing

(a) different land uses (management for cattle, wildlife, or both) or
(b) the sequential loss of large wild herbivores.
In addition to the plots themselves, the KLEE project has engaged in research on pastoral boma footprints and an audacious tree-thinning experiment.

The overall project has thus far generated over 150 peer-reviewed publications, with over 90 from the exclosures, making KLEE the most scientifically productive field experiment ever carried out on the African continent. The KLEE plots have promoted collaborations among scientists from across the globe, producing cutting edge research and additional embedded experiments. These studies have been highly influential identifying the myriad ways that ecological communities are structured and function, and in particular how such insights can inform management and conservation actions.

Universities and Organizations: University of California-Davis, The Nature Conservancy, Utah State University, University of Texas, University of Oregon, University of Colorado

Primary Investigators: Dr. Truman Young (University of California-Davis), Dr. Corinna Riginos (The Nature Conservancy), Dr. Kari Veblen (Utah State University), Dr. Duncan Kimuyu (Karatina University), Dr. Wilfred Odadi (Egerton University), Dr. Amy Wolf (University of Texas), Dr. Lauren Hallet (University of Oregon)

Project Manager: Dr Duncan Kimuyu