Ijara was a former administrative

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the North Eastern Province of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. On May 20, 2000, it was carved out from the larger Garissa District. It covered an area of 11,332 km² and, according to the population census of 1999, had a population of 62,57

It bordered

Garissa District Garissa County is an administrative county in Kenya. Its capital and largest urban area is Garissa. The county had a population of 841,353 at the 2019 Census, and a land area of about .2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Volume 2. Demog ...

to the north, Lamu District to the south,

Tana River District Tana River County is a counties of Kenya, county in the former Coast Province of Kenya. It is named after the Tana River (Kenya), Tana River, the longest river in Kenya. It has an area of and a population of 315,943 as of the 2019 census. The ...

to the west, and

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

to the northeast. The district had one local authority, Ijara county council, and one constituency,

Ijara Constituency Ijara Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of six constituencies in Garissa County Garissa County is an administrative county in Kenya. Its capital and largest urban area is Garissa. The county had a population of 841,35 ...

. In 2010, it was amalgamated with Garissa County. The main economic livelihood of the inhabitants is

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal ...

and

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

. Over 80% of the land is earmarked for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

production. There is potential for rain-fed agriculture but only a small proportion is utilized for commercial agriculture. Local communities settled in the district include the

Awer The Aweer (also known as the Waboni, Boni and Sanye) are a Cushitic ethnic group inhabiting the Coast Province in southeastern Kenya. Some members are also found in southern Somalia. They are indigenous foragers, traditionally subsisting on hunting ...

hunter-gatherers and the pastoral Somali Abdalla.

Nature

Approximately one quarter of the former district is covered by the

Boni Forest Boni may refer to: Places * Bone state, a vassal state of the government of Celebes, Dutch East Indies * Boni MRT Station, a train station in Manila, Philippines * Boni, Benin, an arrondissement in the Collines department of Benin state * Boni (de ...

, which is an indigenous open canopy forest and part of Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosai

A section of the forest, the

Boni National Reserve The Boni National Reserve is a national reserve for conservation and lies in the Garissa County, Kenya. The reserve covers an area of and is managed by Kenya Wildlife Service. It was gazetted in 1976 as a dry season sanctuary for elephants in the ...

, is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service as a protected conservation area. Other forest types are found along the Tana River on the western border of the district. The district is also pivotal in the conservation of the critically endangered

Hirola The hirola (''Beatragus hunteri''), also called the Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found on the border between Kenya and Somalia. It was first described by the big game hunter and zoologist ...

population. A number of initiatives and conservancies have been established to that purpose, including the

Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy The Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy is a community-based conservation area located in Garissa County, Kenya. The conservancy covers approximately 72 km2. It is located along the eastern bank of the Tana River, and borders the former Tana River Primat ...

References

* Antipa, R. S, Ali, M. H. and Hussein, A. A. (2007
Assessment of the Potential of Eco/Cultural Tourism as Viable Enterprises in Southern Garissa, Ijara and Lamu Districts: A Community Conservation and Enterprise Support Initiative
National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya. * Antipa, R. S, Ali, M. H. and Hussein, A. A. (2007
Preservation and Maintenance of Biological Diversity Related Knowledge of Indigenous Diversity and Local Communities with Traditional Lifestyles Boni Forest, Ijara District
National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya.

External links

African Wild Dog Conservancy's community-based project in the Ijara District

Drought monitoring bulletin

Trans-boundary Environmental Project of Terra Nuova in north-eastern part of Kenya

{{First and second-level administrative divisions of Kenya Former districts of Kenya