Pokot and Himba pastoralists face environmental as well as political hazards. These hazards are clearly distinguishable along the lines of duration, spatial scope and reversibility of impact. Environmental degradation, for example, is slow working and has a gradual impact but, at the same time, is highly irreversible. A drought on the contrary, is a sudden and dramatic event but rarely has long lasting effects. Long - term processes and short term events are interlinked via negative feed backs: droughts accelerate processes of degradation, violent conflicts almost inevitably result in entitlement loss. The following chapter will first outline hazards that lead to an increased vulnerability of households. Then short term hazardous events are discussed. The chapters are concluded with a comparative view on the extent and importance of specific hazards in both societies.