Pastoralism

In rangelands and grasslands, land degradation has an immediate and local impact by disrupting ecosystems from functioning, threatening livelihoods and negatively affecting social cohesion. It also threatens productivity while dovetailing with the threats of climate change in these ecologically fragile areas. The understanding of land degradation in rangelands and grasslands is weak, which is attributed to a lack of robust data and a misunderstanding of management objectives.

The newsletter started in 1994 as a result of the third EFNCP biennial conference in Pau in July 1992. Its aim is to complement the conferences through the exchange of views, ideas and information.

Cette étude met l'accent sur le potentiel actuel et futur de l'élevage pour réaliser une gestion durable et des résultats de l'économie verte provenant des parcours du monde.

This publication is the proceedings for a satellite event on Biodiversity and the Ecosystem Approach in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, held on the occasion of the Ninth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in FAO, Rome, 12-13 October 2002. An informal presentation of the Satellite Event’s discussions and results was given on 16 October 2002. About 100 participants attended the day and a half event.

Rangelands are large natural landscapes that can include grasslands, shrublands, savannahs and woodlands. They are greatly influenced by, and often dependent on, the action of herbivores. In the majority of rangelands the dominant herbivores are found in domestic herds that are managed by mobile pastoralists. Most pastoralists manage their rangelands communally, benefitting from the greater flexibility and seasonal resource access that common property regimes can offer.

The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) has now been in existence for a decade, a period during which considerable progress has been made globally towards sustainable pastoral development. Many challenges remain for pastoralists, but in the areas where gains have been made it is vital these are built upon and achievements are not squandered. This book follows WISP’s global approach and highlights key examples from its work with partners around the world.

This study focuses on pastoralism's current and future potential for securing sustainable managment and green economy outcomes from the world's rangelands.

This publication provides a glimpse into the often intricate knowledge systems that pastoralists and smallholder farmers have developed for the management of their breeds in specific production systems. It also describes the multitude of threats and challenges these often marginalized communities have to cope with and suggests interventions that can sustain valuable human-animal-environment relationships and combine conservation of breeds and their ecosystems with poverty alleviation.