Rangelands and pastoralism: vital systems for planetary health

Two, move from fragmented policies to integrated, inclusive land governance.

The COP17 action agenda explicitly identifies policy alignment, integrated land-use planning and inclusive governance as priorities. But the 500 million people who practice pastoralism have no or limited influence over land-use decisions that shape the health and resilience of the lands upon which they rely. Women, young people and Indigenous pastoralists must be involved, from policy design to implementation. Communal pastoral lands are often governed through sophisticated customary institutions based on reciprocity, flexibility and shared rules. We must recognize this.

Three, move finance towards stewardship, resilience and sustainability.

Rangelands contain around one-third of the Earth’s terrestrial carbon reservoir. Protecting and restoring the estimated 50 per cent of degraded rangelands is a significant climate opportunity

Payments to pastoral communities for maintaining carbon, biodiversity, water regulation and soil health can make a real difference. Examples of payment for ecosystem services schemes in Spain, China and Mongolia show that herd density was reduced and rangelands restored.

We can also support sustainable value chains for livestock products, gums and resins, and ecotourism. As an example, Mongolia supplies around 40 per cent of the world’s raw cashmere. Rising global demand has encouraged larger goat herds, contributing to degradation and biodiversity loss. But the Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform is now seeking to co-create sustainable solutions.

Excellencies,

Rangelands are indeed core natural infrastructure. Pastoralism is indeed a traditional lifestyle that has a role to play in an environmentally sustainable future. Let us use this COP and this event to thrust rangelands and pastoralism into the heart of the debate, and find real, sustainable solutions to the challenges they face.