League for Pastoral Peoples

Biofuels in drylands threaten pastoralists

2008-06-16T21:41:00.003+02:00

High fuel prices have boosted interest in growing crops such as jatropha on sparsely populated drylands. But these lands are not empty: they are home, and vital grazing, for millions of pastoralists around the world.

This press release, issued on the World Day to Combat Desertification, draws attention to this new threat.

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Protected areas and Livestock Keepers' Rights

2008-05-31T19:02:00.003+02:00

"How to destroy biodiversity in protected areas?" asks this poster.

"Easy! Just ban traditional grazing there."

Banning pastoralists from traditional grazing areas alters the balance of wildlife, making scarce species such as leopards, lions and bustards even scarcer.

This poster by LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson and Hanwant Singh Rathore of Indian partner Lokhit Palu-Pashak Sansthan, outlines how pastoralists are fighting such bans. It was prepared for the Working Group on Protected Areas on 11-15 February 2008 in Rome.

Download poster 722 kb

Livestock farming with nature

2008-05-31T18:38:00.003+02:00

"Pastoralists and small-scale livestock keepers are crucial to conserving farm animal genetic resources", says this poster, presented by LPP at the 13th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 18-22 Feb 2008 in Rome.

The accompanying abstract, published in the CBD Technical Series 34, outlines the LIFE approach to documenting indigenous breeds, lobbying and advocacy for Livestock Keepers' Rights, and exploring value addition and marketing for livestock products.

Download poster PDF, 473 kb
Download abstract PDF, 371 kb

Pastoralism and biodiversity

2008-05-21T13:30:00.002+02:00

There is no such thing as wasteland. Cattle owners in Madeira herd their animals on the mountaintops - too steep and cold for crop cultivation

Pastoralists and support organizations attending an international meeting on biodiversity have issued a statement demanding recognition for the role of pastoralists in conserving biodiversity.

The ninth meeting of the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity is taking place in Bonn, Germany, from 19 to 30 May 2008.

"When land is taken away for crop cultivation or for 'Protected Areas', pastoralists are denied access to traditional grazing lands and pastures. There is no so-called 'wasteland'. Land that is considered 'waste' by the state is used by pastoralists for grazing their animals and managing herds", says the statement.

"We demand that the contribution of pastoralists to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is recognised and rewarded... Pastoralists do not want food aid but the capacity to produce and market their speciality products."

Download full statement (1 page, 42 kb)

Herders care for biodiversity

2008-05-13T12:18:00.004+02:00

Every month, one more livestock breed becomes extinct...

This 8-page booklet and accompanying poster, published by the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development and the LIFE Network, highlight the issues and offer some solutions.

Download booklet 393 kb (in English)

Download poster 423 kb (in English and German)

Booklet on endogenous livestock development

2008-05-09T19:00:00.003+02:00

Endogenous livestock development means putting small-scale livestock keepers and pastoralists at the centre of their own development. It means building on what they already do, and supporting their initiatives to improve their livelihoods, instead of imposing "solutions" from outside.

LPP and the Endogenous Livestock Development Network have published a 24-page booklet outlining the endogenous livestock development approach and introducing the ELD Network.

Download booklet (786 kb)

Visit the Endogenous Livestock Development Network

The bright side of livestock

2008-04-30T12:37:00.004+02:00

The United Nations continues to see pastoralism as a main reason for desertification, says Drynet, a global initiative on drylands. But a large number of scientific studies contradict this, and instead show the positive effects of pastoralism as a land-use strategy.

LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson and Silke Brehm have collated some of the bright aspects of pastoralism.

Read the full article.

Rolex features LPP founder

2008-04-27T23:34:00.002+02:00

Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2008 provides an update of the work of LPP founder Ilse Koehler-Rollefson.

An Associate Laureate of the 2002 Rolex Awards, Ilse has been working with and campaigning for the Raika people in India and their animals for 17 years.

"Almost without being aware of it, the world is gradually losing one of its major assets, the product of a combination of human ingenuity and natural resources", says the Rolex report.

"About one-third of the 5,000 officially documented livestock breeds are threatened with extinction and are dying out at the rate of almost two breeds per week."

Ilse praised African delegates to the International Conference on Animal Genetic Resources in Interlaken, Switzerland, in September 2007, for standing up for herders' rights. She regretted the fact that little support had come from Western countries.

"Herders and their animals not only enhance the landscape, they also represent important bio-cultural heritage for all humankind," she says.

Click here for the full report.

League to coordinate workshop at Planet Diversity

2008-04-27T23:14:00.003+02:00

LPP will coordinate a workshop on Tuesday 13 May 2008 as part of the Planet Diversity world congress on food and agriculture in Bonn, Germany.

The workshop is entitled "Indigenous livestock breeds and livelihoods in marginal areas: From 'destroyers of the environment' to custodians of biodiversity: How can pastoralists change their image?"

In Europe, pastoralism is now acknowledged as essential for conserving biodiversity and retaining the attraction of cultural landscapes. But in many other countries, pastoralists are still seen as inimical to nature conservation and within major international frameworks, such as the UNCCD, they are held responsible for causing overgrazing and desertification. How can we change these outdated opinions? How can pastoralists in developing countries achieve recognition for their role in conserving breeds an agro-ecosystems? What can we learn from the European experience? How would institutional set ups and policy frameworks have to change to harness the potential of mobile livestock keeping for nature conservation? How can scientists support pastoralists and their advocacy efforts?

The purpose of the workshop is to arrive at a strategy for changing the image of pastoralism among major policy-makers and to develop ideas for mechanisms that would support and strengthen the official role of pastoralists in conservation.

Workshop participants must be registered with the Planet Diversity Conference.

Click here for more information.

Now drink daily to your health: camel’s milk….

2008-04-27T23:04:00.002+02:00

The Hindu, a leading English-language newspaper in India, carried a front-page story on 9 April 2008 about efforts to promote camel milk in Rajasthan.

Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, LPP's partner in Rajasthan, is forging links between camel herders and the dairy industry.

"Enquiries are pouring in from various parts of India on the availability of camel milk," says Ilse Koehler-Rollefson, LPP project coordinator and advisor to the project.

Click here for the full story.

Pastoralists seek recognition as stewards of biodiversity

2008-03-10T12:51:00.004+01:00

Official convention

Planet Diversity event

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity commits it signatory countries to protect and encourage customary use of biological resources in accordance with traditional cultural practices that are compatible with conservation and sustainable use requirements (Article 10c).

Many traditional pastoralist communities would qualify for support by their governments. Alas, in reality, they are generally ignored or scorned upon by policy makers.

On 19-23 May 2008, the government parties to the Convention will meet in Bonn, Germany, to discuss progress in implementing the Convention.

Parallel to the official meetings, a Planet Diversity event will bring together grassroots organizations that promote cultural and biological diversity.

The League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development and Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan (India) will use the opportunity to lobby for an official acknowledgment of the role of pastoralists in conserving various aspects of biodiversity, including those of domestic animals, certain wild plants and animals, as well as landscapes.

LPP and its partners have gained allies among shepherds in Germany, who often get paid to herd sheep on land to maintain its biodiversity. Another strong supporter is the LIFE Network for community-based conservation of animal genetic resources.

More information

Convention on Biological Diversity (official government meetings)
Planet Diversity (parallel event)

German TV features Raika

2008-02-14T20:43:00.005+01:00

The Raika camel pastoralists of Rajasthan were featured on the German TV travel programme VOXTours on 26 January 2008.

The programme highlighted the work of LPP project coordinator Ilse Koehler-Rollefson and LPP's partner organization Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan to develop alternative sources of income for the Raika.

Environmental service payments for pastoralists?

2008-01-14T18:56:00.000+01:00

An article in the first issue of News from Drynet contains a call for rewarding pastoralists for their environmental services.

The article, by LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson, stresses the need to maintain livestock diversity. "Studies have shown that drylands have produced a disproportionately high number of well known breeds which are basically the result of the efforts and the indigenous knowledge of pastoralists," says Ilse.

"Scientific programmes to increase drought resistance of organisms are funded with millions of dollars," she says. "Yet the day-to-day efforts of pastoralists to keep and develop animals under drought conditions and thereby sustain crucial gene pools – that will prove priceless during climate change - remain entirely unrewarded."

The Drynet project, funded by the European Union, involves 14 partner organizations around the world.

Download newsletter 1.2 Mb

Rajasthan Chief Minister commits to camels

2008-01-12T12:59:00.000+01:00

LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson (right) discusses with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje

Vasundhra Raje promises support for camels

Thousands of Raika commemorated the death of Bhopala Ram Raika

11 January 2008 was the first death anniversary of Bhopala Ram Raika, a famous leader of the Raika camel pastoralists of Rajasthan. Thousands of Raika gathered to mark the event, with Vasundhra Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, as guest of honour.

Ilse Koehler-Rollefson of the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development, and Hanwant Singh, director of Rajasthan NGO Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, also attended.

Ilse was invited to give a speech to the political dignitaries and a crowd of Raika estimated at 5000-7000 people. She recalled that Bhopala Ram Raika had introduced her to the Raika community in 1992, laying the foundation of LPP's and LPPS's work in Rajasthan. LPP later invited him to an international meeting in Tanzania and a tour of a camel farm and dairy in Kenya.

Hanwant and Ilse had the opportunity to meet the chief minister and brief her about the needs of camel pastoralists in the state.

During her speech, the Chief Minister held up a copy of a Drynet newsletter with an article about a visit by a Raika delegation to Switzerland and Spain. Their visit had been arranged by LPP and LPPS as part of efforts to promote the rights of livestock keepers. The newsletter is part of LPPS's contribution to the European Union-funded Drynet project, a worldwide initiative to combat land degradation.

"This is how far the Raika can go", she said, promising support for camels, which are iconic animals in Rajasthan.

The following day, the Rajasthan Patrika newspaper carried a special article in Hindi about the state government's commitment to save the camel.

More information

Interlaken conference report online

2007-12-11T12:14:00.000+01:00

"Advocating livestock keepers' rights", a report of LPP's work at the International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources at Interlaken, Switzerland in September 2007, is now available.

The report details LPP's work in the build-up to the conference and during the conference itself, analyses the outcomes and outlines plans for future work.

LPP's preparatory work included organizing two workshops for livestock keepers and government delegates, in India and Ethiopia, and producing a film "Keepers of genes" and a book with the same title.

LPP enabled a delegation of Raika pastoralists to attend the Interlaken conference. Along with other members of the LIFE and Endogenous Livestock Development networks, LPP also facilitated representatives from Africa, Latin America and Asia to attend. LPP and its partners organized four side events at the conference, focusing on the livestock genetics industry, livestock keepers' rights, endogenous livestock development, and animal genetic resources in India. Media and advocacy work tied to the conference have resulted in numerous press articles and broadcasts.

Members of the LIFE Network were invited to participate in the regional government meetings to discuss technical issues and the wording of legal documents.

The global plan of action, adopted by the government delegates at the end of the conference, recognizes the important role of local and indigenous communities in upholding livestock diversity. However, it casts animal genetic resources as an issue to be controlled and managed by the state, and gives livestock keepers only a supporting role.

LPP's work on this topic has been possible because of support from numerous organizations, including Miseroer, GTZ, FAO, EED, Swedbio, the HIVOS-NOVIB-OXFAM Biodiversity Fund, DEZA, Bread for the World, Swissaid, and the Christensen Fund.

Download complete report 255 kb

Camel kisses BBC comedian

2007-12-10T23:11:00.000+01:00

Sanjeev Bhaskar, host of the BBC television programme The Kumars at No. 42, featured Rajasthan on his BBC2 travel documentary series "India with Sanjeev Bhaskar".

During his visit to the state, Mr Bhaskar met the Maharajah of Jodhpur, along with Lokhit Pashu Palak Sansthan director Hanwant Singh and LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson. Part 4 of the film series is entitled "A camel called Sanjeev". The camel was born during Mr Bhaskar's visit to the herd of Adoji Raika, a respected Rajasthani camel pastoralist, and was named in Mr Bhaskar's honour.

The picture on the left shows Kotar, Ilse's camel, greeting Mr Bhaskar. Click on the picture for a closer view (photo courtesy of the BBC).

Hanwant, Ilse, Kotar and camel milk (a product promoted by Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan) all feature prominently in the documentary.

The programme has been broadcast in Britain and several times in India.

Keepers of Genes film available

2007-12-10T14:09:00.001+01:00

Keepers of Genes, a 28-minute documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker Moving Images, documents the role played by pastoralists in preserving animal biodiversity and the key issues confronting them today.

The film accompanies a 2007 book, Keepers of genes: The interdependence between pastoralists, breeds, access to the commons, and livelihoods, by Ilse Koehler-Rollefson and the LIFE Network.

Order copies of the film and book from LPP, or the film from Moving Images

Simply explained

2007-11-21T21:11:00.000+01:00

Intellectual property rights and animal genetic resources

League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development, 2007

Confused about patents and how they relate to the livestock breeds? What's the difference between a patent and a trademark? A geographical indication and a sui generis system? What are Livestock Keepers' Rights?

This two-page leaflet explains it all in simple language.

PDF 57 kb
Word version 264 kb

Interlaken conference reports

2007-11-18T19:57:00.000+01:00

The State of the World report

LPP and Raika delegates at the Conference

The official report from the International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Interlaken, Switzerland, on 3-7 September 2007, is available from FAO. This document includes the Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources as well as a Global Plan for Animal Genetic Resources, both adopted by the official delegates to the conference.

The conference also adopted a comprehensive summary on livestock breeds. Titled The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, this report includes inputs from LPP's Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Evelyn Mathias and Paul Mundy.

Non-government organizations organized a side event that ran at the same time as the main conference. This side event focused on aspects that the official government delegates to the conference risked neglecting: the important role of livestock keepers in conserving breed diversity, the role played by the livestock industry in eroding diversity, and the need to switch the focus of livestock development away from animal productivity and towards the needs and potential of the livestock keepers.

LPP was involved in several of the side event activities:

Susanne Gura organized a session on the livestock genetics industry and its impact in developing countries
Ilse Köhler-Rollefson organized a session on conserving genes, creating livelihoods - not without livestock keepers rights
Evelyn Mathias organized a session on endogenous livestock development - supporting poor livestock keepers
P. Vivekanandan of the LIFE Network (of which LPP is a member) organized a session community level conservation of indigenous animal breeds in India.

In addition, Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and other LIFE members provided reactions to papers presented during a Scientific Forum that immediately preceded the main conference.

Official conference report
Conference website
Conference report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development
State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources report
Side event website
Scientific Forum on Animal Genetic Resources

Raika campaign covered by The Hindu newspaper

2007-11-18T18:19:00.000+01:00

A major Indian daily has reported on the Raika delegation's lobbying visit to Europe in favour of livestock keepers' rights.

"A delegation of 'Raikas' (camel breeders) from Rajasthan who visited Europe recently to meet fellow pastoralists and share traditional wisdom on livestock keeping, have returned after successfully convincing the decision-makers at global forums of the need to preserve livestock bio-diversity and indigenous production systems", reported The Hindu on 17 November 2007.

"Attending a series of high-level meetings in Europe, they advocated the rights of herding communities and sought recognition for their role in bio-diversity conservation," said The Hindu.

The Raika delegation attended a United Nations-sponsored conference in Interlaken, Switzerland, followed by a global gathering of pastoralists in Segovia, Spain.

"For the visiting camel breeders the high point of the trip was a rally through the heart of Madrid together with Spanish shepherds and their colleagues from Africa, Asia and the Americas," said the paper.

The Raikas' visit to Europe was supported by the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development, and its Indian partner organization Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan.

Full report in The Hindu

Rolex features LPP's work on conserving breeds

2007-11-12T17:50:00.000+01:00

Rolex Awards for Enterprise has again featured the work of LPP founder Dr Ilse Köhler-Rollefson.

The Rolex Awards website describes how Ilse is campaigning to conserve livestock breeds, and the rights of livestock keepers to control their animal genetic resources.

Rolex quotes Ilse as saying that "if companies are allowed to control animal genetics... the result could be just a few varieties of livestock... being raised worldwide, instead of a huge range of varieties adapted to their environments and to the economic needs of those who raise them."

"The only way to preserve them is to enable livestock-keepers to generate income, so that their way of life continues,” Ilse explains. “For the camels in Rajasthan, we have developed niche products, like camel milk ice cream, which is proving a success. We can thus help the herders and the camels to survive."

Ilse was named an Associate Laureate by Rolex Awards for Enterprise in 2002.

Livestock industry study revised

2007-11-12T17:02:00.000+01:00

A revised and updated version is now available of Susanne Gura's groundbreaking study on "Livestock genetics companies: Concentration and proprietary strategies of an emerging power in the global food economy".

This study describes how a few large multinational companies dominate the breeding of cattle, pigs and poultry, and the effects this has on the economy, ecology and society.

The revised study is available in English, German and (soon) Spanish.

People and Livestock newsletter focuses on innovations

2007-10-03T18:43:00.000+02:00

The September 2007 issue of the People and Livestock newsletter focuses on participatory innovation development - an approach where scientists and development workers work together with farmers and livestock keepers to build on their indigenous knowledge, identify local innovations, and generate new ideas to improve their production and livelihoods.

Read online or download 75 kb, 8 pages

Rajasthani herders to campaign for their rights at international summits

2007-08-03T13:33:00.000+02:00

A group of Raika herders from Rajasthan, India, will be leaving on 26th August for Europe to speak up about their rights at a series of international gatherings dealing with issues crucial to the continuation of their traditional livelihoods. The Raika are the nomadic camel and sheep breeders of Rajasthan who are famous for having created some of the country’s best livestock breeds, but whose future is on the brink, as their traditional pastures are dwindling away. The government has been given preference to irrigation agriculture, and is now in the process of allotting so-called wastelands – that actually represent customary grazing areas – for bio-diesel cultivation.

From 1-7 September, the delegation will attend the First International Conference on Animal Genetic Resources in Interlaken (Switzerland), together with more than 200 government delegates from around the world. This conference has been convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to discuss strategies for countering the dramatic rate of extinction of farm animal breeds that is regarded as a threat to future food security. The reason for this trend, among others, is that industrialized livestock farming systems are expanding while the farmers and herders that keep locally adapted breeds are being squeezed out.

The goal of the Raika and other representatives of herding cultures is to convince the governments that they should be given an official role in efforts to conserve animal genetic resources. They emphasize that many breeds will only survive, if they themselves are given grazing rights and are lobbying for reference to Livestock Keepers’ Rights in the official documents of the meeting. Livestock Keepers Rights are a bundle of rights or principles that would ensure that traditional livestock keepers can continue to make a living from their animals and thereby sustain the diverse breeds that compose biodiversity and are considered essential for long-term human food security. While African countries have strongly supported inclusion of Livestock Keepers Rights, other countries have not taken up the issue, and the term remains "bracketed" (subject to further discussion).

From 8-12 September, the Raika will attend an International Gathering of Nomads and Pastoralists held near Segovia in Spain. They will also participate in a meeting convened in Madrid by the governments that have signed the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) to emphasize that pastoralism (or herding) makes an important contribution to conserving biodiversity in drylands. While scientists have accumulated evidence for the positive interlinkage between grazing and biodiversity, the UNCCD has not yet acknowledged this connection.

The group composed of Mangilal Raika, Ramu Ram Raika and Srimati Daili Devi Raika will be accompanied by Tola Ram Bhil, a Bhopa (traditional musician) who is specialized in performing the story of how their ancestor, Harmel Ram Raika, brought the first female camels to Rajasthan. The tour is facilitated by the NGO Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, whose director, Hanwant Singh Rathore will act as translator for the group.

On the way to Switzerland, the group will spend time in Germany at the invitation of the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development, an organization that is supporting pastoralists and other marginalized livestock keepers throughout the world through training and advocacy for favourable policy frameworks. In Germany, the Raika will interact with local sheep and cattle herders and learn from them about the use of herding animals in nature conservation. In many countries in Europe, grazing with sheep and other species is used to conserve certain cultural landscapes as well as types of plants, and therefore supported by the government.

Contacts

Hanwant Singh Rathore, Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan (India), www.lpps.org, mobile +94-148-18564; phone +94-2934-285086

Ilse Koehler-Rollefson, League for Pastoral Peoples (Germany), www.pastoralpeoples.org, +49-6154-53642, ilse@pastoralpeoples.org

This text in Word format

What can we do to stop the fast erosion of domestic animal diversity?

2007-07-20T10:28:00.000+02:00

Six experts from different parts of the world answer this question in interviews with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

“Veterinary services have been privatized - drugs are too expensive”, says Thomas Loquang (left), a Ugandan livestock keeper and representative of the pastoralist community of Karamoja in Uganda. The community depends very much on indigenous knowledge for taking care of their livestock, including animal health and production. Thomas urges for support in conserving Karamoja’s indigenous breeds and strengthening livestock keepers' rights through better infrastructure and veterinary services.

Patrick Mulvaney of British NGO Practical Action says that livestock keepers' rights are needed to protect livestock and livelihoods.

Click here to listen to all six interviews.