ENDOGENOUS LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT
livestock biodiversity
to be "overgrazing". Many policy makers and development agencies still
think that overstocking, and an irrational desire by herders for large num-
bers of animals, are causing deserts to spread. Such myths die hard.
that the concept of "carrying capacity" does not apply to drylands. Rainfall
varies too much to set a fixed stocking rate for animals. For herders, it
makes sense to have a lot of animals, because then at least some of them
are likely to survive when drought hits. And dryland vegetation is astound-
ingly resilient after all, it has evolved under pressure from herbivores for
millennia.
United Nations Development Programme, "as long as mobility is main-
tained, negative effects are easily reversible." She also points out that
scientists have convincingly shown that traditional livestock systems in the
Sahel are significantly more productive than ranching operations in North
America. Among ecologists, there is no doubt that mobile livestock produc-
tion is the most sustainable way of food production in low rainfall areas.
security in another crucial way: they act as reservoirs for livestock biodi-
versity. This is important as livestock industries expand around the globe
and a handful of high performing (but genetically extremely narrow) breeds
crowd out locally adapted animals. These animals produce enormous
yields, but they also need high inputs and standardized conditions in order
to perform. Sensitive to even slight changes in their regime, they are also
extremely vulnerable to disease outbreaks.
marginal environments, where most livestock genetic diversity is con-
served. Drylands are hotspots of domestic animal diversity. The number of
breeds has always been disproportionately high in these areas, and pas-
toralists deliberately keep diverse herds, so as to be prepared for all even-
tualities. Their breeds are continuously exposed to all sorts of stresses and
can cope with insufficient feed, extreme temperatures and diseases. Pas-
toralists act as stewards of livestock diversity.
port on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources, emphasizes
the need for strategies to conserve livestock biodiversity, for instance to
cope with global warming and new diseases. While some scientists pro-