Kenya

With camelids into a sustainable future

The importance of camelid herders for the conservation of our world’s rangelands is increasingly recognized internationally. To mark the International Year of Camelids, this thematic dossier introduces camelid pastoralists, how they sustainably manage rangelands in the Andean highlands, East Africa and Mongolia, and why the global community should support camelid pastoralism for a resilient future of our planet.

Contents

  • Allies for a green future – Igshaan Samuels and Maryam Niamir-Fuller
  • Camelid husbandry worldwide – Bernard Faye
  • Where in the world are camelids? – Paul Mundy
  • New market opportunities in the Andes – Cecilia Turin and Mariana Quiroga Mendiola
  • Camels as far as the eye can see – Piers Simpkin and Jacob Wanyama
  • Proud to be a camel herder – Interview with Shariin Juu
  • Participatory research for diversity – Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and Cecilia Turin
  • The future of camelid husbandry – Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Ann Waters-Bayer, Sabine Dorlöchter-Sulser and Cecilia Turin

This dossier, co-published by Misereor, the League for Pastoral Peoples and DITSL, includes articles co-authored by LPP’s Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, as well as several other articles by long-term collaborators with LPP.

The centre spread is a poster showing the worldwide distribution of the seven camelid species (alpacas, Bactrians, dromedaries, llamas, guanacos, vicuñas and wild Bactrians (which have been recognized as a separate species from the domesticated Bactrians). This map is based on LPP’s world Pastoralist Map.

Download in English (from Misereor or LPP) or German (Misereor or LPP).

  • Title: With camelids into a sustainable future. Learning from pastoralist communities
  • Author: Misereor, League for Pastoral Peoples, DITSL
  • Description: Dossier
  • Format: Pdf
  • Pages: 20

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    World map of pastoralists poster

    This poster shows the locations of over 800 pastoralist groups around the world, and highlights pastoralist systems from the Arctic to Australia. The poster is DIN A1 size (59.4 x 84.1 cm or 23.4 x 33.1 inches).

    The poster is based on the World map of pastoralists, prepared for the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Visit www.pastoralpeoples.org/pastoralist-map/ to see the full interactive map with details of each group.

  • Title: World map of pastoralists
  • Author: Paul Mundy
  • Description: A1-size poster of pastoralist systems around the world
  • Format: Pdf
  • Pages: 1

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    Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?

    Ilse Köhler-Rollefson / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2020

    Pastoralism is a way of raising animals in association with nature. It entails the movement of people and herds across landscapes, making use of natural vegetation and crop by-products. Pastoralism corresponds to public demands for high animal welfare and environmentally friendly methods of livestock production.

    If we want to make the livestock sector more sustainable, this production system requires strong policy support. But we currently do not know how many pastoralists there are either globally or within each country. This is due to the absence of data collection and because pastoralism is not a distinct category in livestock censuses. Outdated colonial concepts and one-sided focus on the “efficiency” of livestock systems have prevented the recognition of the benefits of pastoralism as a solar-powered, biodiversity-conserving food-production strategy. In order to monitor the situation and provide a basis for policymaking, FAO should lead a global initiative to define pastoralism and record data by production system.

  • Title: Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?
  • Author: Ilse Köhler-Rollefson
  • Description: Information brief
  • Format: Pdf
  • Pages: 6

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