Livestock keepers’ rights

The Karen commitment: Pastoralist/Indigenous Livestock Keepers’ Rights

Leaders of traditional livestock and pastoral communities, government representatives, civil society organizations with a focus on livestock genetic resources, academics and livestock researchers met in Karen, Kenya on 27–30 October, 2003. They issued a statement calling on governments and relevant international bodies to recognize the contribution of pastoralists to food and livelihood security, environmental services and domestic animal diversity and to conserving and sustainable use of animal genetic resources. They called for an international legally-binding recognition of inalienable Livestock Keepers’ Rights and the Rights of their communities.

Losing livestock, losing livelihoods

Although less talked about, the loss of biodiversity in domestic animals is even more acute than in crops, because the gene pool is already much smaller and because fewer wild relatives remain. Livestock conservation programmes have not been a priority and local breeds are continuing to disappear at an alarming rate. This neglect poses a serious threat to the global food supply and the millions of people who depend on domestic animals for their livelihoods.

Livestock diversity: Keepers’ rights, shared benefits and pro-poor policies

Documentation of a workshop with NGOs, herders, scientists, and FAO. Organised by the League for Pastoral Peoples and German NGO Forum on Environment and Development, in cooperation with CENESTA/CEESP It is time to initiate a treaty on livestock genetic resourcesFormal legal recognition of pastoralists’ and livestock keepers’ rights is duePastoralist livelihoods in marginal areas need to be protected and improvedAn international convention is neededDifferences and similarities between plant and animal genetic resources for food and agricultureDefinition matters