The United Nations have declared 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). This presents a unique opportunity to change the narrative about pastoralism disseminate information about the economic and ecological role of the world’s estimated 600 million people, who practice it.

There is thus an urgent need for promoting a new, more holistic paradigm of livestock development within planetary boundaries. This is basically what pastoralists do: use mobile livestock to harvest naturally available biomass rather than amass livestock and feed them with crops grown far away and with massive use of fossil fuels.

One of the specific objectives of this 2-year project, supported by Misereor, is that experts from international organizations as well as decision makers understand pastoralism as a livestock system within planetary boundaries and increase their support for pastoralists. Furthermore, the project aims to reach a broad audience, with information about the global distribution of pastoralists, their significance, and the threats they experience with respect to livelihood and production systems.