Llamas Archives - League for Pastoral Peoples

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).

Civil society statement on the International Year of Camelids 2024

On the occasion of the International Year of Camelids in 2024, this civil society statement calls on governments, scientists, donor agencies, local and regional decision makers, experts and the private sector to support camelid development efforts that consider the special ecological and cultural aspects of camelids by: Enabling mobility and ensuring secure access to ancestral grazing and browsing areas for our camelid herds to thrive, for example by recognizing them as Indigenous Community Conserved Areas or Territories of Life, Investing in decentralized infrastructure, such as networks of mini-diaries and local processing facilities to link camelid herders in remote areas to value chains, while also respecting and supporting our traditional ways of processing, Fostering camelid-herding community organizations and their agency, Respecting and building on our traditional knowledge and related local innovations, Strengthening provision of camelid healthcare, including research into emerging diseases, Supporting investment on people-centred and -controlled camelid research and development, Recognizing camels as co-creatures and establishing camelid welfare standards into policy and practice worldwide, Carving out an alternative, cruelty-free development trajectory for camelid herding that conforms to the worldview of traditional camelid communities and avoids industrialization.

World map of pastoralists poster (A1 portrait)

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.

Accounting for pastoralists in Argentina

María Rosa Lanari, Marcelo Perez Centeno, Graciela Preda, Mariana Quiroga Mendiola, Mercedes Ejarque, Sofia Lammel, Martín Moronta, Juan Quiroga Rogers, Pablo Losardo, Pablo Frere / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2020 Argentina has perhaps 35,000 households that practise pastoralism, mainly in three regions: the Puna altiplano in the northwest, the Gran Chaco region in the north, and the mountains of northern Patagonia. It developed out of traditional practices by indigenous groups, which were adopted by settlers from Europe. It is now largely practised by indigenous communities and Criollo people of mixed descent. They keep llamas, sheep, goats, cattle and horses. Their products include meat, dairy products, wool and cashmere, and handicrafts. Pastoralism is estimated to contribute as much as 1.4% of GDP, compared to 7–9% for agriculture as a whole. Much of the trade in animals and products is informal. Pastoralism is poorly documented: no official definition or statistics exist for Argentina, so pastoralism is invisible to policymakers. This lack of data could be overcome by including questions in the census on the mode of livestock production. Research is needed on pastoralism and its role in the economy and ecology.