Sustainable pastoralism: opportunities for rural and international development, conservation, resilience,

disaster risk reduction, and conflict mitigation Pablo Manzano

Global WISP Coordinator Presentation to USAID, Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, March 5th 2013

Source: Nori, M., and J. Davies. 2007. Change of wind or wind of change? Climate change, adaptation and pastoralism. WISP-IUCN, Nairobi.

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IUCN, a unique democratic union since 1948... International Union for Conservation of Nature

•10000+ voluntary experts in 6 thematic groups:

•1000 full time staff worldwide

•350 temporary staff, consultants and interns

•HQ in Gland, Switzerland

•Over 60 offices around the world

•1067 Members worldwide from over 160 countries

• States, Government agencies, NGO

•Over 60 regional and national committees

Members Commissions Secretariat

How do you make such a diverse array of stakeholders agree? ⇒Facts, not opinions!

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Global

Local

Governments, NGOs, research

institutes, private sector

Science

Policy Practice

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The Global Programme

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What is WISP?

• Knowledge management on pastoralism and empowering practitioners

• Provision of mechanisms to understand the rationale of this livelihood, including own studies

• Long-term advocacy at UN fora for understanding pastoralists and pastoralism.

Gather knowledge

Apply knowledge

Develop knowledge

Refine knowledge

Distribute knowledge

Knowledge

management for policy advocacy

www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/publications/general_studies/?9442/

Marginal lands • Arid areas • Mountains • Extreme cold areas

• Heterogeneity of resources ⇒ Taking advantage

Origins

Agriculturalists => pastoralists Vs.

Hunters => pastoralists

Ecosystem services • Biodiversity conservation. • Ecosystem functioning. • Soil formation. • Fire prevention. • Profitable use of marginal lands. • Efficient use of water resources.

Pastoralism is generally perceived as non-resilient

by governments

by development organizations

Pastoralism is generally perceived as non-resilient

by governments

by development organizations

Resilient livelihoods in drylands

• Climate variability ⇒ Specialized strategies*

* See e.g. Krätli & Schareika 2010 Living off uncertainty. Eur J Dev Res 22, 605–622

Resilient livelihoods in drylands

• Adapted better than productive breeds: “the Ferrari vs. 4WD in rough roads*” • Investments usually favour “Ferraris”! * Thanks to Laura Cortada González for this fantastic metaphor.

Improved Boran Cattle Indigenous Ugandan Cattle

http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/news_archive/wisp_web_stories/?8085

Resilient livelihoods in drylands

Resilience through diversification

• Complementary incomes can provide for further resilience sources

⇒Are they correctly evaluated?

Resilience through diversification

Comparisons between ranching and pastoral production systems in Africa (per ha)

Graph source: Scoones, I. (1995) New Directions in Pastoral Development in Africa. Living with Uncertainty. London: IT Publications.

⇒ Thanks to diversification, pastoralism is really productive!

Resilience through diversification

Comparisons between ranching and pastoral production systems in Africa (per ha)

Forest activity/products Value/household Per cent

Wild foods USD2.08 3 Hunting USD3.53 5 Utility items (wooden utensils, sticks etc.) USD4.03 6 Medicines USD6.24 9 Honey USD7.53 11 Water USD7.95 11 Construction USD9.97 14 Fuelwood USD13.27 19 Grazing USD15.07 22 All activities USD69.67 100 Data source: Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Drylands of Eastern

and Central Africa http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/?9492/asareca-report

Revenues derived from forest biodiversity

Complementary livelihoods in drylands

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Illustration by Clara Herreros Murueta-Goyena

2 Revenues derived from Ecotourism in Ethiopia

Complementary livelihoods in drylands

Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Value in USD

68 73.8 77.1 90 114.6 138.6 170 214 204.9 226

Value from drylands

47.6 51.7 54 63 80.2 97 119 149.8 143.4 158.2

Growth rate %

- 8.5 4.5 16.7 27.4 21 23 27 -4.2 10.3

Data source: Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Drylands of Eastern and Central Africa http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/?9492/asareca-report

Illustration by Clara Herreros Murueta-Goyena

Expansion of conservancies in Maasai Mara

2 Complementary livelihoods in drylands

2010 Conservancies

Total Ha 71,946 Source: ILRI 2010

Data source: Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Drylands of Eastern and Central Africa http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/?9492/asareca-report

Photo credit: Pablo Manzano

Region Estimated actual production (in tons)

Estimated potential production (in tons)

Actual production: estimated potential (%)

Tigray 4,993 30,433 16 Amhara 2,396 16,545 14 Benshangul 316 2,500 13 Oromia 130 4,031 3 Somalia 185 4,106 5 Others -- 13,042 - Total 8020 70661 11.34

Potential from resin products, Ethiopia

3 Complementary livelihoods in drylands

Data source: Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Drylands of Eastern and Central Africa http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/?9492/asareca-report

Illustration by Clara Herreros Murueta-Goyena

Restrictions imposed by

policymakers

Loss of traditional regulatory institutions

Why are they perceived as non-resilient?

Both cause incorrect management, land degradation and vulnerability

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Lack of understanding persists at the highest levels: Pastoral mobility still considered something that should be eradicated!

• “The challenge is to find methods to intensify production, but at the same time to shape them in an environmentally friendly way. It’s often just about trifles. The nomads in the Sahara would not need to migrate if they would have water collectors, by which they could provide their livestock with water and irrigate their plants during the dry winter.” German newspaper Interview of FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva, Jan 21, 2013

Source: http://www.badische-zeitung.de/nachrichten/wirtschaft/die-welternaehrungsorganisation-will-den-hunger-ganz-ausrotten

• “We were talking about severe drought a few months ago. The

populations living in these areas worst affected, especially the pastoralists, must be advised to move away from pastoralism because it is not sustainable“ Raila Odinga, Kenyan Prime Minister, Dec 2nd 2011

Source: http://en.ccchina.gov.cn/Detail.aspx?newsId=37932&TId=97

Regulation of traditional institutions

try-and-test during generations,

discarding negative uses

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How could it function?

Traditional knowledge

What should we do?

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Reverse alienation of pastoralists’ rights and restrictions to livestock’s

mobility (i.e. communal tenure)

• Evidence at hand: properly planned rangeland

management, using livestock as the tool, increases vegetative cover, and soil carbon

Source: Tony Lovell http://www.soilcarbon.com.au/

Management improvement: win-win situations

Pastoralism is not necessarily destructive…

MARSABIT/MOYALE HUMAN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND TREND1962-2006

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Tota

l Pop

ulat

ion

Human Population Linear (Human Population )

Marsabit/Moyale Livestock Population in TLU (1968-2006)

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Po

pu

lati

on

Livestock Population (TLU) Linear (Livestock Population (TLU))

… “more people” does not necessarily lead to more livestock

Use of resources Market opportunities

• Increasing livestock commodity prices • Challenge or opportunity? ⇒ Clear opportunity for poverty reduction in marginal areas!! ⇒ Clear opportunity to reduce burden on natural resources!!!

http://www.thecattlesite.com/articles/3179/milk-product-prices-fall-fao-global-outlook

International Milk Prices

Livestock accused of being unsustainable

• High use of resources • Energy loss at trophic level change (90%)

• High level of emissions • Methane (CH4) emissions

• High level of degradation • Effects on soil conservation and biodiv.

• High level of pollution • Associated with high concentrations

⇒ every challenge hides an opportunity!

Use of resources Marginal lands

• Marginal lands cannot sustain most crops • If livestock is eliminated, others will take their

place (e.g. termites) • Specialized livelihoods (Krätli & Schareika 2010)

• Biodiversity crisis in abandoned landscapes ⇒Biodiversity needs herbivory!!!

Use of resources vs. pollution Integration of different production systems

• Agropastoralist systems have a high efficiently in terms of nutrient recycling

• Efficient nutrient recycling prevents faecal pollution, and in fact adds resources to cropping systems ⇒ Win-win situation

Illustration by Clara Herreros Murueta-Goyena

Carbon sequestration to address land degradation

• Is the mitigation potential of rangeland soils

adequately quantified? Global Carbon Stocks (Gt C)

Biome Area (billions ha) Vegetation Soil TOTAL ratio (t C/ha)

Trop forest 1.76 212 216 428 243.18 Temp forest 1.04 59 100 159 152.88 Bor forest 1.37 88 471 559 408.03 Trop savannah 2.25 66 264 330 146.67 Temp grassl 1.25 9 295 304 243.20 Deserts & semid 4.55 8 191 199 43.74 Tundra 0.95 6 121 127 133.68 Wetlands 0.35 15 225 240 685.71 Croplands 1.6 3 128 131 81.88 TOTAL 15.12 466 2011 2477 163.82

Source: IPCC. 2000. IPCC Special Report. Climate Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry. Summary for Policymakers. WMO, UNEP. ISBN: 92-9169-114-3. www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/spm/srl-en.pdf

• Potential for mitigation is great, 1 billion ton/yr! • Reduction of emissions can also be possible

by moving towards low-input husbandry! Transhum by foot Transhum by lorry Sedentary

Fodder 54.76 115.20 370.75

Fuel 67.84 138.40 106.67

TOTAL 122.60 253.60 477.41

Sources: Neely, C., S. Bunning, A. Wilkes, 2009. Review of evidence on drylands pastoral systems & climate change: Implications & opportunities for mitigation and adaptation (Land & Water Discussion Paper 8).FAO,Rome..http://www.fao.org/uploads/media/LWdisc_paper8_temp.pdf Casas Nogales, R.; Manzano Baena, P. (2010) Hagamos bien las cuentas. Eficiencia y servicios de la trashumancia en la Cañada Real Conquense (Let’s do proper accounting. Efficiency and services from transhumance at the Conquense Drove Road). II Congreso Nacional de Vías Pecuarias. Oral communication. Cáceres, Spain. pp: 302-315.

Life Cycle Analysis, mixed-feeding Spanish sheep farms around the Conquense Drove Road

Carbon sequestration, rangeland management, emissions reduction

How can pastoralism be improved? Governance systems & solutions to solve actual problems

Photo credit: Kelley Lynch/Save the Children USA

• Updating / formalization of governance systems • Modernisation (they have already started!) • Provision of useful services (adapted education,

health)

Conflict in pastoralist areas Characteristics of pastoralist life

• Independence, reliance on own resources • Lack of confidence on distance governments • Reliance on own governance systems

Conflict in pastoralist areas Characteristics of pastoralist life

• Predator control and use of guns • Good knowledge of the terrain

⇒Distrust from governments ⇒Undermining of own pastoralist systems

Conflict resolution Improvement of resilience

• Market integration can reduce impact of climatic variation on pastoralists

• Communication strategies can increase the inter-tribal dialogue

• Deployment of financial services in remote areas (phones) can bring new coping mechanisms

⇒ Reduction of cattle rustling ⇒ Reduction of potential for conflict

Conflict resolution Pastoralists want to talk!

• Upscaling current networking process is possible • Networks should have a use • Integration into dialogue at all levels ⇒ Positive examples: West Africa ⇒ Need for valid interlocutors

Segovia 2007 Turmi 2004 Mera 2010

Constraints • Kenya: livestock is 50% of

agricultural GDP but only 3% of recurrent agricultural expenditure

• Low service provision (health, schools, roads, mobile phone networks, banking)

• Hurdles to pastoralist mobility

Opportunities •Involvement of communities, local governance.

•Consultation with local pastoralist networks.

•Understanding of the local rangelands ecology and local production systems

•Modernization, adaptation of new technologies, women empowerment.

•Fair evaluation of complementary economic activities to boost investment

•Cross-regional and South-South learning

IUCN’s Ecosystem Management Programme Wasaa Conservation Centre, Mukoma Road (off Magadi Road, City Square) P. O Box 68200 200 Nairobi Kenya wisp@iucn.org http://www.iucn.org/wisp

pablo.manzano@iucn.org