Page 28 - AWA Vol.42-No3

eNVIrONMeNT CONTrOl

should not be counted as anthropogenic
emissions. In fact, rangelands and pas-
toralists contribute to mitigating climate
change by producing food using little to
no fossil fuel. Pastoral systems are also
well adapted to extreme climates, as
they work with hardy breeds of livestock
that can withstand harsh environmental
conditions. By sharing their adaptation
strategies, pastoralists can help the
world adapt to climate change.
9. Why are land rights, governance,
and inclusion—especially of women
and youth—central to the future of
pastoral systems?
Pastoralists often use large areas due
to the need to adapt to the availability of
forage, which varies in time and space.
cern over generational renewal. is based on careful observation and These lands can combine different
knowledge of the environment, weather, types of ownership and tenure rights in-
6. How is climate change affecting cluding private, state-owned or common
rangelands and pastoralist commu- animal behavior and more. Pastoralists lands. Communal lands often represent
nities? also have a deep knowledge of medici-
nal plants and ethnoveterinary practices critical assets for pastoralists. However,
Rangelands and pastoralists are deeply that existed before modern science and these spaces are not open access but are
affected by climate change. In many re- are still practiced in areas where access rather managed under complex rules
gions, rangelands lose productivity due to healthcare and veterinary services and institutions that have been devel-
to insufficient precipitation. Climate is limited. They are also experienced oped over generations. These rules are
extremes are becoming more frequent. in sustainable collection of wildlife and based on trust, reciprocity, and flexibil-
Droughts, floods, and other severe plants, and in preventing the overuse ity, all of which are essential for the sur-
events, such as the devastating dzud in of resources. Pastoralists have a deep vival of pastoral systems. It is crucial for
Mongolia, decimate livestock popula- knowledge of and respect for their natu- countries to recognize and protect these
tions. Essential water sources for live- ral environment. customary agreements, as they are key
stock are evaporating, turning the land to the ecological and socioeconomic
into an area that is unsuitable for ani- 8. How do healthy rangelands help sustainability of these systems. Seasonal
mals and further shrinks the available address climate change, water regu- access to and use of land must be rec-
rangeland area. Pastoralists have always lation, soil protection, and resilience ognized and secured, and rangelands
adapted to uncertainty and climate vari- to extreme weather? must be protected from conversion to
ability, but climate change exacerbates In healthy rangelands, plants grow other land uses incompatible with pas-
these climate hazards and challenges deep roots to search for water and nu- toralism. In areas where pastoral sys-
their capacity to adapt at such a rapid trients. These roots hold down the soil tems are based on private land, women
pace while having less space to do so. and young people often struggle to this
while aerating it, enhancing soil struc-
7. In what ways do pastoralists act ture, porosity, water infiltration, and soil land. Equitable policies and gender re-
as custodians of rangelands? How do biodiversity. Plant cover moderates soil sponsiveness must help them overcome
this issue.
they use traditional and Indigenous surface temperatures and protects the
knowledge to manage land sustain- soil from raindrop impact, thus combat- 10. What does sustainable rangeland
ably? ting soil erosion. By capturing up to 30 management look like in practice,
Pastoralists and rangelands have percent of the world’s carbon, range- and can restoring rangelands also im-
evolved together over time, shaping lands also contribute to climate change prove livelihoods and food systems?
rich landscapes and cultures. Because mitigation. Livestock are widely criti- The key to sustainable rangeland man-
they depend on rangelands for food cized for their contribution to green- agement is based on flexible manage-
and their livelihoods, pastoralists have house gas emissions. However, recent ment systems that balance grazing with
learned to sustainably manage and research has shown that if rangelands land production. Pastoralists have been
preserve grazing lands through gener- were to be abandoned by livestock, they maintaining this balance for generations
ations. Pastoral mobility has proven to would probably be replaced by wildlife through strategic mobility, rotational
be crucial for the regrowth of plants, the which would produce similar amounts grazing, herd management, and custom-
recovery of rangelands, and the overall of emissions. This research suggests ary governance to keep the land rich
health of the ecosystem. This mobility that emissions from pastoral systems and productive. Rangelands can also
26 Vol. 42 No. 3