News

India marks its independence on 15 August – an ideal occasion to press for the rights of pastoralists to their traditional grazing rights in the country’s forests.

A ban on traditional grazing in forests threatens the pastoralists’ livelihoods. Many are forced to give up keeping animals, in turn threatening the survival of many unique livestock breeds.

India’s forests must be conserved. But so too must the livelihoods and rights of the people who depend on them.

Please print out one of these letters, sign it, and mail or fax it to the addresses below.

• Letter to be signed by pastoral communities or associations. 27 kb
• Letter to be signed by non-pastoral communities, volunteers or NGOs in support of pastoralists. 28 kb

Addresses

• Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, New Delhi 110011. Fax 011 – 23019545, 23016857
• Mr. Raja, Minister of Environmental and Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 3 (Fax 011 – 24362222)3)
• Dr. Abdul Kalam, President of India, Rashtrapathy Bhawan, New Delhi – 110 004 (Fax 011 – 23017290, 23017824)
• If you live in India, the authorities in your State.

Documentation of animal genetic resources: the LIFE method

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and Hanwant Singh Rathore

LEISA Magazine, March 2006

Describes the LIFE approach to documenting livestock keepers’ knowledge about their breeds.

Download 310 kb, 3 pages

Asia-level workshop hosted by Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, 12-16 October 2003

This workshop introduced the “LIFE Method” of documenting breeds, exposed livestock and animal breeding professionals to field situations and familiarized them with the perspective of livestock breeding communities, provided background information on evolving issues within the sector (such as the upcoming negotiations for an International Treaty on Farm Animal Genetic Resources), and projected the status of selected Indian livestock breeds.

Recommendations to promote the sustainable use of farm animal genetic resources in Asia covered four issues:

• Documentation of animal genetic resources (role of traditional communities)
• Strengthening the role of traditional communities in conserving and managing sustainable AnGR
• Support for traditional communities to maintain their role, lobbying for cultural diversity
• Treaty and legal requirements for the conservation and protection of intellectual property rights.

Workshop report 1216 kb (also available here).

Conference on livestock biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and and intellectual property rights, organized by the League for Pastoral Peoples in Bellagio, Italy, 27 March – 2 April 2006

At this conference LPPS Director Hanwant Singh Rathore presented a paper on livestock keepers’ rights: land rights, grazing rights, water, support from government and protected areas in Rajasthan.

Conference summary and recommendations

Hanwant Singh Rathore’s presentation 649 kb

Still a viable livelihood option?

Workshop report compiled by Chakrawarti Singh and Ilse Koehler-Rollefson

Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, 2005

Summary and recommendations from a workshop with more than 50 sheep pastoralists from Rajasthan. Participants urged the the government to implement recommendations on grazing and fodder, marketing, services, institutional changes, indigenous knowledge and research.

Download 337 kb, 30 pages