The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists to spotlight the vital role that rangelands and pastoralist communities play in sustainable food production, ecosystem stewardship, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
In an interview with FAO Newsroom, Thanawat Tiensin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, explained what rangelands are, where they are found, how pastoralist systems function, and why protecting and investing in them is essential for building more sustainable, resilient and inclusive agrifood systems worldwide.
A livestock herder in Mongolia. © FAO/K.Purevraqchaa
1. What are rangelands and why are they a vital part of the world's land systems?
Rangelands are lands used, or that can potentially be used, for grazing. They are very diverse and comprise the world's drylands, grasslands, shrublands, savannahs, deserts, steppes, mountain areas, and wetlands, among other ecosystems. These open landscapes have often been considered wastelands or unproductive lands because conventional agriculture is often difficult or impossible due to unsuitable conditions. Yet they are composed of grass, grass-like plants, forbs, shrubs and sometimes trees that provide ideal support for grazing wildlife and livestock, and pastoralist communities have thrived in these landscapes for millennia.
2. What are some examples of rangelands? Where are they found?
Some of the best-known rangelands are the savannahs of Africa, the vast steppes of central Asia, the Pampas of South America, the Great Plains of North America, or many Eurasian mountains, along with big extensions in the world's drylands. They are also found in some of the world's most extreme climates, experiencing both the hottest and coldest weather, like the savannahs of the Sahel or the grasslands of Scandinavia. There is no global consensus on their extent, but they are usually estimated to cover around half of the world's land - making them one of the largest land areas, if not the largest. Some countries, such as Mongolia, Australia or Mauritania, are mostly covered by rangelands.
3. Who are pastoralists and how does mobility shape their livelihoods, cultures, and food systems?
Pastoralists are people whose livelihoods mainly depend on herding animals, predominantly making use of the natural forage available in the rangelands. Their herds comprise small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, or large ruminants, such as cattle, reindeer, yaks, bison and buffalo, camelids such as camels, llamas, and alpacas, as well as horses or donkeys, depending on the ecosystem and the region. The herds can be mixed, and the animals are mostly domestic, but they can also be wild or semi-domesticated as in the case of reindeers or vicuñas. They usually move seasonally and daily with their animals to meet their needs for forage, water, but also to access markets or avoid disease hotspots.
The seasonal movements are often called transhumance and can involve distances over 800km in the driest areas. This mobility and way of life, coexisting with livestock, has had a profound impact on pastoralist cultures, and is reflected in pastoralist stories, songs, beliefs and food systems. As such, much of traditional pastoralist cuisine is based on meat and dairy products, as well as on the collection of wild plants. Following the requests from two groups of European countries, UNESCO recognized transhumance as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and more countries have already shown their interest in joining this recognition.
A pastoralist with his herd in Senegal. © FAO / Sylvain Cherkaoui
4. How do rangelands and pastoralism contribute to global food security, biodiversity, and ecosystem health?
It is estimated that around 2 billion people depend on rangelands and that 10 percent of the global meat supply comes from them. However, global data on rangelands and pastoralism remain scarce and lack harmonization. Rangelands are home to unique biodiversity, including familiar species like wild yaks, antelopes, deer, water buffalos and rhinoceros or some lesser-known ones such as pronghorns in North America, and guanacos in South America. They support rich plant diversity. A recent study found that permanent grasslands in France can support up to 100 different plant species. Pastoralism helps preserve this diversity in two ways: first, because it does not replace the native vegetation; and second, livestock movement helps plants regenerate while dispersing the seeds through their dung, connecting different ecosystems. This diversity provides livestock with varied nutritious feed. Pastoral systems depend on and have preserved a wide variety of locally adapted breeds, approximately 40 percent of which are at threat of extinction, according to FAO's Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS). Despite the efforts already made (for instance, countries like Spain have catalogued up to 160 original livestock breeds), exhaustive data on this genetic and cultural heritage is still lacking in many cases.
5. What are the main threats facing rangelands and pastoralists today?
According to the UNCCD, around half of the world's rangelands are degraded, meaning plant height, cover and biodiversity are diminishing. At the highest degradation levels, soil chemical properties are altered, and rangeland degradation leads to salinization and soil compaction. Due to the misconception that rangelands are unproductive and to a weak protection of pastoralists' land use rights, rangelands are also regularly turned into other land uses, such as urban areas, mining, cropland, infrastructure, or even tree plantations and renewable energy projects. Weak market incentives, limited safety nets, and rapidly changing economies contribute to overstocking in some areas, which-combined with climate pressures- further increase rangelands degradation. In other regions, rural exodus leads to rangelands abandonment and encroachment, resulting in landscapes where neither people nor nature can thrive. Pastoralists are directly affected by these changes as they witness the shrinking of pastoral areas. Mobility corridors are also being disrupted, and in some areas where transboundary pastoralism was traditionally practiced, countries closed their borders. Conflicts over natural resources are rising. Pastoralists also frequently report economic challenges, such as low market prices, limited market access, and poor animal health. Due to these challenges, as well as a lack of recognition, young people are increasingly reluctant to pursue this livelihood, resulting in a growing concern over generational renewal.
6. How is climate change affecting rangelands and pastoralist communities?
Rangelands and pastoralists are deeply affected by climate change. In many regions, rangelands lose productivity due to insufficient precipitation. Climate extremes are becoming more frequent. Droughts, floods, and other severe events, such as the devastating dzud in Mongolia, decimate livestock populations. Essential water sources for livestock are evaporating, turning the land into an area that is unsuitable for animals and further shrinks the available rangeland area. Pastoralists have always adapted to uncertainty and climate variability, but climate change exacerbates these climate hazards and challenges their capacity to adapt at such a rapid pace while having less space to do so.
An agro-pastoralist with her goat in Somalia. ©FAO/Arete/Moustapha Negueye
7. In what ways do pastoralists act as custodians of rangelands? How do they use traditional and Indigenous knowledge to manage land sustainably?
Pastoralists and rangelands have evolved together over time, shaping rich landscapes and cultures. Because they depend on rangelands for food and their livelihoods, pastoralists have learned to sustainably manage and preserve grazing lands through generations. Pastoral mobility has proven to be crucial for the regrowth of plants, the recovery of rangelands, and the overall health of the ecosystem. This mobility is based on careful observation and knowledge of the environment, weather, animal behavior and more. Pastoralists also have a deep knowledge of medicinal plants and ethnoveterinary practices that existed before modern science and are still practiced in areas where access to healthcare and veterinary services is limited. They are also experienced in sustainable collection of wildlife and plants, and in preventing the overuse of resources. Pastoralists have a deep knowledge of and respect for their natural environment.
8. How do healthy rangelands help address climate change, water regulation, soil protection, and resilience to extreme weather?
In healthy rangelands, plants grow deep roots to search for water and nutrients. These roots hold down the soil while aerating it, enhancing soil structure, porosity, water infiltration, and soil biodiversity. Plant cover moderates soil surface temperatures and protects the soil from raindrop impact, thus combatting soil erosion. By capturing up to 30 percent of the world's carbon, rangelands also contribute to climate change mitigation. Livestock are widely criticized for their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. However, recent research has shown that if rangelands were to be abandoned by livestock, they would probably be replaced by wildlife which would produce similar amounts of emissions. This research suggests that emissions from pastoral systems should not be counted as anthropogenic emissions. In fact, rangelands and pastoralists 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. These lands can combine different types of ownership and tenure rights including private, state-owned or common lands. Communal lands often represent critical assets for pastoralists. However, these spaces are not open access but are rather managed under complex rules and institutions that have been developed over generations. These rules are based on trust, reciprocity, and flexibility, all of which are essential for the survival of pastoral systems. It is crucial for countries to recognize and protect these customary agreements, as they are key to the ecological and socioeconomic sustainability of these systems. Seasonal access to and use of land must be recognized and secured, and rangelands must be protected from conversion to other land uses incompatible with pastoralism. In areas where pastoral systems are based on private land, women and young people often struggle to this land. Equitable policies and gender responsiveness must help them overcome this issue.
A shepherd with his animals in the mountains of South-Central Armenia. © FAO/Johan Spanner
10. What does sustainable rangeland management look like in practice, and can restoring rangelands also improve livelihoods and food systems?10. What does sustainable rangeland management look like in practice, and can restoring rangelands also improve livelihoods and food systems?
The key to sustainable rangeland management is based on flexible management systems that balance grazing with land production. Pastoralists have been maintaining this balance for generations through strategic mobility, rotational grazing, herd management, and customary governance to keep the land rich and productive. Rangelands can also degrade if they are abandoned, leading to encroachment, a phenomenon that is more prevalent in developed countries experiencing rural abandonment. However, rangelands show an amazing capacity for recovery when management is improved, getting back many of their ecological functions. Accordingly, there are two main types of restoration: passive restoration, which involves improving grazing management and letting the land recover under limited use, and active restoration, which involves activities such as reseeding, active removal of invasive species or pasture improvement. Additional strategies could involve the recovery of traditional silvopastoral systems. It should be noted that the longer rangelands are left to degrade, the longer it takes to restore them. This is why early action is crucial and less costly. Restoring rangelands is important because the productivity of pastoral systems and livestock is directly linked to the productivity of rangelands. Therefore, improving rangeland health improves animal health and production, as well as people's livelihoods, food security and income.
11. Why did the UN declare 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, and why should people everywhere care about their future?
The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 was declared following a request from the Government of Mongolia to the Committee of Agriculture of FAO. People should care about rangelands and pastoralists because, in a world searching for solutions to the interconnected climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crises, rangelands and pastoralists are part of the answer. They are a nature-based food production system that can feed the world without destroying it, provided they are given the right conditions to do so. As stated in the slogan of the International Year, rangelands are lands in motion, and pastoralists are stewards of knowledge and the future.
Emergency livelihood response to support drought-affected agropastoralists in Kenya. © FAO/Luis Tato
12. What is FAO's role for this Year? What is FAO already doing to protect rangelands and pastoralists?
FAO coordinates this Year and serves as the Secretariat of its International Steering Committee, composed of government representatives and non-State actors, including pastoralist organizations, academia, private sector and other representatives of the UN system, who developed the Year's Global Action Plan. The Year has already gathered the support of over 400 organizations and individuals that form the Global Alliance for Rangelands and Pastoralists - a significant achievement in itself. Throughout the year, a number of regional and global pastoralist gatherings and events will be held. Some technical documents will be developed to improve the global knowledge of rangelands and pastoralists, setting a forward-looking vision for a sustainable future based on recommendations emerging from the gatherings.
Over the past few years, FAO has already been at the forefront of promoting rangelands and pastoralism within global and national policy frameworks. It has improved advocacy for rangelands and pastoralism within policy processes, notably through its Pastoralist Knowledge Hub, a global gateway for discussing pastoralist and rangeland issues. In partnership with governments and pastoralist organizations, the hub collects data on pastoral systems and helps quantify the contribution of pastoral systems to the Sustainable Development Goals, advocating for better investment in these systems. This recognition was further enhanced by the inclusion of several pastoralist-based systems as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). FAO has also developed adapted tools and guidelines such as the Participatory Rangelands and Grasslands Assessment (PRAGA), the RECSOIL protocols, the Technical Guide on Improving Governance of Pastoral Lands, the Livestock Sector Investment and Policy Toolkit (LSIPT), or the feed balance assessments that improve decision-making in rangeland and pastoralist systems. FAO supports pastoralists on the ground by improved social services and innovation, including through Pastoralist and AgroPastoralist Field Schools, participatory extension approaches, and targeted capacity development for women, youth, and community organizations that depend on rangelands. FAO has also played a significant role on promoting approaches that integrate pastoralism with forestry and optimize the use of woody vegetation in drylands. As such, the Working group on dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems of the Committee on Forestry is supporting countries to develop pastoralist-friendly policies and supporting silvopastoralism as a critical strategy for the sustainability of the world's drylands. We hope that this Year will be an opportunity to celebrate rangelands and pastoralists, to listen to their voices, to value their knowledge, and to translate this understanding into better policies and investments that will have a lasting positive impact on these communities and ecosystems well beyond 2026.
