A new analysis (https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf158) published in the journal BioScience challenges conventional conservation approaches by demonstrating that traditional livestock grazing on rangelands represents a crucial but often overlooked strategy for protecting global biodiversity.
Dr. David D. Briske of Texas A&M University and colleagues argue that rangelands harbor far more biodiversity than is recognized in international conservation frameworks. "Sixty-seven percent of biodiversity hotspots and 38% of key biodiversity areas globally include rangelands, but international conventions seldom recognize this vast biodiversity repository," the authors write.
Rangelands cover 54% of Earth's land surface and support the livelihoods of approximately 500 million people. Despite these landscapes vast extent, only 12% of rangelands receive formal protection, leaving countless resident species unprotected.
The authors describe four key synergies between pastoralism and biodiversity conservation: working lands conservation that complements existing protected areas, the continuation of vital disturbance regimes through grazing and fire, connectivity through traditional migration corridors, and community-led governance systems that use local knowledge to maintain biodiversity and ecological function. Notably, the authors emphasize that "rangelands represent approximately 50% of Earth's remaining ecologically intact ecosystems."
Briske and colleagues call for a fundamental shift in conservation thinking. "We contend that the promotion of sustainable pastoralism on rangelands represents a critical mitigation strategy to support achievement of these goals," referring to targets established by the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to halt species extinctions by 2050.
The authors recommend five broad strategies to take advantage of rangelands' conservation potential, including reshaping conservation narratives to view pastoralists as assets rather than threats to biodiversity, recognizing grazing and fire as natural ecological processes, and supporting secure land tenure and community-led governance for pastoral communities.
With 2026 designated as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists by the United Nations General Assembly, the authors argue that there is no better time to recognize the value of rangelands and pastoralists and to capitalize on "critical opportunities to mitigate biodiversity loss through integration with existing protected areas to create a vast network for biodiversity conservation."
