Biocultural community protocols for livestock keepers
The Raika Biocultural Protocol, being the first of its kind, was introduced to African indigenous communities during a meeting held in Nairobi, in September 2009. In their protocol,
the Raika describe a number of breeds that they have been stewarding. These include the
camel, Nari cattle, Boti sheep, as well as Sirohi and Marwari goats. The protocol was also
presented to the director of India’s National Biodiversity Authority at a meeting in Delhi
and then shared with the international community at a side-event during the Meeting of the
Ad-hoc Working Group on Article 8j of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity held
in Montreal, in November 2009. It has inspired other communities and support NGOs to
establish biocultural community protocols (Raika Samaj Panchayat, 2009).
Samburu Community Protocol
The Samburu are a group of Maa-speaking pastoralists in northern Kenya. They are closely
related to the Maasai and they number an estimated 800,000 households, being located in
the districts of Samburu, Laikipia, Isiolo, Marsabit and Baringo. They are composed of
nine clans that are divided into two main subdivisions, the White Cow and Black Cow.
Eight of the clans keep livestock, the remaining one consists of hunters and gatherers. They
moved to the present area following the 1911 Treaty between Maasai leader Lenana and
the British. The Samburu keep the so-called small East African Zebu cattle, Red Maasai
sheep and East African goats.
The Red Maasai sheep is a fat-tailed hair sheep and has a unique genetic capability to cope
with internal parasites, especially Haemonchus contortus. This has attracted the attention
of scientists as far away as Australia who are keen to understand the genetic basis of this
trait which has obvious commercial potential. Despite this interest, the survival of the Red
After preparing their biocultural
protocol, the Samburu decided to
revive the drought-resistant Red
Maasai sheep (photo by Evelyn
Mathias)
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