RAIKA BIO-CULTURAL PROTOCOL
APPENDIX
Members of our community use the forest for the collection
our long-term interaction with them. We are integral to the
of medicinal plants that are used to provide free health
forests, gauchar and oran: we cannot survive without them
assistance to our community and to people in other
and they will suffer without us.
neighbouring villages.
We want to continue to graze our animals in forests, gauchar
Just as our breeds are unique because of the areas we graze
and oran, in a way that sustains the natural plant and animal
them in, so the forests, gauchar and oran have evolved into
ecology of these areas, maintains our diverse breeds,
particular kinds of pastoral based ecosystems because of
sustains our rich traditional knowledge.
PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT & BENEFIT SHARING
Our animal genetic resources and our associated traditional
livelihoods or relate to our breeds and associated
knowledge about breeding and ethno-veterinary practices
traditional knowledge. For example, before any of our
are collectively owned by the Raika.
access rights to customary grazing areas are altered we
must be consulted. Also, where researchers or commercial
We have customary laws that regulate decisions making
interests want to access our animal genetic resources and
in our communities. For issues that relate to all community
/ or associated traditional knowledge, we must be given
members, we form a samaj (community) panchayat that
all relevant information with which to take a decision and
is constituted by our elders who stretch from one to
given time to discuss the issues within the community
twenty four villages depending on the gravity and
panchayat as our breed diversity and traditional knowledge
applicability of the decision. Our elders who constitute
are collectively held and their ownership does not vest
the community panchayat follow our customary laws and
in any single individual. In cases where we decide to grant
norms of decision making that have been followed
access to our animal genetic resources or associated
for generations.
traditional knowledge, we have the right to negotiate a
benefit sharing agreement that includes mutually
Our community panchayat should be engaged any time
agreed terms.
outside interests take decisions that may affect our
WE ARE BEING EXCLUDED FROM CUSTOMARY GRAZING
AREAS WITHOUT OUR PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT AND BIODIVERSITY IS BEING LOST
Despite this incredible genetic diversity and associated
through generations of complex interplay between livestock,
traditional knowledge that we have developed, we remain
livestock keepers and the local ecosystem.
mainly landless people and are highly dependent on our
customary grazing rights over forest and communal lands.
A. Forests
Traditionally we have grazed our animals in Rajasthan’s
forests and in the gauchar and oran over the monsoon
We have customarily grazed our livestock on a seasonal basis
(July-September). Our exclusion from the forests,
in Rajasthan’s forests for centuries. The Kumbhalgah Wildlife
and shrinkage of gauchar and oran severely threatens our
Sanctuary is a case in point. The Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
entire existence and the co-evolved ecological system
is a 562 square kilometre range of reserved forest under the
of these biodiversity rich areas that have been developed
management of the Rajasthan State Forest Department.
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