109
Biocultural community
protocols: tools for
securing the assets of
livestock keepers
9
by ILSE KÖHLER-ROLLEFSON, ABDUL RAZIQ KAKAR,
EVELYN MATHIAS, HANWANT SINGH RATHORE and
JACOB WANYAMA
Introduction
International recognition of the vital role
communities play in conserving and managing livestock biodiversity is growing. The
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
now refers to livestock keepers as ‘guardians
of biological diversity’ (FAO, 2009). Their
2007 Global Plan of Action on Animal
Genetic Resources (FAO, 2007) supports:
…indigenous and local production systems
and associated knowledge systems of
importance to the maintenance and
sustainable use of animal genetic resources
[and] the establishment and strengthening of in situ conservation programmes,
including support to community-based
conservation organizations.1
Despite these gains on paper, many scien-
tists and bureaucrats tasked with conserving
animal genetic resources remain unaware of
the linkage between specific livestock breeds
(i.e. animal genetic resources) and communities. They continue to ignore the rich local
knowledge and expertise of livestock-owning
communities whose way of life – and animals
– are threatened by the loss of access to grazing, lack of services and low economic
returns from traditional breeds. They give
preference to conserving livestock breeds on
government farms and through cryoconservation instead of supporting conservation by
local communities, as is mandated by the
United Nations Convention on Biological
Diversity (UNCBD).2 3
At LIFE Network, we have come to
recognise that international agreements
are not necessarily implemented at the
local level. 4 Communities need help to
1 Strategic priorities 6 and 8 (FAO, 2007).
2 See Article 8J.
3
Cryconservation is conservation by deep-freezing genetic material.
4 LIFE is an international group of organisations that work with livestock keepers at the
grassroots level. LIFE supports community-based conservation and development of local breeds
and animal genetic resources. It highlights especially the role of pastoralists in conserving
livestock biodiversity, and has developed a method for documenting indigenous knowledge
about animal breeds and breeding.