Introduction
“We recognize the enormous contribution that the local and indigenous communities and
farmers, pastoralists and animal breeders of all regions of the world have made, and will
continue to make for the sustainable use, development and conservation of animal genetic
resources for food and agriculture.”
Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources, Article 12 (FAO, 2007)
L
IVESTOCK KEEPERS ARE RECOGNIZED as the creators of breeds and the stewards of domestic
animal diversity in the Interlaken Declaration and the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources (FAO, 2007). Livestock keepers who raise their animals on local
resources are also beginning to receive acknowledgment for their essential contribution to
the conservation of wild biodiversity, including flora and fauna, as well as ecosystems and
landscapes. To ensure the long-term sustainability of their production systems and their
natural environment, livestock-dependent communities and societies have often developed
highly sophisticated traditional knowledge systems. It is therefore fitting that they are
termed “guardians of biodiversity” (FAO, 2009a).
This recognition of indigenous and local livestock keepers as central to upholding biological
diversity in toto is a very recent development that arose out of the debate about how best
to conserve domestic animal diversity during the run-up to the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture that took place in
Interlaken, Switzerland, in 2007. It is also due to the efforts of livestock keepers themselves
who have advocated for “Livestock Keepers’ Rights”, a bundle of entitlements that would
enable them to continue acting as stewards of animal genetic resources and the environment.
But this appreciation of livestock keepers as upholders of biodiversity has not yet spread
among development professionals and bureaucrats regulating the livestock sector, except
maybe within the community of professionals that was engaged in the “Interlaken Process”.
Small-scale livestock keepers continue to be looked upon as a problem rather than a solution: they are generally depicted as backward and as unwilling to adopt new technologies.
Their breeds are often considered to be in need of upgrading with exotic germplasm to
increase their performance. Pastoralists continue to be regarded as the culprits of overgrazing and destroyers of wildlife. Furthermore, while the unique characteristics of indigenous
livestock breeds are beginning to be appreciated more widely, this usually does not extend
to recognition of livestock keepers in developing these unique characteristics.
1