dry wood, fodder, agricultural nutrient inputs, medicines, thatch and famine foods. Villagers consider us
to be their guardians in the forest, offering guidance and protection to them in an otherwise dangerous
area. Members of our community use the forest for the collection of medicinal plants that are used to
provide free health assistance to our community and to people in other neighbouring villages.
Just as our breeds are unique because of the areas we graze them in, so the forests, gauchar and oran
have evolved into particular kinds of pastoral based ecosystems because of our long-term interaction
with them. We are integral to the forests, gauchar and oran: we cannot survive without them and they
will suffer without us.
We want to continue to graze our animals in forests, gauchar and oran, in a way that sustains the
natural plant and animal ecology of these areas, maintains our diverse breeds, sustains our rich
traditional knowledge.
PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT & BENEFIT SHARING
Our animal genetic resources and our associated traditional knowledge about breeding and ethnoveterinary practices are collectively owned by the Raika.
We have customary laws that regulate decisions making in our communities. For issues that relate to all
community members, we form a samaj (community) panchayat that is constituted by our elders who
stretch from one to twenty four villages depending on the gravity and applicability of the decision. Our
elders who constitute the community panchayat follow our customary laws and norms of decision
making that have been followed for generations.
Our community panchayat should be engaged any time outside interests take decisions that may affect
our livelihoods or relate to our breeds and associated traditional knowledge. For example, before any of
our access rights to customary grazing areas are altered we must be consulted. Also, where researchers
or commercial interests want to access our animal genetic resources and / or associated traditional
knowledge, we must be given all relevant information with which to take a decision and given time to
discuss the issues within the community panchayat as our breed diversity and traditional knowledge are
collectively held and their ownership does not vest in any single individual. In cases where we decide to
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