Improving governance of pastoral lands

The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT; hereafter also referred to as the Guidelines) make explicit mention of pastoralists, as end users of the guidelines and as targets of capacity building. Under “Rights and responsibilities related to tenure” (paragraph 4.8), the Guidelines note that “states should respect and protect the civil and political rights of … pastoralists … and should observe their human rights obligations when dealing with individuals and associations acting in defence of land, fisheries and forests.” Pastoralists are identified along with “historically disadvantaged groups, marginalized groups … indigenous peoples” and others in relation to land reforms (paragraph 15.5). This emphasizes one of the most fundamental challenges that must be addressed in strengthening tenure of many pastoral lands: the historical and often ongoing marginalization of pastoralists from national discourse. The Guidelines also makes explicit mention of pastoralists and their land in relation to transboundary tenure issues (paragraph 22.2). This is illustrative of the many unique challenges that pastoralists face in securing governance of land tenure; challenges that are determined by the ecology of pastoral rangelands. Pastoral societies are well adapted to these challenges and they have developed customs and rules governing the management and use of pastoral land that are deeply embedded in pastoral culture. While some governments may see the strength of customary governance as a hindrance to development, this technical guide will demonstrate that it is, in fact, the cornerstone not only for securing pastoral tenure but for the resilience of pastoral societies and sustainable development.