International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Right now, a little less than half of the land on our planet is managed and cared for by pastoralists. These vast rangelands sweeping across continents and the people that steward them rarely make headlines. 2026 has been declared by the United Nations been the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) in hopes to highlight the value and importance of these stewards and the lands they live on.  

The IYRP has a few important goals and plans laid out for next year. The primary talking points focus on educating the world about the value that is currently being overlooked. One way that the IYRP aims to do this is by increasing the visibility of the societal values that rangelands and pastoralists provide. Another aim is to promote collaboration between pastoralists and the wider community to find solutions to problems encountered by both parties. The two final goals that the IYRP has for 2026 revolve around equipping and educating the pastoralists with the tools and knowledge to effectively steward the land they live on. The first of these two goals is encouraging the implementation of evidence-based legislation that will promote sustainable practices. The final goal is to find investments that will solve issues that are currently confronting rangelands and pastoralists. These goals set out by the IYRP if enacted will have long lasting effects that will promote growth and reduce the degradation that is so prevalent across the globe.

The Society for Range Management is supporting these goals this year by making it the focus of the SRM Annual Meeting. This means that symposiums, talks, workshops, and posters will be created and introduced to attendees all focusing on pastoralists and rangeland conservation in general. These are being presented by different professionals, experts, and academics in the fields of rangeland and rangeland conservation.

More information can be found at Home | International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists Initiative and https://rangelands.org/annual-meeting

Written by Will Amonette and Emily Smith