(AGENPARL) – Tue 02 December 2025 [NewsMedia_NewsRelease]
FAO launches the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 to strengthen these ecosystems and support the people who sustain them
UN designates 2026 as a year to highlight the vital role of rangelands and pastoralists in sustainable food production, ecosystem preservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation
02/12/2025
Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of and enhancing the vital contributions of rangelands and pastoralists to sustainable agrifood systems, biodiversity preservation and climate resilience.
Rangelands cover around half of Earth’s land surface in ecosystems such as grasslands, savannas and shrublands, deserts, wetlands or mountain areas. The steppes of Central Asia, the African savanna, the Alps and the Pyrenees in Europe, Andes in South America and the Great Plains of the United States are all examples of these landscapes. They preserve unique fauna and flora and provide essential services including carbon storage and water regulation.
They sustain the livelihoods, nutrition and cultural identities of millions of pastoralists and are shaped by the movement of people and animals.
Pastoralists are key custodians of these landscapes. They manage around 1 billion animals worldwide—from sheep and goats to cattle, camelids, yaks, horses, reindeer and buffaloes—contributing to food security while preserving ecosystems, cultural heritage and local and indigenous knowledge.
But these ecosystems are under increasing pressure from droughts, floods and other climate impacts, land degradation, animal diseases and competing land uses, limiting pastoralists’ mobility and threatening their way of life. For example, while rangelands account for about 30 percent of global soil organic carbon stocks, roughly half of them are estimated to be degraded.
Speaking at the launch event, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu emphasized that the International Year is a moment for collective action.
“We must listen and empower women, youth, and pastoralist organizations to take part in the decisions that shape their lands and livelihoods. Too often, their voices remain unheard or ignored, and their contributions undervalued. We must safeguard rangelands through responsible governance, restoration, and investment and support the people who steward them,” the Director-General said.
He added: “Throughout this year, FAO will work closely with governments and all partners to advance work on rangelands and pastoralists under the overall objective of the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life – leaving no one behind.”
The President of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, and Uruguay’s Vice-Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Matias Carambula, also participated at the event held on the margins of the 179th Session of the FAO Council.
President Ukhnaa expressed confidence that the International Year would contribute to Mongolia’s agricultural development and help address social challenges by mitigating desertification and climate change and reducing unemployment and poverty.
Vice-Minister Carambula emphasized that the country’s natural grasslands are central to livestock production and highlighted efforts to conserve rangelands, support producers, modernize the sector, and showcase an environmentally responsible, socially just, and culturally vibrant model.
FAO’s role
The International Year, approved by the UN General Assembly in 2022, was spearheaded by Mongolia and supported by 60 Member States. As lead agency, FAO will coordinate efforts worldwide to demonstrate how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to resilient rural economies, food security, climate solutions and ecosystem preservation and restoration.
Key priorities include mobilizing political, technical and financial commitments to:
* secure access and governance rights for pastoralist communities.
* scale up sustainable rangeland management.
* strengthen value chains.
* restore degraded ecosystems.
Alongside the launch, FAO is hosting a four-day IYRP exhibition in its Atrium. The exhibition features a photo gallery, interactive booths and displays showcasing pastoralist products, cultural and artistic performances and a tasting experience offering traditional foods from pastoralist communities.
FAO’s work with rangelands and pastoralists
FAO develops and fosters the implementation of knowledge, tools and guidelines, including the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure, Improving governance of pastoral lands and the GEF-7 Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program.
FAO’s Pastoralist Knowledge Hub serves both as a repository of technical knowledge on pastoralism and pastoral people’s livelihoods, and as a neutral forum for exchange and alliance building among pastoralists and stakeholders working on pastoralist issues.
Through its Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS), FAO plays a pivotal role in managing monitoring systems and promoting the sustainable use and conservation of local breeds, which are essential for maintaining pastoral systems and preserving landscapes.
FAO also supports the prevention, control and eradication of animal diseases like peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as sheep and goat plague.
FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems recognises pastoral systems around the world, including Brazil’s Traditional Agricultural System in the Southern Espinhaço Range, Minas Gerais, China’s Zhagana Agriculture-Forestry-Animal Husbandry Composite System, Tajikistan’s Almosi Valley and Tanzania’s Engaresero Maasai Pastoralist Heritage Area.
________________________________
Contact
Sreya Banerjee
FAO News and Media (Rome)
FAO News and Media
________________________________
Journalists & editors:
Online tools:
Video download via FAO Digital Media Hub
Photos via the FAO Digital Media Hub and the FAOnews Flickr account
FAO’s online newsroom
RSS feed of FAO news releases