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Ilse Köhler-Rollefson
League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development (LPP)
Developing
Biocultural Community Protocols:
Why and how
Structure
1. What are Biocultural Community Protocols
(BCPs)? (film „Recognizing Customary
Rights“)
2. BCPs for pastoralists/guardians of animal
genetic resources
3. How to implement/practical steps
4. Lessons learnt
5. Recommendations
Film: Recognizing Customary Rights
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCysbFw
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Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and
the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from
their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological
Diversity
• Article 12: Parties shall endeavour to support, as appropriate,
the development by indigenous and local communities, including
women within these communities, of:
• (a) Community protocols in relation to access to traditional
knowledge associated with genetic resources and the fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of such
knowledge;
• Entered into force in October 2014
What are BCPs?
• Biocultural Community
Protocols document the
role of a community in
conserving and
managing biological
diversity
• They are both a
document and a
community process.
BCPs for pastoralists
• Pastoralists are people who keep and breed
livestock on natural vegetation
• Pastoralists are creators of livestock breeds
and guardians of domestic animal diversity.
„Two types of breeds/AnGR“
High output of one-product, highinputs, artificial environment, calculated diet
Multi-functional, severalproducts, cope with challengingenvironment and variability
Biological diversity: In Rajasthan camels and goats convert 36
different fodder species into milk, meat, manure and fibre
Mobile livestock versus combine harvester
•Fueled by bio-energy
•Harvests almost anything
•Processes into protein
•Goes anywhere
•Needs fossil fuels
•Can harvest only one crop
•Does not process
•Can only be used on flat cultivated land
• For adapting to climate change , for a green economy, and for mitigating the climate impact of agriculture, humanity will require the multi-functional breeds and their adaptive traits!
• Many of them have been developed by pastoralists, others – especially poultry and pig breeds – are the product of indigenous and smallholder communities
Nutritional quality of pastoral products is higher
Example: Jaisalmeri ghee
� Sale price is 70% higher.
� The taste panel found it to be
better both as raw and cooked for
taste and aroma.
� The laboratory analysis showed
significantly higher contents of
vitamin A,E and carotenoids.
• Lack of awareness about thebenefits of local breeds
• Governments give preference toex-situ conservation.
• Pastoralists continue to have a badreputation as destroyers of theenvironment in many (policymaking) circles.
• Linkages between breeds andlivestock keeping communitiesoften remains invisible tooutsiders.
• Lack of awareness about the roleof livestock keepers as guardiansof livestock biodiversity.
Problems
Challenges
• How do we change perceptions among policy makers, bureaucrats and even livestock keepers that localbreeds and associated traditional knowledge arevaluable assets?
• How do we counter threats such as shrinking grazinglands, disintegration of traditional institutions andknowledge, lack of respect by outsiders?
• How can pastoralists claim their stake and fight fortheir assets?
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic
Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing
of Benefits from their utilization to the
Convention on Biological Diversity
will also need to be implemented with respect
to animal genetic resources, unless an
alternative sui-generis system is developed.
Livestock Keepers in India and other countries
have embraced this opportunity
Community Breeds Country Status
Raika camel, Nari cattle, Boti sheep, Sirohi goat India finalized
Banni Maldhari Banni buffalo India finalized
Rebari and Jatt Kutchi and Kharai camels India finalized
Bargur Hill cattle Bargur Hill Cattle India finalized
Attappady goat
breeders
Attapatty goat India finalized
Pullikulum cattle
breeders
Pullikulum cattle India finalized
Pashtoon Various breeds Pakistan finalized
Samburu Red Maasai sheep Kenya finalized
Golla Ganjam goat India In prep
Kuruba Kuruba shepherding system, incl. Deccani
breed
India In prep
Kangayam cattle
breeders
Kangayam cattle India In prep
Malgaddi Brela camel Pakistan In prep
So far this remains a scattered and underfunded effort which
urgently needs to be expanded on a country-by-country
basis,
Different approaches to
agrobiodiversity conservation:
PGR: Svalbard AnGR: A network of communitybased „breed repositories“
BCPs are an opportunity!
for countries to better understand:
• their animal genetic resources,
• the social contexts in which they exist,
• the threats that they are exposed to,
• thereby laying the foundation for their long-term
participatory conservation.
What is Access with respect to AnGR?
• Access to AnGR is not just about contracts between specific providers and commercial users (MTAs)
• Access must be about ensuring survival of a pool of genes long into the future.
• Otherwise we will lose opportunities for adapting to climate change, as well as for food production in harsh environments and with minimal inputs!
How to implement BCPs?
• Community Mobilization
Ilse Köhler-Rollefson www.pastoralpeoples.org
Community protocols - Content
What is a (biocultural) community
protocol?
It is a statement by a community about some
aspect of the biodiversity it has created and is
stewarding, about the traditional knowledge it uses
to manage this biodiversity, and its role in
biodiversity conservation.
Introduction
Who the community is and the purpose of the
biocultural protocol.
“This is the Biocultural Community Protocol of the camel breeders of
Rajasthan which puts on record our role as a local community embodying
a traditional lifestyle that is relevant for the conservationand sustainable
use of biological diversity. We have stewarded and taken care of
Rajasthan’s camel population for generations and our traditional
knowledge and practices as well as customary rights are the foundation of
Rajasthan’s camel culture and biodiversity.”
A self-definition of the community
• “Although we belong to different caste communities,
we share a common identity and support each other
across caste and religious lines.”
• “Each one of our caste communities has its own
governance system. Among the Raika it is a multi-
tiered system of panchayats (council of elders) that
makes decisions, but these days these relate only to
social issues, not to camel and livestock questions.”
Cultural identity and stewardship
• “We look at camels as if they are our children and we
never used them for meat or sold them for slaughter.
Traditionally we never sold camel milk either, as we
believed it was to be given away for free. A common
proverb is “Dudh bechna, beta bechna”, meaning to
sell milk is like selling one’s children.”
The genetic resources/ breed(s)
• “There are many different types of camels in Rajasthan, each
suited for specific purposes, such as draught animal, for riding
and racing and for milk. Scientists distinguish at least six
different camel breeds in Rajasthan, such as Bikaneri,
Jaisalmeri, Marwari, Mewari, Mewati, Malvi breeds. However,
we look at camels differently and know them after the villages
they were bred and the herds they come from.”
Institutions
• The beliefs and rituals involving the animals,
and related community institutions and
conservation efforts.
Socio-religious practices
• Devoting male animals to memory of an ancestor
– Eg, Brahmini bull
• Religious ceremonial use
– Eg, Muturu cattle
– Eg, Turkana
• White animals for cleansing bad omens
• Black animals for curses
Management Practices
The management system, herd composition,
seasonal movements, daily schedule, housing
and equipment, and the division of labour in
managing the animals.
Feeding
• The feeding system, forage types, grazing practices, fodder
provision and watering practices.
• “According to a traditional saying, camels browse on 36
different plants, although the number is not exact and the
trees and shrubs vary from location to location. They have
been identified for the Kumbhalgarh area, but in Jaisalmer
they are different. Almost all of the plants that camels eat are
known for their medicinal value and are used in folk
medicine.”
TK about breeding
How the livestock keepers manage breeding,
keep records, and select desirable males and
females for breeding.
Social breeding mechanisms
Socially embedded customs influencing the gene
pool
• Taboos on selling female animals outside
community
• Rules for passing on animals from one
generation to next
• Sharing mechanisms
“Nauguna” 9 criteria used by Raika sheep breeders
• Wool production
• Milk production
• Good pedigree, true to
breed
• Mothering abilities
• Height
• Good walker
• Fast growth rate
• Drought and famine
resistant
• Beauty
• High birth weight
• Ability to endure and
withstand pain
Use, products and markets
The products and services that the animals
provide, their special characteristics, and how
they are marketed.
Threats
“These are the reasons for the decline of the camel population
since around 1993:
• Disappearance of grazing areas, through closure of forests..
intensification of agriculture), irrigation schemes etc.
• Spread of diseases-We have lost many camels to mange.
• Lack of economic returns – no buyers for our camels”
Opportunities
• “We realize that there is almost no demand for camels as
draught animals. …..But we have become aware that there is
a quickly growing market for camel milk because camel milk is
very healthy as we have always known. It is good for people
with diabetes and helps autistic children. It is beneficial for
skin and liver diseases, and it strengthens the immune system,
some research shows it is also effective for cancer and maybe
even AIDS.”
Claims and demands
“We want to be connected to the camel milk market
and for that the infrastructure including a cool chain
has to be established. It is also possible to make
powder from camel milk for which there is a good
market demand but currently no such facility exists in
Rajasthan, only in Gujarat”
Relevant laws
A list of the legal foundations of the claims,
including, national and international legal
frameworks.
Camel population development
globally and in India
44
www.lpps.org,
www.camelsofrajasthan.com. E-mail
[email protected], #09660083437
Why?
• Demand for camels as work animals hasreduced – replaced by tractors, trucks andcars.
• It is not allowed to take camels out ofRajasthan – so nobody dares/wants to buy.
• There are no income opportunities fromcamels. In order to save their ownlivelihoods, camel breeders are forced to do away with their whole herds.
www.lpps.org,
www.camelsofrajasthan.com. E-mail
[email protected], #09660083437
45
Who are the Raika?
The Raika require economic incentives to continue acting as
guardians. If their livelihoods are ensured, then the camel will be
saved and young people enter the profession.
www.lpps.org,
www.camelsofrajasthan.com. E-mail
[email protected], #09660083437
48
We need to capitalize on the potential of the
camel to produce a range of eco-friendly,
healthy heritage products to generate income
for the Raika
www.lpps.org,
www.camelsofrajasthan.com. E-mail
[email protected], #09660083437
51
Implications for Access and Benefit-
Sharing
If humanity wants to have ACCESS to these
„resources“ in the future, then they need to
be sustainably managed in their respective
ecological and social contexts.
Required Benefits for
Pastoralists/Livestock keeping
comunities
• Grazing Rights
• Value chain development /infrastructure for
local processing
• Marketing
• Veterinary care
• Capacity and Organisation Building
Resulting Benefits for Society at large
• Genetic diversity for adaptation to climate
change
• Healthy heritage products
• Provision of ecological services – seed
dispersal, organic fertilizer
• Livelihoods, thriving rural areas
If we invest in such comprehensive approaches, beyond
Material Transfer Agreements, we will combine:
•Conservation of AnGr with conservation of
ecosystems/biodiversity at large
•Conservation of AnGr with climate change
adaptation
•Conservation of AnGr with rural development
Local AnGr are a crucial pivot for the
implementation of SDG 2, and many
others…
IF….we adopt a wider concept of Access and Benefit-Sharing of animal genetic resources that createsbenefits for the pastoralists and livestock keepersthat have created and steward them!
