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 explicitly mention pastoralists as users of the Guidelines and as targets of capacity building. Despite the historical and often ongoing marginalisation of pastoralists, this technical guide has been developed in response to emerging opportunities to support pastoralists and to strengthen their land and resource rights. Essential elements of sustainable pastoralism such as securing customary rights, mobility and effective participation of communities in decision-making processes have been connected to the role pastoralists play in sustainable natural resource management. In some countries, legislation and legal frameworks related to sustainable governance of pastoral land are already in place, but in a rapidly changing environment with emerging issues such as growing population, land degradation, climate change, rising insecurities, land privatisation anddiminishing resources, the need to strengthen responsible governance of tenure in pastoral and has never been more urgent. It is strongly recommended to use this guide as a framework for developing more locally specific advice for pastoralists, helping them to secure their land according to the legal, political and social contexts in which they live. Continuation of the global discourse on governance of tenure in pastoral lands should be encouraged in order to build solidarity among the world's half a billion pastoral peoples.