What is pastoralism?

‘Pastoralism is the finely-honed symbiotic relationship between local ecology, domesticated livestock and people in resource-scarce, climatically marginal and highly variable conditions. It represents a complex form of natural resource management, involving a continuous ecological balance between pastures, livestock and people.

The value added by pastoralism

Direct values include products such as:-

• Milk, fibre (wool), meat, and hides; and other values such as employment, transport, knowledge, and skills.
  Indirect values include:-
• The benefits of agricultural inputs such as manure, and products that complement pastoral production from rangelands including honey and medicinal plants.
• They also include services from good rangeland management like biodiversity conservation, and wildlife tourism.