1. Biocultural Community Protocols:
A tool for Strengthening the Rights of
Livestock Keepers
Ilse Köhler-Rollefson
LPP
Pastoral Knowledge Hub
Partners Meeting
2 April, 2017

2. • Biocultural Community
Protocols document the
role of a community in
conserving and
managing animal
genetic resources and
eco-systems.
• They are both a
document and a
community process.

3. Legal Context
• CBD – United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity
• 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
• Global Plan of Action on Animal Genetic
Resources

4. CBD – Paragraph 8j
• Each contracting Party shall, as far as possible and as appropriate:
Subject to national legislation, respect, preserve and maintain knowledge,
innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and
sustainable use of biological diversity and promote their wider application
with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge,
innovations and practices and encourage the equitable sharing of the
benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge innovations and
practices.

5. Nagoya Protocol
• 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

6. Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic
Resources
• was agreed upon by 109
countries in Interlaken
(Switzerland) in September,
2007.
• recognizes the role of
pastoralists (and other small-
scale livestock keepers) in the
conservation and sustainable
use of animal genetic
resources

7. Biocultural Protocols
• Are a claim to be an
„indigenous/local community“
under para 8j of the CBD
• Community protocol as in the
Nagoya Protocol
• document the role of a community
in conserving AnGr and eco-
systems
• Are the product of a facilitated
process in which communities
reflect how they want to handle
access to their knowledge and
genetic resources.
• Are an extremely empowering
experience
• Provide a legal tool for access to
grazing resources

8. Contents
• OVERVIEW 3
• OUR BIOCULTURAL VALUES 3
• WE PRESERVE UNIQUE ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES AND HAVE ASSOCIATED TRADITIONAL
• KNOWLEDGE
• WE CONSERVE AND SUSTAINABLE USE RAJASTHAN’S BIODIVERSITY6
• PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT & BENEFIT 7
• WE ARE BEING EXCLUDED FROM CUSTOMARY GRAZING AREAS
• WITHOUT OUR PRIOR INFORMED
• CONSENT - AND BIODIVERSITY IS BEING LOST. 8
• OUR RIGHTS UNDER INDIAN LAWS & POLICIES 10
• WE CALL ON THE NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY AUTHORITY ....
• 12
• WE COMMIT TO PROTECTING THE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AN
• D ASSOCIATED TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
• 13
• OUR RIGHTS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW APPENDIX I: RAIKA BIODIVERSITY REGISTER ...........
• ...................................................
• ............................. 15
• APPENDIX II: OUR RIGHTS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW

9. Overview
This protocol specifically:
• Sets out our biocultural values and explains how we, the Raika, have
developed and preserved unique breeds of livestock and traditional
knowledge associated with them, and how our pastoral lifestyle has
developed the co-evolved ecosystem of R ajasthan’s forests which we have
traditionally conserved and sustainably used;
• Details our customary decision making process involved in providing free
prior informed consent to any actions that relate to our grazing rights, animal
genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge;
• Illustrates the disastrous impacts that our exclusion from previously
communal grazing areas and forests is having on our lives, livestock, genetic
resources, traditional knowledge and the forest ecosystem itself;
• Articulates our forest access rights and rights over our genetic resources
and associated traditional knowledge under Indian law;

10. Legal part
• OUR RIGHTS UNDER INDIAN LAWS & POLICIES
10
• WE CALL ON THE NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY
AUTHORITY ....
• WE COMMIT TO PROTECTING THE
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND ASSOCIATED
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
• Our rights under national law
• Our rights under international law

11. Biocultural Community Protocols
Livestock keeping communities in several
countries have already taken the initiative to
develop Biocultural Community Protocols
which explain their situation and outline the
conditions under which they can continue to
act as stewards and ensure access in the
future.
These broadly correspond to the points
summarized in the Declaration on Livestock
Keepers’ Rights (www.pastoralpeoples.
org/docs/LKRdeclaration.pdf) which resulted
from the Interlaken Process that culminated in
the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic
Resources (http://
www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1404e/a1404e00.h
tm).

12. 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

13. So far this remains a scattered and underfunded effort which
urgently needs to be expanded on a country-by-country
basis, extending Biocultural Community Protocols.

14. Different approaches to
agrobiodiversity conservation:
PGR: Svalbard AnGR: A network of community
based „breed repositories“

15. Required Benefits for
Pastoralists/Livestock keeping
comunities
• Grazing Rights
• Value chain development /infrastructure for
local processing
• Marketing
• Veterinary care
• Capacity and Organisation Building

16. Advocacy Entry Points
• Commission on Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture (CGRFA) – ITWG-AnGR
• SDGs: 1,2,6,9 (Secure Biodiversity and Ensure
Good Management of Water, Oceans, Forests
and Natural Resources), 10
• GASL – Global Agenda for Sustainable
Livestock