Introduction to a New Narrative for Livestock and Biodiversity

Abstract

This brief argues that livestock must be recognised as part of the solution to sustainably managing global biodiversity. Livestock production occupies over a quarter of the world’s land surface, contributes 40 per cent of agricultural output and underpins the food security, nutrition, culture and livelihoods of 1.3 billion people, predominantly in the Global South. While unsustainable management and feed production have contributed to all the key drivers of biodiversity loss, the brief emphasises that context matters, and that well-managed mixed, semi-intensive, pastoral and extensive systems can restore ecosystems rather than degrade them.

Six key messages are set out: sustainable livestock management can restore ecosystems; wildlife and livestock can coexist productively; genetic diversity in livestock and forage species sustains resilience and adaptation; animal health is integral to ecosystem health; participation and inclusion are central to sustainable management; and the pastoral livestock sector needs support to serve biodiversity conservation and dryland and savanna economies. Each message is mapped to entry points in the Global Biodiversity Framework.

The brief concludes with six recommendations, including incorporating farm animal biodiversity and silvopastoral systems into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, aligning these with Nationally Determined Contributions, establishing a multilateral system for Digital Sequence Information with independent technology transfer and capacity building, and embedding policies that support pastoral mobility. It is a preview of a fuller forthcoming report, issued in the context of CBD COP 16.