SAMBURU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL - ABS Initiative...Red Maasai Sheep in Samburu District of Kenya was carried out to facilitate the Red Maasai Sheep keepers to development their own views

SAMBURU COMMUNITY

PROTOCOL SAFEGUARDING LIVESTOCK KEEPERS

RIGHTS

Case of the Red Maasai Sheep

1

Jacob Wanyama and Pat Lanyasunya

LIFE Network

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Action research and advocacy network

Aims to secure and improve the livelihoods

of pastoralists and small-scale livestock

keepers by promoting sustainable use and

conservation of local breeds

Membership: NGOs, Herders association,

Scientists, Volunteers, individual supporters

Formed 2000

Coverage: Global but more active in Asia,

Africa and Europe 2

THE LIFE NETWORK

(LOCAL LIVESTOCK FOR EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL PEOPLE)

IMAGINE A WORLD IN

WHICH….

all cows were black and

white

all pigs were pink…

every sheep and chicken

was red…

all dogs were pignee…. 3

LUCKY US WE STILL HAVE…

4

LIVESTOCK KEEPERS: CREATORS AND

CUSTODIANS OF LOCAL LIVESTOCK BREEDS.

Local Livestock breeds are very important livelihoods of communities that rear them. They provide food, power, income as well as fulfilling importnt cultural functions

Local communities for centuries have red and reared variety of domestic animals for different functions in the different enviroments they reside.

As a result, they have developed:

A wealth of knowledge on how to breed and keep them healthy.

Different variety of livestock breeds and species with unique characteristics highly adapted in the different environments they are kept.

Hence local communities are in fact the creators and custodians of much of the world’s livestock breeds.

5

BUT… Their role is continually being undermined by:

Lack of recognition and support by their respective governments.

Lack of sufficient access to production resources such as grazing land and services

Limited livelihood options in the face of increasing population

Inappropriate development policies and programmes such as cross-breeding and centralized extension services.

At the sometime there is:

Threat of possible misappropriation of the unique valuable characteristics inherent in some of the indigenous breeds

Increasing recognition internationally that many breeds of domestic animals are threatened with extinction.

6RESULT: LOSS

THE CASE OF RED MAASAI SHEEP

A fat tailed sheep breed created and conserved by Maa speaking local livestock keepers for centuries.

Initially attracted the attention of scientists due to its large population, wide distribution, uniformity of body colour and hardiness.

More recently, scientists confirmed its unique genetic capability to cope with parasitism better than other sheep breeds.

Prospects of commercial exploitation – reports: may contribute to sheep industry.

Hence concerns among Red Maasai sheep indigenous breeders of misappropriation.

In addition, survival of both the Red Maasai sheep and its indigenous breeders is threatened by: Lack of support

Limited livelihood opportunities. In appropriate govern breeding and extension

programmes.7

SAMBURU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL

Remedy the situation livestock breeders and planners need to develop programmes and put in place policies that: Incorporate indigenous breeding practices Increase the value of indigenous livestock breeds Motivate indigenous livestock breeders to continue keeping these

breeds. And perhaps most important to include community-based keepers

as equal partners in conservation efforts.

LIFE Africa in collaboration with Natural Justice is using Bio-cultural Protocol process to promote cnervation of the indigenous breeds among the Maa speaking communities for their sustainable livelihoods.

The approach was originally “developed in the context of Access and Benefit-sharing for indigenous communities promoting conserving biological diversity”.

The development of the Samburu Community Protocol was aimed at enabling the Red Maasai shepherds to flag this unique breed of sheep as their creation and property under their own custodianship and demand for recognition rights to continue this role. 8

OTHER INTERESTING CASES

9

THE PROCESS

Participatory documentation of local knowledge on the Red Maasai Sheep in Samburu District of Kenya was carried out to facilitate the Red Maasai Sheep keepers to development their own views on rearing of this sheep.

The information so generated was used to develop a draft Bio-cultural Protocol with support from lawyers from Natural Justice and members of LIFE Network .

Later, the draft BCP was feedback to the community through a workshop during which the community representatives: Discussed, corrected and endorsed the content of the

protocol

Put forward what they feel was the best way forward for the protocol and sustainable use of their indigenous livestock breeds

Expressed their wish for the BCP to be used as learning tool for our young population as well as inform the world of their (community) existence and their contribution global biodiversity.

10

PARTICIPATORY BCP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS - SAMBURU

11

THE COMMUNITY PROTOCOL

The Protocol is written in Samburu and English and presented in the communities own words.

Describes the Samburu pastoralists. Keepers of indigenous.

Their way of life in relationship with conservation livestock breeds and other living resources in their environment.

There consern as regards lack of recognition of their role and inapproriate government development programme.

It is set in several headings which include: Title

Who the Samburu are

Why they feel they should be recognized

Challenges they face

Their rights under National and international law

How they like to deal with crises related to their and their livestock breeds survival.

12

LAUNCHING THE PROTOCOL

An official launch was organised in Maralal, Samburu District on 28th May 2010.

Main objective was to endorse the Protocol as a tool for awareness raing on important role the pastoralists play in conserving indegenous livestock breeds.

Was attended by upto 20 livestock keepers and officiated by the Kenyan Deputy Director of Livestock Production and the District Livestock Production Officer for Samburu District.

During the launch the livestock keepers present: Endorsed the the protocol and resolved to take an even

more active role in conservation in conserving their indigenous livestock breeds.

Requested the government to provide them with extension services, trainings, capacity building and incentives to enable them continue keeping indigenous breeds.

13

WAY FORWARD

14

SO WHAT NEXT?...

Sharing and endorsement of the protocol

by the rest of the Red Maasai sheep

keepers.

Communities’ realization their plans as

stated in the feedback workshop

Use the protocol as a tool to raise

awareness amount policy makers,

scientists and development worker

regarding the rights livestockers.

15

THANKS TO……

Samburu Livestock Keepers

International Development Law

Organization (IDLO) – Italy

League for Pastoral Peoples and

Endogenous Livestock

Development– Germany

Natural Justice: Lawyers for

Communities and Environment –

South Africa

LIFE Network

Mrs Dalibai – Raika Pastoralist from

Rajasthan India 16

THANK YOU

17