Note from the Groupe de Travail Désertification
Preparation for COP17 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (August 17–28, 2026 – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Drafted: June 2026
Rangelands cover 80 million square kilometers, or more than half (54%) of the world’s land area and represent a major land-use type in drylands across various regions of the world (ILRI et al., 2021). Seventy-eight percent of these rangelands (62 million square kilometers) are in arid zones
They support the livelihoods of approximately 2 billion people worldwide by sustaining extensive livestock farming and pastoral production systems (Briske, 2017). From an economic perspective, livestock farming helps ensure food security and generate income for 1.2 billion people living below the poverty line in developing countries (UNCCD, 2024).
Furthermore, rangelands account for 16% of global food production and 70% of the feed for domestic herbivores, particularly in Africa and South America (UNCCD, 2024).
With the United Nations General Assembly’s proclamation of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, and the official inclusion of this topic on the agenda of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), issues surrounding rangeland management and pastoralism have been brought to the forefront and are attracting the attention of the international community.
