A case of benign neglect

security (FAO 2016a) focuses on the impacts of climate change. Pastoralists (and metonyms such as herders) are mentioned several times as relevant stakeholders, but there is no disaggregation of the many global statistics provided. One case study reports on an innovative analysis of rates of return from rangeland improvements among yak herders in Qinghai, China. Modelling and future-scenario data are also available for rural areas as a whole. Similarly, rangelands are mentioned, but only in general terms and in relation to the impacts of climate change or to the benefits of grazing management and the rehabilitation of rangelands for carbon sequestration. The assessment also provides more detailed national information on net emissions from grasslands and agriculture (which includes grazing andmanure left on pastures) for 2014. However, despite overlaps, grasslands and croplands cannot be compared with rangelands. It reports that there are lower enteric emissions from livestock in the Mediterranean region and in the tropics than elsewhere, and that efforts to substantially reduce enteric emissions face challenges, such as use of illegal substances or lack of production gains. There are more references to managed pastures than rangelands, including large emissions from manure left on pastures. Apart from the carbon emissions data, which are sourced fromFAO, the assessment relies on existing scientific publications often focused on sample sites or based on modelling. Food Systems and Natural Resources (UNEP 2016) summarizes information from other global assessments and scientific publications in order to draw conclusions on resource efficiency and decoupling of growth from environmental degradation. While there is some mention of pastoralism, rangeland beef systems and grazing management, the report mostly analyses the efficiency of resources used for particular products (beef, dairy). Statistics provided on feed efficiency do not differentiate rangeland systems from more confined livestock systems. An analysis of research

Training pastoralists on statistical monitoring of rangelands, Uganda. Jonathan Davies/IUCN

To complement Agriculture at a Crossroads. International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD): Global Report (McIntyre et al. 2009), a website was developed and is still updated with information on key issues, such as the ecological footprint of confined livestock systems and land grabbing, offering links to institutions working in these areas. The report was instrumental in highlighting major global challenges in agricultural production. Although it notes the importance of traditional pastoralist systems and the challenges these face, it does not provide detailed

results on land use and GHG emissions per protein source shows very large variability in data points and little consensus among researchers. For example, there are two data points for land use per kilogram of protein from rangeland beef and veal systems, one reporting approximately 160 m 2 /kg and the other 2,100 m 2 /kg. Similarly, 12 data points on GHG emissions from these systems, measured as CO 2 equivalence per kilogram of protein range from around 60 kg CO 2 eq/kg to 640 kg CO 2 eq/kg (UNEP 2016, 97). Such widely varying data points can lead to very different conclusions and recommendations.

35