African Rangelands and Pastoralism in a changing continent: Perspectives and Opportunities

iii Eighty-five years ago, Africa was described as a land of promise because it provided an immense opportunity for maximum return in the minimum time (Olaniyan 2000). It was treated this way because it was considered more for its deposits of natural wealth and less for its potential for settlement or as a destination market for goods and services produced in Europe and elsewhere (Le Clair 1937). For over 50 years, this narrative held ground but in the last 20 years, perception has shifted with Africa becoming a destination market and a growth opportunity creator, whilst holding ground as a resource provider (Sy 2016). These externally driven perceptions are shifting how key natural resources on the continent are viewed, used and managed. Accordingly, contestations are emerging especially around the environmental–demographic realities. This is because of the emphasis currently placed on continuous economic growth requiring more resource inputs. This will ultimately lead to increased natural resources conflict (Abbink 2018). The exploitative narrative over Africa had become pervasive with respect to the categorisation and valuation of its natural resources. Accordingly, despite covering 43% of the continent’s land surface, rangelands have been subjected to a relatively negative narrative being described as undeveloped areas (Kratli 2010), and centers of degradation, erosion, desertification, droughts, famine and conflict (Martínez-Valderrama and Ibáñez 2023; Twinomuhangi et al. 2023). Such negative narratives influenced the kinds of intervention in rangelands, confining these large swaths of land to conservation areas such as national parks and game reserves (Jones 2006; Cavanagh et al. 2020), constraining livestock to species such as goats (Doro 2023), and expropriating lands from the Indigenous Peoples (Homewood et al. 2009; Guyo 2017). However, more recently, ecologists and economists have revisited the place of rangelands in the continent to provide alternative perspectives on the importance of these natural resources (Vetter 2013). Current evidence counteracts previous notions that African rangelands and pastoralism are unproductive and mismanaged systems (Liniger and Studer 2019). The contribution of rangelands to the livelihoods of African people is considerable and diverse. Most of the continent’s livestock providing diverse products including meat and milk produced from the rangelands (Holechek et al. 2017). Additionally, rangelands are increasingly recognised for their diverse role in the provision of ecosystem services (Ruvuga et al. 2019; Gatwaza and Wang 2023), including carbon sequestration (Denboba 2022) and other valuable provisions. As the population in Africa has grown rapidly over the last three decades and is projected to reach 2.5 billion people by 2050, food demand has also grown and will continue to rise (Dorin 2017). Rangelands have often been the frontiers for agricultural expansion and urban development, and land use conversion pressure is higher in existing rangelands, often with high population densities (Schlecht et al. 2020). Such patterns of land use change are causing inflexibility and restricting livestock mobility in traditional rangeland use centred around livestock herding (Feldt et al. 2020). Owing to these pressures, land tenure and land use policy, including land privatisation (Godde et al. 2020), sedentarisation, and conversion to other land uses, have become increasingly prevalent in the rangelands (Byakagaba et al. 2018). These changes are reorienting the livelihoods of the people domiciled in many African rangeland areas. Increasing global connections via trade and investment are leading to improved better infrastructure and increased accessibility of previously remote rangelands, thereby contributing to large-scale transformations of the traditional territories of rangeland-based people (Lind et al. 2020). Following the increasing global recognition of the momentous dynamics that are globally reshaping rangelands and biodiversity, the Government of Mongolia proposed in 2019 that the United Nations (UN) declare an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) in 2026. This proposal was subsequently endorsed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2022. The intention of celebrating the IYRP is to raise the profile of rangelands and pastoral societies worldwide and to enhance recognition of their valuable contribution to the economy, environment, society, and culture at a the local, national, and global level. Under the global IYRP coalition, African researchers decided to develop a special issue of the African Journal of Range & Forage Science to provide evidence on diverse topical issues converging around the theme rangelands and pastoralism in a changing continent. This African-led special issue presents emerging evidence for a regional perspective of dynamics that are reshaping the perception, valuation, development, and management of the continent’s rangelands.