1.1. We call on COP17 to adopt decisions that: (1) recognize traditional nomadic pastoral grazing as a strategically important practice for achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN), climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation; (2) policy support for nomadic pastoralism as a traditional and adaptive management system for the sustainable use of dryland ecosystems; and (3) recognize rangelands as an ecosystem that stores carbon, regulates water, and protects biodiversity, and as a foundation for poverty eradication and food security, rather than just a productive resource;

1.2. Land degradation mitigation policies are not only limited to biological restoration alone. It must also guarantee local communities’ and herders’ right to participate in decisions on land and natural resource use. Therefore, we call on Parties to: (1) recognize and secure herders’ collective right to use traditional rangeland; (2) protect seasonal migration routes, winter and spring rangelands, and water sources, and make decisions on mining, and infrastructure projects based on the input of herders and local residents; (3) guarantee the meaningful participation of herders and local communities in the process of land use, monitoring, and biological restoration; (4) apply the principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) in mining, energy, and infrastructure projects throughout every stage of planning, site selection, design, implementation, closure, and restoration beyond the consultation meetings; (5) apply the principles of fair valuation, fair land acquisition, fair compensation, and restitution in practice to ensure environmental and social justice; (6) recognize herders not only as implementers of land degradation mitigation policy but as rights-holders, and guarantee meaningful participation throughout every stage of policy development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation;

1.3. Recognizing that herders living in areas directly or indirectly affected by mining, extractive industry, energy, road, rail, port, and transport and logistics projects are among the groups most vulnerable to land degradation, pasture fragmentation, water scarcity, and climate change, the Parties’ decisions need to reflect a dedicated policy supporting the “Nomads' RED LINE for Sustainable Pasture Rights”[1], an initiative led by herders of regions affected by desertification to protect their land use, traditional nomadic systems, and livelihoods;

1.4. Establish traditional nomadic corridors, rangeland ecological linkages, and seasonal grazing-rotation zones as mandatory protected areas in national and local land use planning;

1.5. Provide legal guarantee for the establishment of an independent, accessible, and effective grievance mechanism for resolving environmental and social disputes arising from project activities;

1.6. Require project developers to provide full financial guarantees for mine closure, restoration, and long-term ecological risks;

1.7. Assess the value of pasture services, water services, cultural services and nomadic livestock lost due to mining and infrastructure projects in the assessment of ecosystem services;

1.8 Install continuous and collaborative environmental monitoring systems with the latest technology, around mining and other business project sites, and publish the data collected on a digital environment open to the public.

Source:

[1] Nomads Red line initiative for sustainable pasture rights