To mark the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, PREZODE’s September webinar explores one of the themes at its heart: how sustainable livestock production can contribute to preventing zoonotic diseases emergence, while supporting biodiversity, food security, climate resilience and pastoral livelihoods.
Thursday, September 24 – 1 to 2 pm CEST.
The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), to raise awareness of their critical ecological, economic and cultural importance. Covering about half of Earth’s terrestrial surface, rangelands support biodiversity, carbon storage and water regulation, while sustaining the livelihoods, food systems and cultural heritage of hundreds of millions of people. Pastoralist communities also hold extensive local and Indigenous knowledge of livestock, ecosystems and environmental change.
Livestock systems occupy a central position at the interface between humans, domestic animals, wildlife and ecosystems. Zoonotic risks within these systems are shaped by interacting factors, including land-use change, biodiversity loss, livestock management practices, animal mobility, antimicrobial use, and interactions between wildlife and domestic animals. Rangeland-based production therefore provides an important setting in which to examine the connections between animal health, ecosystem integrity, climate resilience and human well-being.
Sustainable livestock production, key component of zoonotic disease prevention
Sustainable livestock production should be considered not only as an agricultural objective, but also as a potential component of upstream zoonotic disease prevention.
The effects of livestock production and disease-prevention measures, however, depend on the ecological, epidemiological and socio-economic context in which they are implemented.
The webinar will explore how sustainable livestock production can contribute to preventing zoonotic diseases emergence while maintaining ecosystem functions and strengthening the resilience of livestock-dependent communities. The session will feature Dr. Igshaan Samuels, specialist researcher in rangeland ecology and pastoralism at the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa, and co-chair of the Global Coordinating Group of the UN-designated International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, and Mungu Tsendayush, Agronomes & Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF) in Mongolia.
Presentation and discussion will address:
- The evidence linking livestock production systems, environmental change and zoonotic emergence;
- How sustainable grazing and rangeland management can contribute to reducing disease risks while maintaining ecosystem services;
- The role of animal health, surveillance and biosecurity within sustainable livestock systems;
- How pastoralist and Indigenous knowledge can inform livestock health, ecosystem management, and locally appropriate prevention strategies;
- Policy and governance approaches that integrate livestock development, biodiversity conservation, zoonotic disease prevention and livelihood protection within a One Health framework.