IUCN Brings Together Experts to Bridge Nature Restoration and Pastoral Farming Policies in Europe
At the UNCCD COP17 conference in Ulaanbaatar, IUCN Europe hosted a side event exploring how livestock management and pastoralism can support nature restoration goals rather than compete with them. The discussion emphasized that livestock impacts depend on management practices and location, and that restoration efforts require coordination across landscapes beyond individual administrative boundaries. Participants highlighted the potential for pastoral systems to contribute to multifunctional landscapes where ecological restoration and economic activities can reinforce each other.
The discussion at UNCCD COP17 addressed a fundamental policy tension in Europe: how to implement ambitious nature restoration targets while supporting rural livelihoods dependent on livestock farming. Participants argued that grazing systems are not inherently destructive but function as tools whose ecological outcomes vary significantly based on how they are managed, where they occur, and the scale at which they operate. This variability means blanket regulations risk overlooking opportunities where pastoral practices actively contribute to ecosystem health.
The event connected three overlapping European policy processes—the Nature Restoration Regulation, an emerging EU Livestock Strategy, and reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy—suggesting these frameworks must coordinate to succeed. Experts emphasized that effective solutions require landscape-scale planning that transcends farm boundaries and administrative jurisdictions, alongside incentive structures that compensate farmers and herders for ecosystem services rather than production volume alone.
This framing could reshape how European policymakers approach the apparent conflict between conservation and agriculture. If adopted, it may shift funding mechanisms toward compensating pastoral stewardship and encourage more flexible, locally tailored regulations rather than centralized mandates. Rural communities dependent on extensive grazing could benefit from revised incentive structures, while restoration goals might advance through voluntary farmer participation. However, implementation success depends on whether EU institutions can align disparate policy agendas and whether market or subsidy mechanisms can adequately reward ecosystem service provision at landscape scale.