New journal focused specifically on Pastoralism
Scientific papers on pastoralism are currently scattered across a wide variety of journals and there is no central, peer-reviewed forum where those concerned with pastoralism across the globe can confront each other’s ideas and discuss the implications of their work. Pastoralism: research, policy, practice is a new interdisciplinary and peer-reviewed journal on extensive livestock production systems throughout the world which seeks to fulfil that role. It aims to highlight the scientific and practical implications of multi-disciplinary, comparative research across all continents and encompass both the fully industrial and the less developed or developing world.
The first issue was published in January 2010 and contained papers covering a range of issues such as: transhumance and pastoralist resilience in the Western United States; livestock mobility in arid and semi-arid Australia; cattle ranching, conservation and transhumance in the Brazilian Pantanal; and the past, present and future of transhumancia in Spain. There were also two papers by long-standing EFNCP members: Sally Huband, Davy McCracken and Annette Mertens provided an article on long and short-distance transhumant pastoralism in Romania while Jean-Pierre Biber provided an overview of transhumance in France. All the abstracts of the papers in the first issue are available on Practical Action Publishing’s website
The second issue is scheduled to be published in July 2010, with papers covering topics such as: foot-and-mouth disease in southern Africa and implications for market access; the impact of social inequality and land use change on Siberian pastoralists; the land-tenure status of pastures in Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan; the impact on pastoralists of immigration policy in Kazakhstan; pastoral vulnerability and risk in Ethiopia’s Afar region; profitability of sheep farming and wildlife management in Patagonia; and a review of production and use of milk by pastoralists.
Pastoralism is sponsored by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN), and Odessa Centre UK. The editors, Carol Kerven and Roy Behnke, intend that journal will publish research that influences public policy, to improve the welfare of pastoral people and better conserve the environments in which they live. To encourage research that will fulfil this role, the journal aims to enable policy makers, practitioners and pastoralists to communicate with scientists and researchers and become aware of each other’s concerns. In developing countries, the penetration of the journal into remote district offices, government research establishments and NGOs will be promoted by its free distribution, made possible by the support of the journal’s sponsors.
Details of annual Institutional or Personal subscription rates are provided on the Practical Action Publishing’s website. In addition, contact details for the editors and information on the Editorial Board are given in a promotional leaflet that can be downloaded.
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