1. Background
Close to 500 million pastoralists steward rangelands on about 45% of the earth’s surface.Despite the critical role of pastoralist communities, they have an underrecognized role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources across arid and semi-arid ecosystems globally. Pastoralists manage livestock, seeds, medicinal plants, and grazing lands while maintaining traditional ecological knowledge passed through generations. Their stewardship of land directly contributes to Targets 2, 3 and 22, but their rights to access and use land are increasingly threatened by land grabbing, conservation policies that exclude human presence, climate change, and market-driven land conversion. Recognizing and securing pastoralist land rights is not only a matter of justice but essential for effective biodiversity outcomes. Drawing on recent outcomes from the UNCCD COP in Mongolia, this side-event will create bridges between the UNCCD and CBD agendas, with a view forward on the UNFCCC COP31, underlining the critical role of mobility and pastoralism in the biodiversity context while ensuring coherent implementation of diverse land rights across conventions.

Strategic alignment with recent milestones:
* UNCCD COP-17 (Decision 29/COP16, expected second decision on Rangelands and Pastoralists)
* Convention on Migratory Species CMS COP14 Decisions 14.179 - 14.181 and COP15 Decision 28.6 on Pastoralism 
* IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 Resolution 008 on Conservation and Sustainable management of rangelands and pastoralism
* International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
* International Year of the Woman Farmer: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: Targets 2, 3, 22, and 23 and Gender Plan of Action explicitly recognize indigenous peoples' and local communities' rights and gender equality
* UNDP-ILC joint project on pastoralist women’s land rights

2. Objectives
* Connect UNCCD COP17 rangeland commitments with CBD GBF targets, creating coherence across desertification, climate, and biodiversity agendas
* Create space for pastoralist leaders to share lived experiences directly with policymakers
* Highlight the link between secure land tenure/access rights and improved biodiversity & land restoration outcomes
* Develop actionable recommendations for COP17 participants and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)

3. Key questions to explore
* How do pastoralist customary practices contribute to maintaining ecosystem diversity and resilience?
* What legal, institutional, and social barriers prevent pastoralists from securing land rights and accessing natural resources?
* How can GBF Targets 3, 22, and 23 be implemented alongside UNCCD strategic framework 2025-2030 to support pastoralists?
* What promising practices, ranging from policy reforms to community-based monitoring, could be scaled up?