Celebrating IYRP: Stewardship, mobility and the future of rangelands

Across Canada’s grasslands and around the world, grazing communities play a vital role in keeping rangelands healthy, productive and resilient. As we mark the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) is proud to stand with global partners in recognizing the people and practices that sustain these landscapes.

June and July’s IYRP themes – sustainable rangeland use and restoration and services and infrastructure for pastoralists – speak directly to the values that guide CFGA’s work: stewardship, knowledge‑sharing and community‑driven innovation. These messages resonate strongly in Canada, where grasslands and grazing systems depend on producer knowledge and long‑standing stewardship traditions.

Sustainable rangeland use and restoration

June’s theme underscores a critical truth: rangelands, which cover more than half of the earth’s land surface, are productive, biodiverse landscapes that support food production, wildlife habitat, carbon storage and rural livelihoods. They are not wastelands. Yet they face increasing pressure from conversion, degradation and abandonment.

The IYRP emphasizes that pastoralists serve as custodians of rangelands and that their practices help to conserve and restore them. Grazing by migratory wildlife and livestock is a natural part of healthy rangeland ecosystems and, in many regions, customary institutions or user associations help keep land and water resources healthy.

Strengthening pastoralism is identified as one of the most effective pathways to rangeland restoration. This includes secure tenure rights, meaningful participation in decision‑making and recognition of traditional knowledge, especially from women, youth, elders and Indigenous peoples. The theme calls for halting indiscriminate conversion of rangelands to cropland, tree plantations, settlements and other uses that undermine ecosystem services and climate resilience. Preventing abandonment is equally important, as unused rangelands quickly lose biodiversity and watershed benefits and can drive rural out‑migration.

Integrated, multifunctional land uses, such as silvo-pastoralism, wildlife‑livestock systems and herd diversification, are key to resilience. Sustainable pastoralism is described as the most cost‑effective restoration tool, supporting global biodiversity and climate targets.

Services and infrastructure for pastoralists

July’s IYRP theme focuses on the essential services and infrastructure pastoralists need to sustain their livelihoods. Globally, the message is clear: Pastoralists need services and infrastructures compatible with and adapted to their ways of life. In Canada, this aligns closely with the needs of ranchers, producers, Indigenous land stewards and mixed‑use graziers who manage vast, remote and ecologically important landscapes.

Canadian pastoralists depend on mobility, connectivity and access to services that reflect the realities of rural life. While Canada does not have long‑distance, seasonal-grazing movements, the underlying requirements are similar: reliable communication networks, accessible education and training, responsive health and veterinary services and financial tools tailored to agricultural risk.

Improving rural connectivity remains a national priority. Strong Internet and telecommunications support digital grazing plans, remote monitoring, market access and emergency response, all essential for modern forage and livestock management. Education and training also play a key role. Flexible learning options, including CFGA’s Advanced Grazing Systems training, mentorship networks and emerging High‑Performance Forage programs, mirror the global call for mobile schools and vocational training adapted to pastoral realities.

Infrastructure that supports grazing systems is equally important. While Canada’s mobility corridors differ from those in countries with migratory herding, the principle holds: protect and invest in the routes, water points, bridges, roads and veterinary access points that keep grazing landscapes functioning. Maintaining Crown land grazing leases, improving water infrastructure and ensuring land‑use planning supports long‑term forage productivity all reflect this need.

Stewardship on Canada’s Rangelands

As these global themes continue to shape conversations about rangeland stewardship, the CFGA has been grounding them in real‑world Canadian landscapes. Last week, members of the CFGA team travelled to Saskatchewan for strategic planning sessions and to spend time on the land with the people who steward it every day. The visit included time in Grasslands National Park and on a working ranch, places where the principles of sustainable rangeland use, mobility and community‑driven stewardship are lived, not just discussed. This on‑the‑ground experience offered a powerful reminder of how Canada’s grazing communities are already advancing the values at the heart of the IYRP. Watch the CFGA’s social media platforms for details about the trip.