Welcome to the website of the Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP), an informal advocacy group of European organisations and specialists partnering with pastoralist organisations and specialists in Eastern Africa. The members and partners of the Coalition combine forces to lobby their national governments and European and Eastern African bodies to explicitly recognise and support pastoralism and pastoralists in the drylands of Eastern Africa. We are also in the core team of the international movement that succeeded in gaining UN designation of the International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists in 2026. On this website for our Coalition, you can find the latest news, documents and articles related to the activities and interests of CELEP.
Articles
01/06/2021
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Pastoralism is the future – animated video
Man-made climate change is creating conditions on our planet that are increasingly characterised by variability and unpredictability. Pastoralists use variability to their advantage. Their production systems guide us to a sustainable future. Find out how they do it in this 2:23-min animated video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeqITzac9Ac This video film was created by Cartoonbase and realised by CELEP […]
28/08/2026
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‘Energy Justice’? Pastoralism, political ecology and lower-carbon energy transitions
As global renewable energy (RE) capacity continues to expand, green extractivism and energy justice (EJ) have become increasingly pressing concerns. The paper ‘‘Energy Justice’? Pastoralism, political ecology and lower-carbon energy transitions, published in 2026 in Geoforum, focuses on the justice implications of energy transitions and the processes by which they are produced in pastoralists’ lands. […]
28/06/2026
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Pastoral lands and the green transition: opportunities and challenges
The “green transition” – the global response to the climate and biodiversity crises – is generating demand for land to implement renewable-energy and carbon-sequestration projects. Rangelands have been attractive to investors because of their large extent, their high potential for wind and solar energy and for carbon sequestration and storage, and the perception that they […]
28/01/2026
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United Nations declares 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), to be formally implemented by the FAO. This paper (United Nations declares 2026 International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists) introduces the IYRP and associated Global Alliance for Rangelands & Pastoralists (GA4RP) by describing their origins, goals and activities. Motivation for […]
17/02/2025
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Pastoral grazing in Tanzania’s Village Forest Reserves
The relations between pastoralism and forestry have long been antagonistic in the eyes of foresters and environmental planners. The paper “Pastoral grazing in Tanzania’s Village Forest Reserves: unearthing extra-ecological motives for (in-)compatibility” by Benezet Rwelengera and Jumanne Abdallah (published 2024 in the Journal of the Geographical Association of Tanzania 44(2): 53–75) examines what shapes the […]
19/01/2025
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Contested conservation frontiers involving pastoralists in northern Kenya
The 2024 article “Contested conservation frontiers: resource wars, power play, and violence in Samburu and Isiolo Counties” by Clifford Okwany & Evelyne Owino, published in the Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies 8(1): 30–60 (https://doi.org/10.61199/jass.144600) examines informal arrangements between the Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT), pastoralist communities and state actors in Isiolo and Samburu Counties related […]
