The XII International Rangeland Congress 2025

ICARDA at the XII International Rangeland Congress 2025

From 2 to 6 June 2025, the XII International Rangeland Congress (IRC) took place in Adelaide, Australia, under the theme “Working Together for Our Global Rangelands Future.”
For five days, Adelaide became a hub for global experts, academics, pastoralists, indigenous representatives, and other stakeholders united by a shared vision: advancing sustainable rangeland management amid intensifying climate challenges.

This year’s congress addressed critical topics and sparked insightful dialogue on ensuring the future of global rangelands. Key themes included:

• Valuing rangelands and pastoral systems for their societal contributions
• Co-design, partnerships, and traditional knowledge for more enduring rangeland outcomes
• Technology, data systems, and communication for improved monitoring and decision-making
• Integrating rangeland ecology into management practices
• Managing risk: climate and other systemic shocks and trends
• Livestock production systems under evolving global drivers
• Multi-functional land use: moving beyond niche opportunities in rangelands

ICARDA’s Dr. Mounir Louhaichi Research Team Leader of Rangeland Ecology and Forages actively participated in number of events and discussions tackling modern challenges in rangeland management, including:

• Crowdsourcing and geopositioned imagery to document near real-time rangeland conditions
• Comprehensive strategies for rangeland ecosystem restoration
• Shifts between pastoralism and agropastoralism: comparative insights from South Africa and South Asia
• Sustainable sheep ranching through regenerative grazing
• Identifying the appropriate spatial and temporal scales to address sustainable management of drylands

Dr. Mounir delivered a key presentation during the session “Crafting a New Narrative for Sustainable Rangeland Management in Africa” where he introduced a six-step framework for large-scale, sustainable restoration of degraded rangeland ecosystems.

Furthermore, Dr. Mounir participated in the forum linking the IRC to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). His intervention addressed the critical threat of rangeland conversion and emphasized a multi-pronged approach to mitigate it. This included raising awareness, mapping & delineating these resources (LUP), assessing the impacts of encroachment, and ultimately reinforcing existing policy, such as implementing bans on cultivation in key rangeland areas.

ICARDA remains committed to advancing sustainable rangeland management by promoting integrated approaches and delivering practical, farmer- and community-driven solutions that strengthen the resilience of the people who depend on these important ecosystems for their livelihoods.

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