Global survey on ‘rangeland myths’

It is undeniable that rangelands are rising on the global sustainability agenda. Yet a growing body of research shows that public understandings, policies and approaches to development, conservation, ecosystem management in rangelands continue to be strongly shaped by a variety of persistent ‘myths’. The REPAiR project is exploring how ‘rangeland myths’ continue to play out in different places, and in specific policies and practices – particularly related to livestock, rangeland management, landscape restoration and pastoralism.

Help us explore rangeland myths and rethink what we think we know about rangelands and pastoralism.

By ‘rangeland myths’, we refer to powerful but flawed stories and ‘received wisdoms’ about ecology and environmental change, livestock systems, and relationships between people, domesticated animals, plants, wildlife and landscape.  Myths build upon dogmas, over-generalisations, assumptions and sometimes outdated knowledge, but persist because they carry authority and become institutionalised in policy and practice across sectors, shaping how we ‘see’ rangelands and pastoralism.

We are interested in understanding what forms myths take in different contexts, places, policies and spaces of debate. How are they used and by whom? What corrective knowledge and alternative stories exist, and how can they be amplified?

You can take our short survey in English, French, Spanish and Italian to share your thoughts and experiences of rangeland myths. You can share as much or as little information as you like.

Please share this page with others who you think would like to be part of REPAiR’s work on rangeland myths and let us know if you are already working on these or similar issues or would like to be more directly involved in communications, analysis or collective outputs. You can send an email to Dr Linda Pappagallo or [email protected].