PROGRAM
CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF RANGELANDS AND PASTORALISTS 2026
MADRID INTERNATIONAL MEETING
"Young Pastoralists & New Technologies"

Brief messages from the Organizing Committee. Presentation by Ms. Mónica Martínez Castañeda, Managing Director of IMIDRA (Community of Madrid), with the intervention of:

• Mr. Carlos Novillo Piris, Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Interior of the Community of Madrid. Institutional welcome words.
• Mr. Gregorio Juan Velasco Gil, Coordinator of the Pastoralist Knowledge Hub, FAO.
• Mr. Raúl Compés López, Director of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) - Zaragoza.
• Mr. Manuel Bahíllo Martín, Secretary General of Transhumance and Nature Foundation.
• Ms. Francesca Pasetti Bombardella, European Co-chair of the Global Alliance for Rangelands and Pastoralists (GA4RP).
• Message from the GA4RP Youth Group – Jacob Lekaitogo.
• Official IYRP2026 presentation video.
• Presentation of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026). Mr. Gregorio Juan Velasco Gil, inaugural intervention by the FAO representative.

Introductory presentation: Ilse Köhler-Rollefson

Round table: Ms. Ana Rodríguez Castaño, Secretary General of Agricultural Resources and Food Security
Participants:

• Ms. Ariunzaya Enkhtuya, Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia. (Mongolia)
• Mr. Ángel de Oteo Mancebo, General Director of Agriculture, Livestock and Food. Community of Madrid. (Spain)
• Mr. Bernard Bonet, Institute for Research and Application of Development Methods (IRAM). (France)
• Mr. Blamah Diallo, Regional Technical Coordinator Réseau Billital Maroobe. (Niger)
• Mr. Rolando Manzano, President Foundation for High Andean Camelid Development-Markas Layku. (Chile)

Presenters and moderators: Ángela Arevalo Robles. International Land Coalition (ILC)

Introductory presentation: Mr. Balint Sándor, member of the traditional ecological knowledge research group, Centre for Ecological Research of Hungary. (Hungary)

Round table “Indigenous knowledge”: Basele-Menita Presentation.
Tradition and science dialogue:

• Seidou Soumay Abdoul Rahamani: “Restoration of degraded lands through grazing, a millenary technology”. (Niger)
• Maya Sherpa. (Nepal)
• Abdoussaman Ag Alhousseini. (Mali)
• Livasoa. (Madagascar)
• Imran Khan Mamad Mutva. (India)

Presenters and moderators: Mireia Llorente and Juana Victoria Alcasihuincha (Peru)

• Ahmad Saad Al-Huweitat, tourism with traditional grazing. (Jordan)
• Ilse Kölher-Rollefson, Camel Charisma, Experiences of Camel Charisma Marketing
• Verónica Camila Apaza, Red Puna. (Argentina)
• Montserrat Castellanos, Technical Advisor at the D.G. of Agricultural Productions and Markets. MAPA: “Spanish logo ‘100% Native Breed’: awareness of animal genetic resources through the product”. (Spain)
• Patricia Jiménez, Platform for Extensive Livestock and Pastoralism - Certified Extensive Livestock Brand. (Spain)
• Gerardo Báguena, Bearded Vulture Foundation. Pro-biodiversity brand. (Spain)

Presenter and moderator: Tamara Mitrofanenko (Carpathian Convention).
Intergenerational dialogue:

• Santiago Leon: “The intergenerational dialogue”. (Spain)
• Irene Namongo: “Pastoralism as a woman and as a business activity: promoting female participation in pastoralism”. (Uganda)
• Milan Seculovic. (Montenegro)
• Bárbara Aguilar: “Shepherdess under high voltage lines”. (Spain)
• Joseph Boussion: “The vision of pastoralism as retro-innovation, the relationship between shepherd and wild animals”. (France)
• Megha Seth, coordinator of the South Asia Pastoral Alliance (SAPA): “Recognition of the rights of pastoral communities”. (India)

• Reading of the day's conclusions.
• Presentation of the Youth manifesto / charter: Francesca Pasetti - Jacob Lekaitogo: Key demands, solutions and commitments for IYRP 2026 and beyond.
• Session closing and technical announcements.

Presentation of the day: Ms. Mónica Martínez Castañeda, Managing Director of IMIDRA
Session presenter: Ms. Sonsoles Zabala Argüelles (Head of Livestock Research and Improvement Area, IMIDRA)

• Institutional event: Ms. Mónica Martínez Castañeda, Managing Director of IMIDRA. Announcement and relevance of transhumance as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Community of Madrid
• Presentation and defense of the file of Transhumance as BIC: Ms. Mª del Carmen Jiménez Morán, Head of Cultural Assets Cataloging Area and Fuencisla Hermana Mendioroz, Support Technician of the Cultural Assets Cataloging Area. Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid

Scientific and informative presentations:

• Ms. Rusudan Mirzikashvili, ICOMOS. (Georgia)
• Ms. Laura Reyes, Sub-directorate General for Management and Coordination of Cultural Assets, Min. of Culture. (Spain)
• Mr. José Alberto Millán González, Head of Livestock Trails Area, D.G. Agriculture. Community of Madrid. (Spain)
• Dr. Marta Moreno-García. Institute of History, CSIC. (Spain)

Round table: Moderator Juan María Gallardo Bolaños (RFEAGAS); participants: Mª Carmen García Moreno and Diego Torres González (Spain), Nicole Colantuono (Italy), Madina Kyrkisheva (Kyrgyzstan), Abdoussamad Ag Alhousseini (Mali).

Presenter and moderator: Antonio López-Francos (CIHEAM - Zaragoza)
Introduction: Mediterranean Network of Sustainable Livestock Systems. Claudio Porqueddu, CNRS ISPAAM. (Italy)

Thematic round table - Block 1: New information technologies applied to pastoralism:

• Agustín Oliet Palá, Director CENSYRA - IMIDRA: “GPS and virtual fences”. (Spain)
• Yolanda Pueyo Estaún, IPE-CSIC. (Spain)
• Joshua Laizer, Pastoralist, Afriscout: “Mobile applications”. (Tanzania)
• Georgios Ziagkas, Transhumant shepherd. (Greece)
• Ángela del Carmen, Ganaderas en Red: “Social media communication”. (Spain)

Block 2: Technical innovation applied to extensive livestock farming:

• Hichem Ben Salem, INRAT: “New feed sources”. (Tunisia)
• Manuel Luque, RFEAGAS: “The best animals for pastoralism”. (Spain)
• Also participating: Joshua Laizer (Tanzania), Ángela del Carmen (Spain), Georgios Ziagkas (Greece).

Presenters and moderators: Angela Arévalo Robles (ILC) and Jacob Lekaitogo (AYPI | IYRP Youth WG), with support from Pati Jiménez.

• Pedro M. Herrera Calvo, FAO Drylands Working Group.
• Mohamed Ould Baba GUEYA, Director of ONARDEP. (Mauritania)
• Ashwini Machindra Labde, pastoralist community (SAPA). (India)
• Mireia Llorente, Entretantos Foundation. (Spain)
• Laia Batalla, School of Shepherds of Catalonia. (Spain)
• Dr. Francisco Martín Azcárate, Autonomous University of Madrid. “Herbivory and ecological restoration”. (Spain)

Presenter: Tamara Mitrofanenko (to be confirmed)

• Reading of conclusions.
• 100 photos of the meeting.
• Conclusions from young pastoralists.
• Reflection workshop: a vision of the future. Mr. Pedro M. Herrera Calvo: Perspectives of the Global Alliance for Rangelands.
• Reading and signing of the manifesto.

• Thanks from the organizers.
• Institutional closing (Ms. Mónica Martínez Castañeda: Managing Director of IMIDRA).

• 1st STOP: Cultural stop around the Royal Palace of Aranjuez: 1 hour.
• 2nd STOP (12:00h): Casa de la Monta.

Exhibitions and Tours:

• Photographic Exhibition “History of La Casa de la Monta” and “The horse in Spain”.
• Monographic exhibition of native horse and donkey breeds.
• Photographic Exhibition “Spanish Native Breeds” Bestiarium, by José Barea.
• Main hall: 56 native breeds of sheep, goats, cows, and sheepdogs.
• Wool textile art exhibition and traditional spinning initiation workshop.
• Educational tour of the wool process.

Activities and Demonstrations:

• Screening of the documentary “Transhumant shepherds, carding memories”.
• Recital by Luis García Valera – Entresierras School of Popular Music.
• Demonstration of traditional grazing and use of herding dogs.
• Traditional shearing exhibition.
• Pastoral food: Rice tasting and “Paquitos” (with INTEROVIC).
• Tasting of products with the “100% Native Breed” logo (MAPA): cheeses and jerky from native breeds.