Workshop on Rangelands, Transhumance and Pastoralism

Progress of Preparatory Workshops

Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on
Rangelands, Transhumance and Pastoralism

8 November 2025 | Kelmend, Albania

As part of Pre-Gathering preparatory activities, we organized Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Rangelands, Transhumance and Pastoralism (1 day) with the partnership and leadership of local organizations organization in Western Balkan countries/ zones.

This 1-day Workshop considered an agenda for discussions:

Importance and Challenges of Pastoralism and Shepherds Globally
Transhumance, Pastoralism and Landscapes in Balkan country/zone
Plan of Regional Gathering (April 2026), and Constitution of National/Zonal Organizing Committee
How to prepare for Regional Gathering: inviting collaborations; arranging logistics; mobilizing stakeholders; mobilizing shepherd participants; promotion through media and social media; volunteering etc.

The participants invited in the Workshop were: municipalities, agriculture department, regional authority, local NGOs, citizen groups, shepherd associations/groups, chamber of agriculture commerce, business groups dealing in animal products, academic/research institutions, local colleges, local school administration, and others.

Near Tamare village, about 15 shepherds and one Veterinary Officer gathered. There were a series of discussions: 1) fundamental reasons of dispossession of pastoralists from common resources; 2) bases of negative attitudes of government machinery towards pastoralists; 3) unwritten and written customary rights of shepherds on lands; 4) suspended or restricted rights of mobility across the grazing spaces; 5) rapidly declining population of pastoralists practicing herding; 6) need of organizing together and assert for rights. IYRP Regional Gathering was also discussed with the participants. Majority of the present shepherds showed a commitment and dedication to bring as many as people into the gathering next year. Everyone of them promised to prepare 50-100 other shepherds and bring to the gathering.