In the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and ahead of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Global Landscapes Forum highlights six women safeguarding rangelands, ecosystems that support billions of livelihoods, store nearly a third of terrestrial carbon and feed livestock and wildlife
Bonn, Germany (10 August 2026) – Rangelands can be found on every continent except Antarctica. These expanses of land grazed by livestock and wildlife host key biodiversity areas and store 30% of terrestrial carbon.
These productive ecosystems cover 54% of the Earth’s land area, support the livelihoods of the 500 million pastoralists who steward them and indirectly sustain around 2 billion people.
To mark the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), and just ahead of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP17, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) presents Rangeland Heroes: six women safeguarding these ecosystems from the ground, labs and negotiating rooms.
Rangelands are often misunderstood as “wastelands,” but they include a wide variety of ecosystems, including grasslands, deserts, shrublands, woodlands, mountains or even tundra. These landscapes are under threat from the climate crisis, land degradation, mismanagement and underfunding.
Women bring a unique leadership style to rangeland management, helping keep these landscapes healthy and strengthening pastoral communities, often in remote and off-grid settings. Meet six of them:
- Alina Surquislla Gomez, an agricultural professional and alpaca breeder, strengthens rangeland management, safeguards sustainable farming and encourages the participation of women in the high Andean Apurímac region of Peru.
- Ana Di Pangracio, a lawyer specializing in biodiversity, environmental governance and human rights, is the biodiversity director and deputy director of the Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) in Argentina.
- Gazua Elaun is a Bedouin woman, researcher, photographer and documentarian preserving the cultural heritage and ecological knowledge of her people and the Badia rangelands of Jordan.
- Kendi Borona, from the Kenyan highlands, holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry and leads Nia Tero’s work in Africa as part of the non-profit’s efforts to fund Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship of their lands and waters.
- Nitya Ghotge is the co-founder and director of Anthra, an organization of women veterinary scientists in India, and co-chair of the Working Group on Pastoralism and Gender of the Global Alliance for the IYRP.
- Sumjidmaa Sainnemekh holds a PhD in environmental science from the Agricultural University of Iceland and is a rangeland management specialist at The Nature Conservancy Mongolia, her home country and host of this year’s UNCCD COP17.
Discover the Rangeland Heroes’ stories and perspectives at bit.ly/RangelandHeroes2026
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QUOTES:
“We must show people that rangelands are not barren lands. They are beautiful places where you breathe clean air and find moist soil that gives life to a variety of beautiful grasses.” — Alina Surquislla Gomez
“The communities who have cared for rangelands over generations understand that resilience comes from working with nature rather than trying to control it … Their knowledge teaches humility, patience and long-term thinking.” — Ana Di Pangracio
“The most important shift we need is for the world to recognize rangeland areas such as the Jordanian Badia as a solution for the future, rather than viewing them as marginal or less valuable landscapes.” — Gazua Elaun
“Rangelands represent one of the best examples of the power and resilience of Indigenous knowledge systems in land and resource governance across [Africa].” — Kendi Borona
“The pastoralist women we have worked with have shared the importance of the collective, working in collaboration with others, the importance of peace and security and the amazing gift of seeing a world without artificial borders.” — Nitya Ghotge
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- For more information, unbranded photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@landscapealliance.org). Note that Sumjidmaa Sainnemekh and Ana Di Pangracio will attend the COP17 in Mongolia
- Download the cover photo of this release here
- Download visuals and more from the Rangeland Heroes campaign from this Trello board
- Find photos to illustrate your reporting on the GLF Flickr
- To learn more about rangelands, particularly those in Africa, request early access to the paper “Rangelands on their own terms” at k.quintero@landscapealliance.org
- Explore more GLF updates in our media room
About the GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable and resilient landscapes. It is led by Landscape Alliance – CIFOR & ICRAF in action, in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
