Background and Rationale
Pastoralists across South Asia—spanning India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh—rely on common lands for their livelihoods, heritage, and resilience. Yet, most countries lack dedicated, enforceable frameworks to secure these rights, leaving pastoralists vulnerable to eviction, administrative hurdles, and competing land uses. Women, youth, and Indigenous groups remain especially under-represented in policy and often excluded from the benefits of reforms. Even where progressive policies exist (such as India’s Forest Rights Act), implementation is uneven and impeded by legal ambiguities, poor enforcement, and ongoing land disputes. As we approach the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026, this session offers a timely platform to review progress, identify shared challenges, and push forward a collective advocacy agenda. By foregrounding legal realities and people-led innovations, the session will contribute to IYRP 2026 goals of recognition, reform, and resilience for pastoralist communities across the region.
Session Objectives
● Compare legal status and practical realities: Review national land rights policies for pastoralists in India (FRA), Nepal (Rangeland Policy), Afghanistan (Draft National Rangeland Policy), Pakistan (no dedicated recognition), Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
● Highlight implementation gaps: Surface the causes behind the disconnect between law and practice—especially bureaucratic exclusion, weak enforcement, contested claims, and customary versus statutory tension.
● Centre gender and marginalization: Highlight the structural barriers to land tenure security for pastoralist women and youth.
● Share advocacy and innovation: Spotlight promising models, local advocacy, and collective action, identifying pathways for reform and collaboration.
● International Year of Rangeland and pastoralist awareness and policy efforts on Land tenure across region.
About the session speakers
Mr Vagtaram Dewasi
Founder and Chair Person, Rayka Vikas Sangthan
Panelist
Vagtaram Dewasi has been actively engaged in social work since 2002. Deeply rooted in rural Rajasthan, he has dedicated his life to the upliftment of marginalized, pastoralist, and tribal communities.
He works to strengthen the rights and livelihoods of pastoral communities by promoting access to government schemes, developing grazing lands, organizing veterinary camps, and encouraging youth education and self-employment. He is also actively involved with tribal communities in spreading awareness about forest and land rights, education, health, and cultural preservation.
For Vagtaram, social service is not a profession but a lifelong commitment. He believes true development is possible only when every community—farmers, herders, and tribals—enjoys equal dignity and opportunity.
Ms Neeta Pandya
Founder and Chair Person, Maldhari Rural Action Group
Panelist
Neeta Pandya is a social worker and rural development practitioner with a deep-rooted commitment to pastoralist communities, particularly Maldhari women in Gujarat. Coming from a Gandhian background, she holds a master’s in social work and began her journey with the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (India), working closely with rural women.
Over the past 25 years, she has championed pastoral culture, women’s land rights, migration, and food security. She founded MARAG and co-founded Pastoral Women Alliance to empower pastoralist women and led the 2010 Global Gathering of Women Pastoralists, resulting in the Mera Declaration. She has contributed to research on pastoral women’s land access, climate resilience, and migration, while also developing the Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP). Through MARAG & PWA, she continues advocating for gender justice in pastoralism at local, national, and international levels.
Dr Homayun Ludin
Ministry of Afghanistan (online)
Panelist
NA
Mr Dhanej Thapa
Director, Community Learning and Research Platform (COLARP), Nepal
Panelist
Mr. Dhanej Thapa Director at Consortium for Land Research and Dialogue (COLARP). Mr. Dhanej Thapa is a Land, Agriculture, and CCA/DRR expert with over 15 years of experience in research and development across Nepal and South Asia. He provided consultancy services to organizations such as DFID, Mott-McDonald, UNDP, UNRCO, UNOPS, USAID, WHH, DCA, ADPC, Practical Action, UMN, UN-Women, and others. Notably, Mr. Thapa has dedicated his efforts to humanitarian causes, collaborating with organizations like CORDAID and Lutheran World Federation Nepal to empower marginalized communities, including the landless, Dalit, and indigenous people, to build resilient livelihoods. In addition to his work, Mr. Thapa has been instrumental in addressing critical issues related to rangeland management and the transhumance system in high mountain regions. His leadership as a focal person has been pivotal in overseeing project activities spanning South Asia and beyond. Currently, Mr. Thapa serves as the Director of the Consortium for Land Research and Policy Dialogue (COLARP), where he continues to drive impactful initiatives in advancing land research and policy dialogue.
Mr Ameer Hamza
Founder and Chair Person, Vann Gujjar Yuva Tribal Sangthan
Panelist
Ameer Hamza is the founder of the Van Gujjar Tribal Yuva Sangathan, leading grassroots efforts to secure forest rights and recognition for his pastoralist community in Uttarakhand. A nature guide and certified ornithologist, he mobilizes youth, preserves traditional ecological practices and amplifies Van Gujjar voices in forest governance and climate resilience.
Ms Ashwini Labde
Steering group member, South Asia Pastoralist Alliance (SAPA)
Panelist
Ashwini Labde belongs to the Dhangar pastoral community in Maharashtra, India, and is a first-generation learner in her family. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and has over three years of experience working with pastoral communities across Maharashtra. Passionate about advancing the rights and recognition of pastoral peoples, Ashwini currently serves as a Steering Committee Member of the South Asia Pastoral Alliance (SAPA).
Ms Natasha Maru
Global Lead for Rangelands & Pastoralists, International Land Coalition
Moderator
Natasha Maru is a researcher and policy consultant working with pastoralists in western India and globally. She holds a PhD from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex and an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford. She currently serves as the global focal point for rangelands and pastoralists with the International Land Coalition, connecting local research with pastoralists in India with capacity development, advocacy and facilitation at the global level.