October 2014 BACKGROUND STUDY PAPER NO. 66 REV.1 E COMMISSION ON GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY LIVESTOCK SPECIES AND BREEDS, WITH SPECIAL CONSIDERATION TO THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SMALL-SCALE LIVESTOCK KEEPERS AND PASTORALISTS by Irene Hoffmann, Tatiana From and David Boerma This document has been prepared at the request of the Secretariat of the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and in close collaboration with the FAO Animal Production and Health Division, to facilitate the Commission’s deliberations when it will review key issues in ecosystem services provided by livestock species and breeds at its Fifteenth Regular Session. The content of this document is entirely the responsibility of the authors, and does not necessarily represent the views of the FAO or its Members. This document is printed in limited numbers to minimize the environmental impact of FAO's processes and contribute to climate neutrality. Delegates and observers are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and to avoid asking for additional copies. Most FAO meeting documents are available on the Internet at http://www.fao.org/ 2 BACKGROUND STUDY PAPER NO. 66 REV.1 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. BACKGROUND STUDY PAPER NO. 66 REV.1 3 Table of contents Pages Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 7 Acronyms and abbreviations .................................................................................................... 12 Executive summary .................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 13 1.1. Ecosystem services, biodiversity and the roles of livestock species and breeds .......... 13 1.2. Ecosystem services valuation ....................................................................................... 16 2. Methods and concepts .................................................................................................... 18 2.1. Sources of information ................................................................................................. 18 2.2. Livestock’s special functions ....................................................................................... 19 2.3. Types of ecosystem services ........................................................................................ 20 2.4. Linking breed types to production systems, land cover and climatic zones ................ 22 2.4.1. Method .......................................................................................................................................... 22 2.4.2. Estimated livestock numbers in production systems...................................................................... 26 3. Provisioning services ...................................................................................................... 29 3.1. Food, hides, skins and fibres ........................................................................................ 29 3.2. Draught power .............................................................................................................. 34 3.3. Manure and urine for fertilizer ..................................................................................... 38 3.4. Manure and methane for energy ................................................................................... 40 3.5. Genetic resources ......................................................................................................... 41 3.6. Biotechnical/Medicinal resources ................................................................................ 43 4. Regulating and supporting services .............................................................................. 43 4.1. Services arising from livestock’s ability to convert non-human edible feed ............... 47 4.1.1. Use of primary vegetation ............................................................................................................. 47 4.1.2. Waste recycling and weed control ................................................................................................. 49 4.1.3. Biological control and animal/human disease regulation............................................................. 50 4.2. Services arising from livestock’s direct interaction with land, vegetation and soil, other than habitat services ........................................................................................................ 51 4.2.1. Maintenance of soil structure and fertility .................................................................................... 51 4.2.2. Land degradation and erosion prevention .................................................................................... 51 4.2.3. Climate regulation ........................................................................................................................ 53 4.2.4. Regulation of water flow and water quality .................................................................................. 56 4.2.5. Moderation of extreme events ....................................................................................................... 57 4.3. Pollination .................................................................................................................... 59 4 BACKGROUND STUDY PAPER NO. 66 REV.1 4.3.1. Valuation of pollination ................................................................................................................ 59 4.3.2. Honey bees and wild pollinators ................................................................................................... 60 4.4. Habitat services ............................................................................................................ 60 4.4.1. Nature conservation and protected areas ..................................................................................... 61 4.4.2. Conservation of charismatic species ............................................................................................. 64 4.4.3. Maintaining the life cycles of animal and plant species, especially in co-evolved landscapes ..... 65 4.4.4. Connecting habitats ...................................................................................................................... 70 4.5. The role of breeds in the provision of regulating and supporting services .................. 70 4.6. The role of livestock and land management in the provision of regulating and supporting ecosystem services ................................................................................................. 73 5. Cultural services ............................................................................................................. 76 5.1. Livestock as a part of cultural heritage and spiritual/religious values ......................... 78 5.2. Knowledge systems and educational values ................................................................ 80 5.3. Livestock as part of natural heritage, and landscape and recreational values .............. 81 6. The roles of small-scale livestock keepers and pastoralists in the provision of ecosystem services .................................................................................................................. 83 7. Constraints and opportunities ....................................................................................... 85 7.1. Recognition of ecosystem services .............................................................................. 86 7.2. Knowledge management, stakeholder inclusion and policies ...................................... 88 7.2.1. Knowledge gaps/management and research ................................................................................. 88 7.2.2. Stakeholder inclusion .................................................................................................................... 90 7.2.3. Policies .......................................................................................................................................... 91 7.3. Incentives for ecosystem services ................................................................................ 94 7.3.1. Markets .......................................................................................................................................... 94 7.3.2. Payments for ecosystem services ................................................................................................... 96 8. International measures favouring the acknowledgment of the roles of breeds and their keepers in the provision of ecosystem services ..........................................................