The goal of WISP is to achieve sustainable rangeland management through empowerment (social and economic) of pastoralist communities. WISP will address questions of pastoral natural resource management and the role of pastoralists in conserving biodiversity, given an enabling policy and legal environment. WISP aims to enhance sustainable rangeland management by pastoralists through advocacy (knowledge and understanding) and capacity building (empowerment and governance) by promoting partnership between pastoralists, governments, Non Governmental organizations, International Organizations and the private sector.

WISP develops innovative analytical and advocacy tools in key areas, such as rights, economics and marketing and organization of pastoralists, and uses these tools to build capacities in regions and countries for local level advocacy. To enhance this, WISP is improving knowledge management so as to make literature resources more readily available to practitioners and pastoralists and to improve networking of pastoralists and their representatives.

WISP also supports the strengthening of institutions relevant to pastoralism through improved access to information, skills development and experience sharing. This is achieved through capacity building programmes, with emphasis on enabling partners to build and share advocacy and communication skills. WISP strengthens advocacy for pastoral rights and development both indirectly through targeted capacity building of national partners and through direct advocacy action.

Key Outcomes of WISP

Outcome 1. Better appreciation of mobile pastoralism as a form of productive and sustainable land management, to promote poverty alleviation and ecosystem integrity within the agro-ecological landscape

WISP is conducting a number of global studies on pastoralism in order to develop innovative analytical tools for use in advocacy work by national and regional partners. The themes for these studies were determined by pastoralist representatives at the Global Gathering in Turmi, Ethiopia (2005):
a. Pastoralist economics and marketing
b. Pastoralists’ rights
c. Organisation of pastoralists

WISP will also conduct an in depth analysis of the impact of current policies on pastoralism in different locations around the world, particularly examining positive environmental and livelihood outcomes that stem from pro-pastoral policy choices. These different studies will be implemented by national partners, preferably pastoralist organisations, as part of the overall capacity building aim of WISP. The studies will be used to develop advocacy tools that enable WISP partners and other pastoral institutions to enhance their engagement policy dialogue.

WISP will carry out a series of ‘best practice’ studies in partnership with pastoral organisations, national and regional partners. These studies will be shared with members and external audiences to influence policy and practice in different countries. WISP continues to identify other opportunities for improving knowledge management on pastoralism, for example WISP currently supports an eight-country study in East Africa on Pastoralism as Conservation, implemented by IUCN. To improve the accessibility of this information WISP is developing a web site and a series of CD-roms, which will be made widely available.

Outcome 2. Capacity development of pastoralists, civil society organisations, and public and private institutions

WISP aims to strengthen the capacity of different partners to engage in policy dialogue. Knowledge outputs in Outcome 1 will be produced by national partner organisations under the guidance of international specialists who will support in planning, analysis and publication. The nature of these partnerships will vary between countries and regions, according to the political landscape, the existing capacities and the local needs.

Partners will include Non Governmental Organisations, Pastoral Associations and Parliamentary Groups. Where possible WISP will work with pastoralists through their own representative structures, and where this is not possible WISP will ensure that its partnerships lead to increased ties between pastoralists and those who lobby for change on their behalf.

WISP will build a global communication network of pastoralists, pastoral institutions and specialists to strengthen the debate on pastoralist issues. This will include national and regional partners for implementation, communication and organisation. These partnerships will be used to achieve WISP’s goals at country level and also to carry out regional and global level advocacy and information dissemination.

Outcome 3. Advocacy for effective policies and laws favouring sustainable pastoral resource management

Much of WISP’s work will combine these first three outcomes: building capacities to manage knowledge for the sake of advocacy for a more favourable policy and legal environment that is conducive to sustainable pastoral rangeland management. Thus much of the advocacy work will be carried out at national level by WISP’s partners. Regional level advocacy, for example to intergovernmental authorities, will be carried out by regional partners, where they exist, and also directly by WISP. At a global level, for example advocating to multilateral organisations, at international conventions and to bi-lateral donors, WISP will carry out the work directly and also through support for pastoralist representatives to advocate on their own behalf.

Outcome 4. Participation, evaluation, and adaptive management

WISP will ensure that pastoralists remain at its core, for example through ongoing consultation with pastoralists at regional and global gatherings. The Pastoral Advisory Group (PAG) is a key structure in WISP’s management, responsible for determining the priority issues that WISP addresses. The PAG will also plays an active role in evaluating WISP’s outputs, including assessing and informing the advocacy tools that WISP develops.

WISP strongly encourages its partners to influence the planning and implementation of its activities, in order to ensure that the outputs remain relevant and that the lessons and tools are adopted. WISP will work with partners to develop follow-on (stand alone) projects promoting sustainable pastoral land management in their country.