An international conference organised on 30 October 2026 by the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Romania, bringing together cultural, agricultural and environmental perspectives on pastoralism.

The international conference “Pastoralism, a Living Heritage that Bridges Culture and Agriculture” celebrated both the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026).

The conference highlighted the multiple dimensions of pastoralism as a living cultural practice, a source of local economic development and food production, and a contributor to essential ecosystem services. Organised by the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Romania, it brought together experts, institutional representatives and partners from different countries to explore the contribution of pastoralism to culture and agriculture within the broader framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. The event was moderated by Ioana Baskerville, Romania’s National Focal Point for the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, who guided the exchange between cultural, agricultural and environmental perspectives on pastoralism.

The conference was opened by Dr Ligia Deca, Secretary General of the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO, who highlighted the significance of transhumance as an element of Romania’s intangible cultural heritage. She emphasised the need to support its transmission through improved living and working conditions and generational renewal within pastoral communities. She also addressed the forthcoming International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development (2027–2036), underlining the role of culture in shaping more sustainable futures.

The meeting demonstrated the value of bringing complementary perspectives into a multidisciplinary international discussion. The diversity of contributions reflected the close connections between cultural heritage, agricultural systems, biodiversity, landscape management, traditional knowledge, food production and rural livelihoods.

Within UNESCO’s framework for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, the conference brought together representatives directly involved in the multinational nomination of Transhumance, the seasonal droving of livestock, including contributions from Romania and France. It also featured experts and national representatives presenting other elements inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity that relate to pastoral practices: Summer farming at fäbod and seter: knowledge, traditions and practices related to the grazing of outlying lands and artisan food production, jointly inscribed by Norway and Sweden in 2024, and Mongolia’s Mongol nomad migration and its associated practices, inscribed in 2024. These contributions illustrated the diversity of pastoral knowledge systems and the different ways in which communities maintain and transmit their living heritage.

The agricultural perspective was represented by Gregorio Velasco-Gil, FAO Coordinator of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), and Eugenia Rendueles Álvarez, an expert on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). Their contributions highlighted the connections between cultural practices and agricultural systems, showing how pastoralism encompasses food production within an integrated system of knowledge, skills, resources and relationships with the environment. This dimension was further enriched by insights from the Global Pastoralist Gathering held in Mongolia in August 2026, presented by Julio Sá Rego, which brought the voices and concerns of pastoral communities into the international discussion. The environmental perspective was addressed by Tamara Mitrofanenko of the UNEP Carpathian Convention, who highlighted the role of pastoralism in the sustainable management of mountain landscapes and Romania’s contribution to raising awareness of Carpathian pastoral heritage.

The participation of representatives working across the United Nations system and its different institutional frameworks helped connect these perspectives within a shared approach. The discussions brought UNESCO’s framework for safeguarding living heritage into dialogue with the work of FAO, UNEP and international pastoralist networks, demonstrating how different mandates and areas of expertise can complement one another in supporting pastoralism as a living culture with multiple benefits for sustainable development.

The conference also brought together a diverse audience from numerous European countries involved in the multinational UNESCO Transhumance nomination, many of them long-standing partners in this international cooperation. Representatives from countries interested in future extensions of the nomination, including Montenegro and Portugal, also joined the discussion, alongside participants from African countries and India. This broad participation reflected the growing international interest in strengthening cooperation around pastoralism.

Beyond the exchange of expertise, the meeting highlighted Romania’s active role in the multinational UNESCO Transhumance initiative and its capacity to bring together partners across sectors and countries. By creating a space for dialogue between cultural, agricultural and environmental perspectives, the conference contributed to a shared understanding of how safeguarding living heritage can support pastoral communities and advance sustainable development.

See the recording of the conference here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WK2tkm7GrHFgbosnAiOx6RR2yVbssa64?usp=sharing