At over 4,000 metres above sea level, in the Bolivian highlands, life tends to be organised around climate, animals and territory. Here, pastoralism is not always named as such, but it is practised every day—in daily life, in the care of animals and in the relationship with our territory.
In Latin America, pastoralism takes on distinct forms: it is intertwined with peasant and Indigenous identities and sustained through everyday practices deeply connected to the territory.
PASTORALISM IS NOT ALWAYS NAMED AS SUCH, BUT IT IS PRACTISED EVERY DAY.
From the community of Chuniavi, in the department of La Paz, Bolivia, Rodolfo Flores—a young pastoralist and member of Redes Chaco—shares what this relationship with land, animals and territory looks like today.
Where life intertwines with the territory
Rodolfo explains it this way:
“Feeling that love for the land and for our animals, because we live with them, we care for them and they are also our source of livelihood.”
For him, there is no separation between work and life. The land makes possible the pastures, wetlands and feed for the animals.
“The territory is our identity,” he says.
“It is what each of us has, depending on the region where we live.”
A daily practice shaped by the territory
Each day, Rodolfo rises early to check the corral and make sure the animals are in good condition. Then, the herd goes out to the field and remains there throughout the day.
At midday there is a pause to cook. In the afternoon, the return to the corral marks the end of the day.
It is constant work, shaped by the climate, the condition of the pastures and the ongoing care of the animals.
Rodolfo with the llamas he cares for in the Bolivian highlands, where land and life are sustained day by day.
When the climate is no longer what it used to be
In the highlands, climate change is not an abstract idea—it is felt in everyday life.
“It’s a bit unusual that frosts now begin as early as February,” Rodolfo explains. In the past, they arrived months later. Today, rains come earlier or later than expected, directly affecting pastures and wetlands.
“We are struggling against this, trying to find strategies,” he says. In his community, this means constantly adapting and taking measures to protect crops and fodder from frost and sudden temperature changes.
PASTORALISM SUSTAINS TERRITORIES, LIVELIHOODS, AND WAYS OF RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
Continuing, but with recognition
Climate change is not the only challenge.
“We would like to receive more support and for what we do to be valued,” he says. For Rodolfo, pastoral work remains largely unrecognised, both socially and institutionally. In many cases, this also leads to the invisibilisation of pastoralist knowledge and practices, despite their importance for livelihoods in these territories.
There is also a need for better conditions to continue: access to technical support, guidance to respond to climate change, and tools to improve livestock management and productivity.
“We need to be given the value we deserve as pastoralists,” he adds.
This testimony is part of the Mobility Matters campaign, led by the International Land Coalition, which seeks to highlight the role of pastoralist communities and promote recognition of their territories and ways of life, in the context of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026.