Lactase persistence (LP) is a genetically determined trate caused by the expression of lactase in adulthood. Lactase is the intestinal enzyme responsible for digestion of milk sugar, lactose. Its production in the small intestine decreases during the childhood, this physiological condition is called lactose intolerance. However, in some individuals production of this enzyme is not stopped. The persistence of lactase activity is a recent phenomenon, which arose independently in several parts of the world over the past roughly 10,000 years, in connection with the emergence of agriculture, specifically milk production and is (likely) still under strong selection pressure. LP was first observed in Europe, where it is associated with a mutation -13 910*T. Frequency of this mutation correlates with latitude. In Africa, the presence of LP is conversely associated with herding and falls under the hypothesis of genetic and cultural co-evolution associated with cattle and the use of secondary food sources. Pastoral populations living in different areas of Africa have different LP mutations that are linked to their origin. Although many investigation on LP have already been carried out, neither analysed the Tuareg populations. This study is focused on the analysis LP mutations in 93 samples of Tuaregs from...

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Understanding how social-ecological changes influence the resilience of dryland agro-silvo-pastoral systems can offer new perspectives on current sustainability challenges. In this study I use mixed methods to explore how resilience thinking can guide development towards sustainable and just future pathways in the Sahelian part of northern Senegal. A combined analysis of regional statistical data and local actors’ perceptions of recent development revealed five key patterns of change: 1) decreased annual precipitation, 2) lack of pastures and environmental degradation, 3) improved rural water access and an opening-up of previously isolated areas, 4) adaptation strategies, and 5) decentralization. Participants’ rankings of context-specific resilience metrics based on the seven principles for building resilience, indicate a low to moderate current resilience of the agro-silvo-pastoral system and a decline in general system resilience over the past decades. The analysis highlights the need for greater recognition of pastoral mobility and groundwater recharge dynamics in natural resource management, along with challenges of inequities and power assymetries among actors, while also pointing to the potential of local initiatives to support development in the Senegalese Sahel. By synthesizing changes and assessing their influence on the resilience of the agro-silvo-pastoral system, the study shows how resilience assessments can be used to understand system dynamics and illustrate development paradoxes in the Senegalese Sahel.

This study describes the contemporary educational methods of Mongolian nomads from chosen sample locations of the Hangai mountains. It has been completed on the basis of three field research trips conducted in these locations. Recordings of guided interviews and notes based upon involved observation serve as the source material for this study. Mongolian culture is at a turning point, as it is influenced by many elements of the world of Western civilization as well as by modern technologies; these latter are becoming a part of the nomad's daily life to an ever greater extent. These elements are revealed through the comparison of past and contemporary educational methods, children's games and the recollections of elder nomads. It also reveals itself in the comparison of past and contemporary educational institutions. Nevertheless, traditional culture and certain aspects of ethno pedagogy still remain very much alive. It is largely the elders who regard these traditions with much esteem and try to pass them down to younger generations.

This study is about drought. At the same time, it is about a community of nomadic livestock producers in the drylands of eastern Morocco. Drought is connected to these Arab pastoralists in numerous ways. In fact, it is impossible to understand the social and economic dynamics currently unfolding in the high plateaus without understanding what drought is and does. Even though defining drought may seem straightforward, it turns out that vastly different notions coexist within the study area, each related to a specific constellation (or assemblage) of actors. In this dissertation, I explore those notions of drought and the assemblages they are entangled with, focusing on key elements of the livestock economy and the tribal community. I hope this study will contribute to knowledge on three levels. First and foremost, empirically: I collect and connect knowledge on an under-studied and marginalized pastoral community in rural Morocco. My insights stem from qualitative and quantitative fieldwork, including a household survey. The second level is methodological: by deploying actor-network theory and assemblage thinking, I tap into theories that have largely been absent from studies of the Middle East and North Africa. As my assemblage approach to drought in eastern Morocco demonstrates, this can generate innovative insights into processes of socio-economic transformation. And third, on a conceptual level, I propose a new way of thinking about drought – a phenomenon of pressing global concern far beyond the high plateaus of eastern Morocco.

Transhumant pastoralist are highly dependent on their landscape. Their economic, cultural and political systems are directly shaped by and shaping space. The nomadic nature of transhumant pastoralists have therefore created unique pastoral socio-spatial relations. Due to their close interaction with local landscapes, land use change can heavily impact their socio- spatial relations and their spatial justice. This study therefore studied the impacts of the case of the Great Green Wall, a large-scale land use change project focusing on afforestation and land management, on transhumance pastoralists from a spatial justice lens. The study focused on de jure spatial justice through policy documents and perceived spatial justice through interviews with stakeholders, specifically in terms of recognition, procedural rights, and distributional effects. This study found that (1) the project did not recognise the socio-spatial relations of pastoralists and instead, pastoralists were perceived as having a negative influence on the landscape, (2) de jure procedural justice was lacking, and stakeholders perceived the role of pastoralists in the governance and implementation of the project as limited, and (3) policy documents revealed a lacking focus on the distributive effects on pastoral socio-spatial relations, and the perceived spatial justice in terms of mobility and access to spatial resources was low. Overall, the levels of both de jure and perceived spatial justice were interpreted as low, meaning that the Great Green Wall has negative impacts on pastoral socio-spatial relations and pastoralists’ ability to influence these.

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This dissertation is a contribution to the ethnography of contemporary indigenous reindeer pastoralism in Norway: specifically, to the study of the neglected fields of reindeer killing and slaughtering practice. Its central contention is that in recent decades, the proliferation of human powers vested in the conduct of reindeer slaughter has created new conditions for practice, placing the identities of reindeer and herders at stake in new and still only dimly conceptualized ways. By exploring these, the dissertation aims to broaden existing debates concerning the so-called modernization of pastoral practice in Norway, drawing attention to some of its neglected aspects and inscribing them in a new register. Two principal strands inform the theoretical framework: one, approaches to the social study of knowledge that emphasise its practical, non-verbal and material aspects; and two, Foucauldian concepts of biopower as these may – or may not – be applicable to the human management of animal life.Individual chapters examine, in turn: the local politics of space on the Varanger peninsula, focusing particularly on links between the spatial management and the killing of reindeer; the practices and social relations of slaughter as it is conducted at the round-up corral; the social effects of the introduction of slaughterhouses, and of the regime of which they form a part; controversies surrounding specific slaughtering techniques and instruments, particularly the curved knife; and the politics of animal welfare discourse and practices in their application to reindeer herding. Finally, using the figure of animal sacrifice as a guiding trope, the concluding chapter attempts to situate some key aspects of the modernization of reindeer slaughter in relation to the operation of broader sacrificial economies that regulate the destruction of life at aggregate or populational levels. / Research Council of Norway

The Arctic regions are currently undergoing transformative changes linked to globalization and climate change, which pose challenges for current governance structures. This thesis investigates governance in times of change through the lens of reindeer pastoralism, and the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)- based management in reindeer herding. While studies increasingly highlight the benefits of incorporating TEK into governance, a central challenge remains in finding ways to ensure integration. To contribute such knowledge, this thesis analyses how reindeer-herding local management systems interact with multiple processes of governance steering reindeer pastoralism, and the ways TEK is negotiated in such interactions. Theoretically, the thesis draws on literature on multi-level governance as an analytical framework for engaging with different types of governance processes and actors, and the literature on TEK to conceptualize local social institutions. Methodologically, a qualitative bottom-up methodological strategy (with local reindeer-herding groups and constellations – siidas, brigadas – forming the central starting point for the research) was adopted, focusing on cases from reindeer pastoralism in western Finnmark in northern Norway and Yamal in northwest Siberia. The results show that local reindeer herding organizations are incorporated into processes of governance through participatory, representative and deliberative processes for decision-making. Yet, such incorporation has not facilitated integration of the TEK to processes of governance. A central challenge is that current governance processes are formalized in a way that do not accommodate non-scientific ways of knowing, or non hierarchical consensus-based decision- making. The thesis thus highlights the need for holistic strategies for how to include TEK in governance. Co-management and participatory processes alone are not enough. / IPY EALÁT, the Reindeer Herders Vulnerability Network Study / RUF: Forvaltning i endring

Les zones pastorales méditerranéennes sont favorables à la diversité et à l’abondance des Tabanidae. Or, la réémergence de certaines maladies animales en Europe (e.g. besnoitiose bovine) a mis en avant leur rôle de vecteur mécanique. Cependant, la richesse biologique et la vulnérabilité des milieux pastoraux impliquent de réduire l’usage des insecticides contre les ectoparasites. Nous avons donc cherché à mieux connaître l’activité des taons dans les estives et àréfléchir à des méthodes de contrôle pratiques, efficaces et sélectives. Les pièges attractifs ou les répulsifs utilisables dans une stratégie « push-pull » impliquant de bien connaître l’olfaction des espèces cibles, nous nous sommes intéressés à la physiologie olfactive des taons et aux composés chimiques qui modulent les interactions avec leurs hôtes.Les travaux sur l’écologie des taons dans les Pyrénées ont montré que l’exposition, l’altitude et la structure paysagère influençaient leur distribution spatio-temporelle, et que les conditions climatiques influençaient l’activité de piqûre des femelles. De plus, le caractère trophique opportuniste des femelles a été confirmé et le cerf est apparu comme un hôte de choix. Les réponses physiologiques et comportementales de Tabanus bromius et d’Atylotus quadrifarius aux odeurs d’urines et de leurs constituants ont révélé des différences de sensibilité olfactive entre ces deux espèces, la forte attractivité de l’urine de cheval s’expliquant probablement par la présence de composés volatiles qui agiraient en synergie. Pour conclure, nous proposons pour les troupeaux en estives des mesures de protection contre les taons et des perspectives de recherche pour ce groupe. / Mediterranean pastoral areas are favourable to the diversity and abundance of Tabanidae. On the other hand, their role as mechanical vectors was highlighted by the re-emergence of animal diseases in Europe (e.g. Bovine Besnoitiosis). However, the biological richness and vulnerability of pastoral communities involve reducing the use of insecticides against ectoparasites. The objectives of this thesis were to better understand the activity of horse flies in summer pastures and to consider practical, efficient and selective pest control methods. A “push-pull” strategy using attractive traps and/or repellents implies a good knowledge of insect olfaction. Therefore, it was interesting to study the olfactory sensitivity of horse flies and semiochemicals that affect vector-host interactions. In the Pyrenean mountains, work on the ecology of horseflies showed that their spatiotemporal distribution was influenced by exposure, altitude and landscape structure, and that the biting activity of females was related to climatic conditions. Moreover, the opportunistic feeding pattern of tabanids was confirmed with a preference for red deer. The physiological and behavioural responses of Tabanus bromius and Atylotus quadrifarius to urines volatiles and their constituents revealed differences between the olfactory sensitivity of these two species. The high attractiveness of aged horse urine is likely to be due to the mixture of various active compoundsthat may act synergistically. To conclude, pest control methods to protect cattle against horse flies in summer pastures and new research opportunities are discussed.