Co-evolution in pastoral systems: The example of African sheep and goats

Abstract

From their initial domestication centers, sheep and goats have spread throughout the world, following human migrations and trade routes. This has led to the colonization of territories with diverse environmental characteristics. Human management of the regional pastoral communities was governed by cultural practices, which resulted in complex co-evolutionary processes. Over the centuries, they have united the domesticated animal, the pastoral community and the environment in singular agro-ecosystems, underpinned by specific know-how and cultural identity. Here, we consider pastoral systems through new approaches that combine molecular genetics, ecology, history and anthropology. Our objective is to place the pastoral system in its interface between the natural and human environments, and thus to comprehend evolutionary trajectories so as to be able to predict or influence future developments.