Preserved Landscapes – Shepherds Around the World

In 2026, the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, the Museum of Ethnography will join the initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with a year-long series of academic and educational programs.

Nearly half of the world's landmass is rangeland. These areas are home to unique biodiversity and pastoral communities; the livelihoods of billions of people are still directly linked to pastoral animal husbandry. However, globalization, climate change, and land use conflicts threaten this way of life and the ecological knowledge associated with it.

Shepherds and pastoral communities do more than just produce food: they maintain and shape ecological systems, preserve native breeds, and cultivate a rich cultural heritage—from the Carpathian Basin to Siberia and Mongolia, to the African savannahs and South America. Their knowledge is based on their experience of living in harmony with the landscape. The aim of the museum's program series is to bring this diverse knowledge—from the ecological knowledge gained in the field by ethnographers and cultural anthropologists, through material culture, music, and art, to contemporary social and environmental challenges—into the public discourse. In addition to thematic days aimed at children and adults, scientific lectures, and roundtable discussions, film screenings, music, and dance programs will showcase the heritage of shepherding, shepherding art, grazing animal husbandry, and the nomadic lifestyle, as well as the complex system of human-animal-plant relationships. All this is complemented by digital materials: online collection selections and social media posts contribute to making the Museum of Ethnography's relevant objects and photos available to the public.

The opening event took place on 26 February 2026 at 6 p.m.: anthropologist Jean-Baptiste Eczet, from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), delivered a lecture on the aesthetics and social world of East African nomadic communities. The English-language academic lecture explored the cultural and political dimensions of pastoral life. On 5 March, marking the 154th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of Ethnography, a full-day programme with free admission will likewise focus on pastoralism. Lectures, thematic guided tours, musical presentations and craft workshops will connect the heritage of the collection with contemporary issues. On 25 April, on the occasion of St George’s Day — one of the most important traditional celebrations of pastoral life in our region, the day when animals are first driven out to pasture — a full-day programme for adults, families and children will evoke the customs, rituals and communal significance of the spring livestock drive. On the evening of 21 May, a round-table discussion will take place within a critical framework under the title Nomadic Peoples in the Shadow of Agrarian Civilisations, exploring both historical and contemporary phenomena. For centuries, accounts of nomads were written largely by agrarian empires; the tension between the romantic image of the nomad and reality continues to shape our thinking today. The aim of the discussion is to create space for authentic voices and contemporary reflections. The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists will also receive special emphasis during the Night of Museums programme and throughout the autumn season, with thematic evenings, film screenings, musical events, as well as collection-focused presentations and ‘storage explorations’ connected to the theme.