1. How many large camelids in the world? A synthetic analysis of the world camel demographic changes
- Author
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Bernard Faye, Systèmes d'élevage méditerranéens et tropicaux (UMR SELMET), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Al-Farabi Kazakh National University [Almaty] (KazNU), Département Environnements et Sociétés (Cirad-ES), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), and This paper is supported by the PRIMA programme under grant agreement No1832, project 'Boost the production, processing and consumption of camel milk in the Mediterranean basin (CAMELMILK)'. The PRIMA programme is supported by the European Union. We acknowledge also Mrs. Mohammed Bengoumi and Thomas Schultze for proofreading the English version.
- Subjects
L01 - Elevage - Considérations générales ,Census ,040301 veterinary sciences ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Applied ecology ,Population ,Dromadaire ,Chameau ,Distribution des populations ,Dromedary ,Tropical livestock unit ,0403 veterinary science ,Camel population ,International database ,Secession ,Dynamique des populations ,Population animale ,education ,Socioeconomics ,Camelidae ,Demography ,lcsh:SF1-1100 ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,business.industry ,0402 animal and dairy science ,L60 - Taxonomie et géographie animales ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Chameau d'asie ,biology.organism_classification ,040201 dairy & animal science ,FAO ,Geography ,Agriculture ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Livestock ,lcsh:Animal culture ,business ,Camelid ,Bactrian - Abstract
At world level, the current official number of large camelids cannot be determined exactly (it is estimated to be more than 35 million heads), and the role of camels in the livestock economy is highly variable. The only reliable statistics are provided by FAO since 1961. According to these data, five different patterns of demographic changes have been observed. In countries marked by a regular or drastic decline of their camelid population, a tendency to re-increase has been in force since the beginning of the century, except in India. Generally, countries marked by a sharp recent increase in their large camelid population have implemented a census and readjusted their data. Many inconsistencies occur in available data, most notably cases arising from changes occurring in state status (for example secession of Eritrea, Soviet Union collapse). Moreover, large camelid stocks in Australia, in countries of new camel establishment (Western countries) and those related to the expansion of camel farming, notably in Africa, are not recorded in the international database. In addition, there is no distinction between dromedary and Bactrian data. The present large camelid population in the world is probably more than 40 million and could reach 60 million after 25 years from now if the current demographic trend is maintained.
- Published
- 2020