The Spanish-speaking Ibero-American Network of Ethnoveterinary Medicine (RIEV) is growing fast! The First Ibero-American Symposium on Ethnoveterinary Medicine was organized by RIEV on 25th October 2025 in Cereté-Colombia. The event (live and on-line) was organized in collaboration with the Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecua (AGROSAVIA) and Agronomes & Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF).
RIEV brings together researchers, veterinarians, and livestock keepers mainly from Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of the Americas + Spain & Portugal. Members incude scientists (veterinary and animal science, anthropology, political, social and environmental sciences, ecology, law, etc.) as well as technicians and producers.
Objectives include:
- Rescue, study, and disseminate traditional knowledge of ethnoveterinary practices in rural communities of Ibero-America.
- Assess and document the social and ecological impacts of ethnoveterinary knowledge and its application in Ibero-America.
- Build cooperative projects in research, development, innovation, and technology transfer in ethnoveterinary practices.
- Create training and education spaces in ethnoveterinary medicine for technicians, family producers, students, and society at large.
- Maintain links with other people/entities in other world regions interested in ethnoveterinary knowledge
The event represented a key step in connecting traditional knowledge with contemporary animal health and production practices in these regions.
In coordination with Natural Livestock Farming (NLF), RIEV contributes to a growing global movement promoting sustainable, culturally rooted, and nature-based livestock systems that value biodiversity, animal welfare, and the responsible use of natural resources. More information on members and contact info in https://www.red-riev.com/
RIEV’s definition of Ethno Veterinary:
Ethnoveterinary (EV) deals with the knowledge, skills, methods, practices and beliefs of the indigenous and local communities in relation to their animals, covering a wide variety of aspects, from veterinary ethnopharmacology , to local animal production systems – which also includes traditional animal breeds adapted to these systems –, and also local technology of foods of animal origin. EV integrates the relationships between humans, animals and the environment, which is why it is very much in line with the “On Health” concept. Indigenous and local rural communities are custodians and users of this traditional knowledge, which are at great risk of disappearing, but can represent an alternative to some current and future challenges, such as resistance to antimicrobials, the emergence of infectious diseases, biodiversity loss, etc..
