India on Monday launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) of India at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, highlighting the ecological, economic and social importance of the country’s grasslands, savannas, deserts and other open ecosystems.
The guide seeks to strengthen the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of India’s open natural ecosystems and bring greater scientific attention to landscapes that have traditionally been overlooked because of their limited tree cover.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav, in a special video message at the launch, stressed that grasslands, scrublands and ravines have often been viewed simply as areas lacking trees, despite supporting unique biodiversity and sustaining pastoral communities.
“Healthy grasslands are indispensable for biodiversity, livelihoods and climate resilience,” Yadav said, emphasising the need for science-based conservation of open natural ecosystems alongside forests.
Recalling his childhood in Ajmer, Rajasthan, the Minister said he had grown up surrounded by grazing lands and desert scrub that were often described as “wasteland”. He also highlighted the traditional Oran and gauchar landscapes protected by local communities, saying these areas reflected an understanding of the close interconnection between land, livestock and livelihoods.
Yadav described the new guide as an important step towards recognising India’s open natural ecosystems and strengthening efforts for their science-based conservation. He expressed hope that it would promote greater understanding and protection of these landscapes.
Guide maps India’s diverse open ecosystems
The guide brings together information on major open natural ecosystems across India, covering their geographical settings, ecological characteristics, biodiversity and the communities and tribes associated with them.
India’s ONEs include Himalayan and Terai grasslands, the Thar and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and desert landscapes.
According to the publication, these ecosystems support diverse species, contribute to soil and water processes, store significant amounts of carbon in their soils and sustain pastoral, livestock-based and agricultural livelihoods.
The guide also contains thematic sections covering pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration, providing a broader understanding of the ecological functions and human dimensions of open natural ecosystems.
Focus on science-based restoration
The launch took place at an official UNCCD COP17 side event organised under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The publication and event were organised by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO.
Representatives from government, scientific and research institutions, international organisations and civil society participated in the event.
Presentations and discussions examined the diversity and distribution of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems, their ecological importance and the role of restoration in achieving India’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.
Participants also highlighted the need for stronger scientific knowledge, improved assessment of land degradation and landscape-level planning to ensure effective conservation and restoration.
Experts discuss conservation and community participation
The event featured two fireside discussions involving national and international experts, scientific institutions, civil society groups and community-focused organisations.
The discussions focused on grassland and dryland conservation and restoration, people-centred rangeland governance, climate resilience, and the institutional, scientific and policy measures required for landscape-scale conservation and sustainable management of open natural ecosystems.
The launch reaffirmed India’s commitment to a science-informed and landscape-based approach to land restoration and sustainable land management.
It also underscored the need to bring grasslands, rangelands and other open natural ecosystems into mainstream discussions on land degradation, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
The guide is expected to serve as a resource for policymakers, researchers, conservation practitioners, development agencies and local communities working towards the conservation and sustainable management of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.
Its launch at COP17 also provides India with a platform to showcase the country’s diverse open ecosystems and strengthen their representation in the global discourse on land restoration, rangelands and Land Degradation Neutrality.
