India unveils first guide to grasslands and other open natural ecosystems at UNCCD COP17

Ulaanbaatar:- India has 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, marking a significant step towards recognising and conserving ecosystems that have traditionally received less attention than forests.

The guide highlights the rich diversity, ecological significance and socio-economic importance of India’s grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands, ravines and other open natural ecosystems, and calls for their science-based conservation, restoration and sustainable management.

In a special video message ahead of the launch, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said grasslands, scrublands and ravines have for too long been judged by the absence of trees, despite supporting unique biodiversity and sustaining pastoral communities.

Yadav said modern science is reinforcing the understanding of local communities that healthy grasslands are essential for biodiversity, livelihoods and climate resilience. Recalling his childhood in Ajmer, Rajasthan, he said he grew up surrounded by grazing lands and desert scrub that were often labelled “wasteland”.

The Minister also referred to traditional Oran and gauchar landscapes protected by village communities, saying these systems reflected an understanding of the close interconnection between land, livestock and livelihoods.

Describing the guide as an important step towards recognising India’s open natural ecosystems, Yadav stressed that these landscapes need science-based conservation alongside forests and expressed hope that the publication would generate greater awareness and strengthen their protection.

The guide was launched at an official UNCCD COP17 side event held under the aegis and guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). 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.

The event brought together representatives from government, scientific and research institutions, international organisations and civil society.

Discussions at the event highlighted the diversity and distribution of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems, their ecological importance and the role of their restoration in achieving India’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets. Experts also stressed the need for stronger scientific knowledge, improved land-degradation assessment and landscape-level planning.

The guide brings together information on major ONEs across the country, covering their geographical settings, ecological characteristics, biodiversity and the communities and tribes associated with them. It includes dedicated sections on pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration.

India’s open natural ecosystems span a wide range of landscapes, from Himalayan and Terai grasslands to the Thar and Banni regions, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and desert landscapes.

These ecosystems play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, maintaining soil and water processes, storing carbon in soils and sustaining pastoral, livestock-based and agricultural livelihoods.

The COP17 event also featured two fireside discussions involving national and international experts, scientific institutions, civil society and community-focused organisations. The discussions examined grassland and dryland conservation and restoration, people-centred rangeland governance, climate resilience and the institutional, scientific and policy measures required for landscape-scale conservation.

The launch underlined India’s growing emphasis on a science-informed and landscape-based approach to land restoration and sustainable land management. It also highlighted the need to bring grasslands, rangelands and other open natural ecosystems into mainstream policy discussions on land degradation, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.

The guide is expected to serve as a reference for policymakers, researchers, conservation practitioners, development agencies and communities working on the conservation and restoration of India’s open natural ecosystems.

Its launch at UNCCD COP17 also gives India an opportunity to showcase the diversity of its grasslands and other open ecosystems and strengthen their representation in the global discourse on land restoration, rangelands and Land Degradation Neutrality.