Ulaanbaatar, August 18: 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.
Launched on August 17, the guide highlights the ecological diversity, biodiversity value and socio-economic importance of India’s grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands, ravines and other open natural ecosystems. The initiative is aimed at strengthening their conservation, restoration and sustainable management.
The launch was preceded by a video message from Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav, who said grasslands, scrublands and ravines have often been judged merely by the absence of trees despite their critical ecological and livelihood functions.
Yadav said these ecosystems support unique biodiversity, pastoral communities and climate resilience, adding that modern science has reinforced traditional knowledge about the importance of healthy grasslands.
Recalling his childhood in Ajmer, Rajasthan, the minister said he had grown up around grazing lands and desert scrub that were frequently described as “wasteland”. He also highlighted traditional Oran and gauchar landscapes, where communities protected common lands and understood the interdependence of land, livestock and livelihoods.
The minister described the guide as an important step towards recognising open natural ecosystems alongside forests and called for their science-based conservation.
The guide was launched at an official UNCCD COP17 side event under the 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 the Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO.
The event brought together representatives from government agencies, scientific and research institutions, international organisations and civil society.
Discussions focused on the diversity and geographical 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 stressed the need to strengthen scientific knowledge, improve land-degradation assessment and adopt landscape-level planning for conservation and restoration.
The publication provides information on major open natural ecosystems across India, including their geographical settings, ecological characteristics, biodiversity and the communities and tribes associated with them.
It covers ecosystems ranging from Himalayan and Terai grasslands to the Thar and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and desert landscapes.
The guide also contains thematic sections covering pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration.
India’s open natural ecosystems support diverse plant and animal species, contribute to soil and water processes and store significant amounts of carbon in their soils. They also support pastoral, livestock-based and agricultural livelihoods across several regions.
The COP17 side event featured two fireside discussions involving national and international experts, scientific institutions, civil society groups and community-focused organisations.
The discussions examined grassland and dryland conservation, people-centred rangeland governance, climate resilience and the institutional, scientific and policy measures required for landscape-scale conservation.
The launch reinforced India’s commitment to 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 resource for policymakers, researchers, conservation practitioners, development agencies and local communities involved in the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.
Its launch at UNCCD COP17 also gives India a platform to showcase the diversity of its open ecosystems and strengthen their representation in global discussions on land restoration, rangelands and Land Degradation Neutrality.