Grasslands Conservation In India: New Guide At UNCCD COP17
Source: PIB
GS III: Environment and Ecology
Overview
- India launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) at UNCCD COP17, highlighting the importance of these ecosystems beyond forests.
- ONEs are ecologically and economically significant, supporting biodiversity, soil and water processes, carbon storage, pastoralism and other livelihoods.
- The Guide promotes a science-based, landscape-level and community-centered approach to conservation, restoration and sustainable management.
- Restoration of grasslands and ONEs is linked to India’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) goals, requiring better scientific assessment, monitoring and landscape-level planning.
- The initiative strengthens India’s approach to land restoration and sustainable land management by providing a common knowledge base for policymakers, researchers, conservation practitioners and communities.
Why in the News?
India launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems of India on August 17, 2026, at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
News in Brief
- Announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Guide recognizes the ecological and socio-economic importance of grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands and other Open Natural Ecosystems.
- It stresses science-based conservation and restoration of open ecosystems alongside forests.
- The initiative supports India’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets through improved land-degradation assessment and landscape-level planning.
Key Highlights
- The goal is to shifts perception away from viewing these lands as “wastelands” just because they lack trees.
- Diverse range of ecosystems
- The Guide covers India’s varied Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), including Himalayan and Terai grasslands, the Thar and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and desert landscapes.
- These ecosystems support diverse biodiversity, contribute to soil and water processes, store substantial carbon in their soils, and sustain pastoral, livestock-based and agricultural livelihoods.
Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)
- Natural ecosystems dominated by grasses, shrubs, sparse vegetation or other non-forest landscapes.
- They are important for biodiversity, soil-water processes, carbon storage and livelihoods.
- Ecological and livelihood significance
- These ecosystems support rich biodiversity while also contributing to soil and water processes and carbon storage in soils.
- At the same time, they sustain pastoral, livestock-based and agricultural livelihoods, linking ecosystem conservation with the well-being of local communities.
- Focus on pastoralism and ecosystem processes
- The Guide gives specific attention to pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration.
- This is important because the management of grasslands and rangelands requires understanding both natural ecological processes and the traditional livelihood practices associated with them.
- Landscape-level and community-centered conservation
- Discussions at the COP17 event stressed people-centered rangeland governance, climate resilience and the institutional, scientific and policy measures needed for landscape-scale conservation and sustainable management of ONEs.
- The approach seeks to move beyond isolated conservation measures towards integrated management of entire landscapes.
- Multi-institutional scientific effort
- The Guide was organized under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with participation from ATREE, IUCN, Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management, ICFRE and SAC, ISRO.
- The collaboration brought together government, scientific institutions, international organizations and civil society.
Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
- The discussions highlighted the diversity and distribution of India’s grasslands and ONEs, their ecological importance, and the role of their restoration in achieving India’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.
- To attain this, the need for stronger scientific knowledge, improved land-degradation assessment and landscape-level planning was also emphasized.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Conference of the Parties (COP)
- It is the main global meeting to stop land damage and dry weather.
- Formed in 1994 as a legally binding pact linking environment, development, and good land use.
- India ratified the treaty in 1996, hosted COP14 in Greater Noida in 2019, and works to fix millions of hectares of degraded soil.
UNCCD COP17
- The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) takes place from August 17–28, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
- Under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope,” the summit gathers 197 Parties to tackle desertification, land degradation, and drought.
Conclusion
The initiative reflects India’s commitment to a scientific-based, landscape-level conservation of grasslands and other open natural ecosystems, recognizing their role in biodiversity, climate-resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.
The Guide can serve as a common knowledge base for policy, research and community-led conservation, strengthening India’s efforts towards land restoration and sustainable land management.
Key Takeaways
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UPSC Prelims Question
With reference to India’s Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), consider the following statements:
- The Guide covers ecosystems such as Himalayan and Terai grasslands, Deccan savannas, Thar and Banni landscapes, ravines and scrublands.
- Open Natural Ecosystems contribute to carbon storage, soil and water processes and support pastoral and livestock-based livelihoods.
- Restoration of grasslands and ONEs is linked to India’s Land Degradation Neutrality targets.
- The Guide focuses exclusively on forest ecosystems and does not cover pastoralism or fire ecology.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
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