Reviving India's Grasslands: A Blueprint for Conservation and Climate Resilience

States like Karnataka and Gujarat advocate for amending forest conservation laws to support grassland restoration. Highlighting their CO2 sequestration potential and ecological importance, these ecosystems require protection amid competing interests such as grazing and livelihood dependencies. The Banni Grassland Restoration Project illustrates proactive conservation efforts.

Several Indian states, including Karnataka and Gujarat, have called for amendments to forest conservation laws to enhance grassland protection. This demand emerged during a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife.

The states emphasized that grasslands are crucial ecosystems needing restoration through legal clarifications under the Van Adhiniyam, 1980. These grasslands play a significant role in carbon sequestration, balancing conservation efforts with grazing needs and livelihoods.

A case in point is Gujarat's Banni Grassland Restoration Project, which targets the removal of invasive species and demonstrates the ecological and climate resilience benefits of grassland restoration.