India Launches First Guide to Grasslands and Open Ecosystems at COP17

Yadav connected the subject with his childhood in Ajmer, Rajasthan, where grazing grounds and desert scrub were sometimes described as “wasteland.”

India has launched its first comprehensive Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), giving greater recognition to landscapes such as grasslands, savannas, scrublands, deserts and ravines that support distinctive wildlife and millions of people but are often overlooked in conservation planning.

The Guide was unveiled on August 17, 2026, during the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It brings together scientific and community-focused information about the distribution, biodiversity, ecological functions and socio-economic importance of India's open ecosystems, creating a reference for their conservation, restoration and sustainable management.

Grasslands Are More Than Landscapes Without Trees

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav used a special video message ahead of the launch to challenge the way open landscapes have often been viewed simply through the absence of trees. Grasslands, scrublands and ravines can contain species found nowhere else while supporting pastoral communities whose livelihoods depend closely on grazing areas, livestock and healthy natural resources.

Yadav connected the subject with his childhood in Ajmer, Rajasthan, where grazing grounds and desert scrub were sometimes described as "wasteland." He recalled traditional Oran and gauchar landscapes protected by village communities, where people understood the relationship between land, livestock and their own well-being through generations of everyday experience.

Modern ecological research, he said, supports much of this traditional understanding by showing that healthy grasslands contribute to biodiversity, livelihoods and resilience to climate pressures.

From Himalayan Grasslands to Deccan Savannas

The new Guide captures the striking variety of India's Open Natural Ecosystems, ranging from Himalayan and Terai grasslands to the Thar Desert and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands and coastal ecosystems. Each has its own geographical conditions, biodiversity and connections with local communities and tribes.

The publication also explores pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration, reflecting the different ways these landscapes function. Grasslands and other open ecosystems can store substantial amounts of carbon in their soils, support water and soil processes and provide the natural foundation for pastoral, livestock-based and agricultural livelihoods.

Presentations at COP17 examined how restoring these ecosystems could contribute to India's Land Degradation Neutrality targets, while participants stressed the need for better scientific knowledge, more accurate assessment of degraded land and planning that considers entire landscapes rather than isolated sites.

New Guide Could Shape Restoration and Conservation Decisions

The Guide was developed under the aegis and guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment organising its publication in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and ISRO's Space Applications Centre.

Government representatives, researchers, international organisations and civil society groups participated in the launch event, which also included expert discussions on grassland and dryland restoration, climate resilience, people-centred rangeland governance and the policy changes needed for conservation at a landscape scale.

The publication is expected to help policymakers, scientists, conservation practitioners, development organisations and communities better identify and manage ecosystems that do not fit the traditional image of a forest but remain environmentally and economically valuable.

Launching the Guide at UNCCD COP17 also gives India an opportunity to bring its grasslands, rangelands and drylands more visibly into international conversations about biodiversity, climate resilience and land restoration, while encouraging conservation strategies that recognise open ecosystems for what they naturally are rather than measuring their value by how many trees they contain.