India Maps Its Open Natural Ecosystems for Better Conservation

India Unveils Its First Grassland Guide

India Maps Its Open Natural Ecosystems for Better Conservation: India has released its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17). The conference is being held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 August 2026.

The guide highlights the ecological, biodiversity and socio-economic importance of India’s open landscapes. It promotes science-based conservation, restoration and sustainable land management rather than viewing forests as the only priority for ecosystem protection.

Guide Developed Through Collaboration

The guide was launched during a UNCCD COP17 side event with the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

The publication involved organisations including the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), IUCN, Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO.

Ecosystems Covered by the Guide

India’s open natural ecosystems include a wide variety of landscapes spread across different climatic regions. The guide documents their geographical distribution, ecological characteristics, biodiversity and the communities dependent on them.

Major landscapes covered include Himalayan and Terai grasslands, Thar and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and deserts.

Static GK Tip: The Banni Grasslands are located in the Kutch region of Gujarat and represent one of India’s notable grassland ecosystems.

Pastoralism and Community Livelihoods

Open ecosystems are closely linked with the livelihoods of pastoralists, livestock-dependent communities and agricultural populations. Their conservation therefore has both ecological and socio-economic dimensions.

The guide includes thematic discussions on pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration, recognising that grasslands and drylands perform important functions beyond supporting wildlife.

Ecological Importance of Open Ecosystems

Grasslands and other ONEs support biodiversity and contribute to soil and water cycles. Their soils can also store significant amounts of carbon, making these landscapes relevant to climate-change mitigation and adaptation.

Healthy open ecosystems additionally provide grazing resources and support livestock-based livelihoods. Their degradation can therefore affect both ecological stability and local communities.

Restoration and Land Degradation Neutrality

The discussions at UNCCD COP17 placed ecosystem restoration within India’s broader Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) agenda. Restoration requires understanding the ecological characteristics of individual landscapes instead of applying a single conservation model everywhere.

Static GK fact: The UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions, alongside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Science Based Conservation

The initiative emphasises land-degradation assessment, landscape-level planning and scientific ecological understanding. Community participation is equally important, particularly for managing rangelands and supporting sustainable pastoral practices.

The guide consequently broadens India’s conservation perspective. Protecting biodiversity requires attention not only to forests but also to grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands and other open ecosystems.

Static Usthadian Current Affairs Table

India Maps Its Open Natural Ecosystems for Better Conservation: