India Launches First Guide to Grasslands and Open Natural Ecosystems

India has launched 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) being held at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from August 17, 2026. The guide draws attention to the ecological, biological diversity and socio-economic significance of India’s grasslands, savannahs, deserts, scrublands and other open ecosystems. This effort seeks to enhance the conservation and restoration of these ecosystems through science-based land management as well as appreciating their critical significance in livelihoods, biodiversity and climate change adaptation.

Guide Launched at UNCCD COP17

This guide was launched as part of the UNCCD COP17 Side Event organized with the guidance of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)

This publication and event was jointly organized by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) along with the,

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• Centre of the Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM)
• Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)
• Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO

The event had a participation of government officials, scientists, researchers, international organizations and civil societies among others.

What is Included in the Guide?

The guide presents information on the diverse open natural ecosystems found in India, their geographical locations, ecological features, biodiversity, and the communities/tribes that live within them.

India’s ONEs includes,

• Himalayan and Terai grasslands
• Thar and Banni landscapes
• Deccan savannas
• Rocky plateaus
• Ravines and scrublands
• Coastal ecosystems
• Desert landscapes

In addition, the document presents thematic chapters on pastoralism, fire ecology, and carbon sequestration.

Importance of Open Natural Ecosystems

Grasslands and other open natural ecosystems carry out various ecological and socio-economic roles. Some of these include provision of biodiversity, functioning in the soil and water cycles, and carbon storage in their soils.

Open natural ecosystems also provide livelihoods of pastoralists, livestock-based societies, and agriculture. Therefore, the conservation of these ecosystems is not only for wildlife but also people living in these ecosystems.

Discussions held at COP17 showed the importance of restoration of these ecosystems as part of India’s LDN agenda.

Importance of Science-based Conservation

One of the important messages of the event is that there needs to be conservation not just of forests, but also of open ecosystems.

It was emphasized that science-based understanding, land degradation assessments, and landscape planning are needed. The fireside chats talked about restoration of grasslands and drylands, community-based management of rangelands, climate resilience, and other sustainable management practices.

It thus goes beyond the conventional thinking of focusing only on forests in conservation efforts.