India can no longer overlook its pasture lands

Source: The post “India can no longer overlook its pasture lands” has been created based on “India can no longer overlook its pasture lands” published in “Business Line” on 1st October 2026.

UPSC Syllabus: GS-3-Environment

Context: Rangelands and permanent pastures are important common resources that support livestock production, rural livelihoods, biodiversity and ecological resilience. Despite their importance, India does not yet have a dedicated national framework for rangelands and grasslands, and their management remains fragmented.

About Rangelands

1. Rangelands are areas where natural or semi-natural vegetation provides forage for grazing and browsing animals.
2. They extend beyond open grasslands and include grasslands, shrublands, savannahs, steppes, deserts, mountain pastures, open woodlands and certain wetlands.
3. Rangelands are primarily dominated by grasses and other herbaceous vegetation.
4. It supports both livestock and wild herbivores and performs important ecological functions such as protecting soil, regulating water cycles, storing carbon and providing habitats for diverse species.
5. They also convert natural vegetation from areas unsuitable for intensive cultivation into valuable products and livelihoods, including milk, meat, wool, fibre, manure and income.

Significance of Rangelands

1. In India, rangelands are spread across diverse geographical regions, including the alpine pastures of the Himalayas, the cold-arid grazing grounds of Ladakh, and the grasslands and common lands of western India.
   1. They also include desert vegetation, forest grazing landscapes and open grazing areas of the Deccan Plateau, reflecting the wide ecological diversity of India’s rangelands.
2. Significance of Rangelands: In India, the importance of rangelands and grasslands is clearly visible in the seasonal movement of pastoral communities.
   1. Every spring, as the winter snow melts in the Himalayas, pastoral families move with their livestock towards higher-altitude pastures.
   2. They return to lower areas before winter makes the mountain routes inaccessible.
   3. Similar seasonal movements of pastoral communities and livestock occur across India’s deserts, forests, plateaus and semi-arid regions.

Importance of Rangelands

1. Rangelands support livestock production: According to ICAR’s Comprehensive Assessment of Feed and Fodder Resources, India has about 11.5 million hectares of rangelands and permanent pastures, producing around 28 million tonnes of forage annually.
2. They support rural livelihoods: For millions of livestock-owning households, common grazing lands provide fodder, reduce feed costs and support livestock-based livelihoods.
3. They provide economic benefits: Grazing commons provide an important form of in-kind income, even though their economic value is often not reflected in conventional accounting.
4. They support biodiversity: Healthy rangelands provide habitats for biodiversity and contribute to the maintenance of ecological systems.
5. They improve drought resilience: Well-managed rangelands strengthen the ability of communities and livestock systems to withstand drought and environmental stress.
6. They protect soil and water resources: Healthy rangelands help protect soil, support water regulation and contribute to groundwater recharge.
7. They contribute to carbon storage: Rangelands also provide ecosystem services through carbon storage and reduced land degradation.

Major Challenges

1. Rangelands are undervalued: Their benefits are often invisible because grazing on common lands does not usually involve direct monetary transactions.
2. The ‘wasteland’ perception is a major problem: Rangelands are often viewed as marginal or unproductive lands, encouraging their conversion for agriculture, infrastructure and other uses.
3. Degradation increases household costs: When rangelands deteriorate, livestock owners face higher feed expenses, lower livestock productivity, smaller herds and greater dependence on purchased fodder.
4. Policy management is fragmented: Rangeland management is spread across different sectors, programmes and jurisdictions, making it difficult to assign responsibility and resolve competing claims.
5. India lacks a dedicated national framework: The absence of a specific national policy for rangelands and grasslands has contributed to their continued marginalisation.

Way Forward

1. India should develop a National Rangeland/Grassland Policy with clearly defined institutional responsibilities at different levels of government.
2. A National Rangeland Atlas should be developed to systematically map the extent, condition and productivity of rangelands and grazing commons.
3. Degraded rangelands should be restored through scientifically sound and locally adapted management practices.
4. Existing government schemes should be utilised and strengthened rather than creating an entirely new delivery architecture.
5. Local communities should be given a greater role in management, and the principle of “one Gram Panchayat, one grazing land” can provide an institutional anchor for protecting common grazing resources.
6. Pastoralists and livestock keepers should be treated as stakeholders and potential stewards, rather than merely as users of rangelands.
7. Traditional pastoral knowledge should be combined with scientific management to promote sustainable grazing and restoration.
8. Payments for ecosystem services and suitable carbon-credit mechanisms should be explored so that local communities can receive a share of the wider ecological benefits generated by healthy rangelands.

Conclusion: India’s rangelands should not be viewed as empty or “wastelands” awaiting more productive use. They already provide fodder, livelihoods, biodiversity, soil protection, carbon storage and drought resilience. The need of the hour is to recognise their economic and ecological value, strengthen institutional management and involve local communities in their sustainable stewardship.

Question: Rangelands and grazing commons play an important role in India’s rural economy and ecological resilience. Discuss their significance and suggest measures for their sustainable management.

Source: Business Line