India’s First-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems

About India’s First-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems

• This Guide is a national reference document that highlights the diversity, ecological significance and socio-economic importance of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.
• Launched At: It was launched at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• Institutional Collaborators: The Guide was developed under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with partners including the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Aim: It aims to strengthen the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems (ONEs) through science-based approaches.
• Grasslands: Grasslands are dominated by grasses, support a wide variety of animal life and provide ecosystem services such as water and carbon storage, chemical recycling and climate regulation.
• Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs): ONEs include naturally occurring, open landscape, such as grasslands, Savannas, deserts, scrubland, ravines, rocky plateaus, coastal ecosystems.
• Key Features of Guide:
  • Comprehensive Information: The Guide brings together information on major Open Natural Ecosystems across India, including their geographical settings, ecological characteristics, biodiversity, and associated communities and tribes.
  • Ecosystems Covered: It covers Himalayan and Terai grasslands, the Thar and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and desert landscapes.
  • Thematic Sections: The Guide contains dedicated sections on pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration.
  • Correction of the “Wasteland” Perception: The Guide highlights that grasslands, scrublands and ravines should not be undervalued due to the absence of trees.
  • Science-based Conservation: It highlights the need for stronger scientific knowledge, improved assessments of land degradation and comprehensive landscape-level planning for the conservation and restoration of ONEs.
  • Valuable Resource: The Guide will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, conservation practitioners, development agencies and communities.