India Launches First Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems at UNCCD COP17

Key facts

• India launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• The ONEs of India include Himalayan and Terai grasslands, Thar and Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems, and desert environments.
• The guide compiles comprehensive information on major ONEs, detailing their geographical settings, ecological characteristics, biodiversity, and associated communities and tribes.
• Union Minister Bhupender Yadav stated that grasslands, scrublands, and ravines have been undervalued due to the absence of trees, despite hosting unique species and supporting pastoral communities.
• Experts emphasized the importance of grassland restoration in meeting India's Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets and called for stronger scientific knowledge and landscape-level planning.
• Grassland ecosystems store substantial carbon in soils, support diverse biodiversity, and sustain pastoral, livestock-based, and agricultural livelihoods.