States with large grassland ecosystems, including Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, have urged the Center to amend or clarify the guidelines under Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 to formally recognize restoration of grasslands under compensatory afforestation.
At the 90th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) on March 21, they stressed the need to treat grasslands as important ecosystems for the livelihood and conservation of wildlife, including species such as the great Indian bustard, the little florican, and the Indian rhinoceros.
“Appropriate amendments/clarifications may be required in the guidelines under Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 to enable/recognize restoration of grasslands under compensatory afforestation mechanisms, recognizing grasslands as an essential ecosystem requiring protection and restoration, while balancing conservation priorities, grazing requirements and livelihood dependencies,” the minutes of the SC-NBWL meeting said.
“The recommendation of these states comes in the context of plantations. Compensatory afforestation plantations may change the ecological characteristics of grasslands. So it should be handled with caution. The SC-NBWL has also agreed to this. Grasslands within registered forest areas are already protected under the law,” a senior environment ministry official said.
The Center of Excellence in Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM) of the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education (ICFRE) presented “Grasslands and Rangelands in India”, as directed by the previous meeting of the committee.
She informed members that grassland extent is currently reported using various definitions, including revenue land use categories, UNCCD land cover data, and environmental mapping. Misclassification as wasteland or shrubland often results in underreporting, resulting in inconsistent estimates that require coordination through improved mapping.
Officials stressed the adoption of an approach based on the type of vegetation and dominant species in classification. They also highlighted the importance of these ecosystems for dryland resilience, noting that drylands cover about 228 million hectares, or approximately 69% of India’s area.
Grasslands provide high climate value, with the potential to sequester 2.3 to 7.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. “These ecosystems contain approximately one-third of terrestrial carbon, with about 90% stored underground,” the minutes noted, adding that restored grasslands in Banni alone could sequester about 525 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare.
India, under its Nationally Determined Contributions, has committed to increasing carbon sinks to 3.5-4 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035, up from 2.5-3 billion tons by 2030.
The Committee decided that the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Land Management should prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for an atlas of grasslands in India, covering their status and biodiversity, and seek funding under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
Members also examined the dependence of pastoralist communities on protected forests. Pastoralism involves seasonal migration of livestock, as groups such as Gujars, Bakarwals, Bhutia, Van Gujars, Mongpa, Ribari/Raika, Dhangar and Golas move across the forest landscape, including reserves. Their need to reach across multiple jurisdictions creates operational challenges.
Concerns have been raised about reduced availability and degradation of pastures due to the concentration of livestock near protected areas. The Wildlife Institute of India will conduct a study on nomadic communities in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with a focus on conservation issues. You will submit a DPR, seek national CAMPA funding and complete the study within six months.
The committee also noted ongoing efforts to introduce cheetahs into Bani rangelands, including habitat improvement, increased prey and infrastructure development. A committee of experts will visit the site to recommend next steps.
The Bani grasslands illustrate community-led conservation. A report by the Federation for Environmental Security (FES) noted that following petitions filed by 16 gram panchayats, the National Green Tribunal in 2021 ordered the removal of encroachments to uphold the rights of Madhari communities under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Community forest rights were granted to 47 villages in 2015, covering 45% of the state’s rangelands.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), India has about 66.5 million hectares of common land, including 9.1 million hectares of permanent pastures. These ecosystems face threats from land use change and conversion.
A notification issued on February 22 allowing farms on degraded lands to generate tradable green credits has raised concerns about possible shifts in land use, especially in biodiversity-rich open forests, shrub lands and common lands.
(Reporter holds a Promise of Commons Media Fellowship, on the importance of the House of Commons and its community stewardship)
