India has put forward a vision for restoring rangelands through community leadership at an international conference on desertification held in Mongolia. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, speaking through Union Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav, highlighted how pastoralist communities should be treated as decision-makers rather than passive recipients when restoring grasslands and rangelands across the country.
India’s Rangeland Restoration Approach
India’s rangelands span roughly 10 million hectares of permanent pastures and grazing lands across varied terrain—from the Himalayan highlands and Central Indian savannas to the arid zones of Thar and Kachchh and the Southern sholas. The country’s strategy combines scientific tools with traditional community practices.
The government uses satellite-based Desertification and Land Degradation Atlases to map grasslands and plan restoration scientifically. Community land rights and grazing rights are recognised to strengthen local involvement in sustainable management. India also draws on traditional conservation models, particularly Orans in Rajasthan—sacred groves protected by local communities for cultural and ecological reasons. Approximately 25,000 such community-protected sacred groves cover roughly 0.6 million hectares nationally, many protected under law.
The restoration model integrates landscape management, watershed development, sustainable grazing practices, fodder production and livelihood support. Deep-rooted grasses in these areas contribute to soil carbon storage, improve water absorption and support groundwater recharge. Recent examples include restoring open forests and grasslands, with wildlife reintroduction efforts such as the Cheetah project and planned expansion into grasslands like Banni in Gujarat.
What This Means for You
For rural communities dependent on livestock and grazing, this approach means greater say in how grasslands are managed and restored in their regions. The emphasis on community custodianship over top-down solutions suggests development projects will increasingly involve pastoralists as decision-makers. For environmental advocates, the model demonstrates how biodiversity conservation and livelihood security can advance together. India is also calling for increased international financing and technology transfer to developing nations pursuing land degradation neutrality, which could unlock resources for grassland restoration projects domestically.