States urge Centre to amend, clarify grassland ecosystems under afforestation law

STates with important grassland ecosystems, including mysore, Rajasthan, gujerat and Madhya Pradesh, feature urged the Centre to amend or clear up guidelines under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 to formally recognise grassland restoration 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 critical ecosystems for livelihoods and conservation of wildlife, including species such as the Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican and the Indian Rhinoceros.“Suitable amendments/clarifications in guidelines under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 may be required to enable/recognise grassland restoration under compensatory afforestation mechanisms, acknowledging grasslands as an essential ecosystem requiring protection and restoration, while balancing conservation priorities with grazing requirements and livelihood dependencies,” minutes from SC-NBWL’s meeting said.A senior environment ministry official said, “The recommendation by these states is in the context of plantations. Compensatory afforestation plantations may alter the ecological characteristics of grasslands. So they should be taken up cautiously. The SC-NBWL has also agreed on that. Grasslands within recorded forest areas are already protected under the law.”The Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM) under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) presented “Grasslands and Rangelands in India”, as directed in the previous meeting of the committee.It informed members that grassland extent is currently reported using varying definitions, including revenue land-use classes, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) land-cover data, and ecological mapping. Misclassification as wasteland or scrubland often leads to under-reporting, resulting in inconsistent estimates that require harmonisation through improved mapping.Officials emphasised adopting a vegetation-type and dominant-species-based approach for classification. They also highlighted the importance of these ecosystems for dryland resilience, noting that drylands cover about 228 million hectares, or nearly 69% of India.Grasslands offer high climate value, with a sequestration potential of 2.3 to 7.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. “These ecosystems hold nearly one-third of terrestrial carbon, with about 90% stored below ground,” the minutes noted, adding that restored grassland in Banni alone can sequester around 525 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare.India has committed under its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to increase carbon sinks to 3.5–4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2035, up from 2.5–3 billion tonnes by 2030.The committee decided that CoE-SLM will prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for an Atlas of Grasslands of India, covering their status and biodiversity, and seek funding under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund.Members also examined the dependence of pastoral communities on protected forests. Pastoralism involves seasonal migration of livestock, with groups such as Gujjars, Bakkarwals, Bhotia, Van Gujjars, Mongpa, Rebari/Raika, Dhangar and Gollas moving across forest landscapes, including sanctuaries. Their need for access across multiple jurisdictions creates operational challenges.Concerns were raised over shrinking pasture availability and degradation due to livestock concentration near protected areas. The Wildlife Institute of India will conduct a study on nomadic communities in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, focusing on conservation issues. It will submit a DPR, seek National CAMPA funding and complete the study within six months.The committee also noted ongoing efforts to introduce cheetahs in the Banni grasslands, including habitat improvement, prey augmentation and infrastructure development. An expert panel will visit the site to recommend the next steps.Banni grasslands illustrate community-led conservation. A report by the Federation of Ecological Security (FES) noted that, following petitions by 16 gram panchayats, the National Green Tribunal in 2021 ordered removal of encroachments to uphold the rights of Maldhari communities under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Community Forest Rights were granted to 47 villages in 2015, covering 45% of the state’s pastures.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 diversion.A February 22 notification allowing plantations on degraded land to generate tradable green credits has raised concerns over potential shifts in land use, particularly in biodiversity-rich open forests, scrubland and common lands.(The reporter is a recipient of Promise of Commons Media Fellowship, on the significance of Commons and its community stewardship)