Environment & Ecology | UNCCD COP17 | UPSC/STATE PCS Current Affairs 2026
India has taken an important step towards correcting a long-standing blind spot in environmental conservation—the tendency to view naturally open landscapes primarily through the lens of forests.
On 17 August 2026, India launched its first-ever “Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) of India” during the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The Guide is important because India's grasslands, savannas, scrublands, deserts, ravines and other naturally open landscapes are often misunderstood as degraded or “waste” lands. In reality, many are ancient ecosystems with their own biodiversity, ecological processes and pastoral cultures.
The larger message is simple but significant:
An ecosystem does not have to be a forest to be ecologically valuable.
What Has India Launched?
India unveiled its first comprehensive Guide devoted to grasslands and other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) at an official side event of UNCCD COP17.
The initiative was undertaken under the aegis and guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
According to the government's official release, the publication and launch event involved the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in collaboration with institutions including:
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM)
- Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)
- Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO
The Guide brings together ecological and socio-cultural knowledge relating to India's diverse open landscapes.
What Are Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)?
Open Natural Ecosystems are naturally occurring ecosystems characterised by relatively open vegetation rather than continuous dense tree cover.
Examples include:
Grasslands → Savannas → Scrublands → Deserts → Ravines → Rocky Plateaus → Coastal Open Landscapes
The most important conceptual point is that:
Open ecosystem ≠ degraded forest
Many grasslands and savannas have remained naturally open for long periods because of interactions among:
- climate
- soil
- fire
- grazing
- herbivory
- rainfall patterns
- other ecological processes
Therefore, the absence of dense tree cover alone cannot be used to conclude that a landscape is degraded.
What Does the New Guide Cover?
The Guide brings together information on India's major grassland and open natural landscapes.
Its themes include:
Geography
Where different ONEs occur and how landscapes vary across India's ecological regions.
Ecology
Their vegetation structure, ecological processes and environmental characteristics.
Biodiversity
The specialised plants and animals associated with open habitats.
Communities
Human communities that have historically interacted with these landscapes.
Pastoralism
The relationship between grasslands, grazing and livestock-based livelihoods.
Fire Ecology
The ecological role of fire in certain open landscapes.
Carbon Sequestration
The contribution of open ecosystems to carbon storage, including through soil and below-ground biomass.
Major Open Natural Landscapes of India
India's extraordinary geographical diversity has produced several types of open ecosystems.
1. Himalayan Grasslands
High-altitude grasslands occur across parts of the Himalayan region.
They support specialised biodiversity as well as traditional pastoral systems.
2. Terai Grasslands
The Himalayan foothills contain important tall-grass landscapes.
These ecosystems form part of some of India's most productive wildlife habitats.
3. Banni Grasslands
Located in Kutch, Gujarat, Banni represents one of India's prominent grassland landscapes.
Its ecology is closely connected with pastoral livelihoods and livestock.
4. Thar Desert
The Thar Desert demonstrates why low tree cover should not be confused with ecological poverty.
Its arid environment supports organisms specifically adapted to extreme temperature and water scarcity.
5. Deccan Savannas
Large parts of peninsular India contain naturally open savanna and grassland landscapes.
These habitats support characteristic open-country biodiversity.
6. Rocky Plateaus
Rocky plateaus may appear barren during parts of the year but can support highly specialised seasonal ecological communities.
7. Scrublands and Ravines
Scrublands and ravine systems also constitute important open habitats and should not automatically be classified as degraded landscapes.
Why Do Grasslands Matter?
1. They Support Specialised Biodiversity
Grasslands are habitats—not ecological blanks waiting to become forests.
Several Indian species depend heavily on open landscapes, including:
- Great Indian Bustard
- Lesser Florican
- Blackbuck
- Chinkara
- Indian wolf
The Great Indian Bustard is particularly important from a conservation perspective because its survival is closely linked with the protection of open grassland and desert habitats.
Loss of grasslands therefore means loss of habitat for species that cannot simply relocate into dense forests.
2. Grasslands Store Carbon
Climate discussions frequently emphasise forests because trees store substantial carbon in woody biomass.
Grasslands work differently.
A considerable part of their carbon can be stored below ground through roots and soils.
Therefore, protecting healthy grasslands can contribute to:
Carbon storage + soil health + ecosystem resilience + climate mitigation
This is why climate policy should consider the carbon value of multiple ecosystem types rather than focusing only on tree cover.
3. They Protect Soil
Dense networks of grass roots can:
- bind soil
- reduce erosion
- support soil organisms
- improve nutrient cycling
- maintain soil structure
Degraded grasslands can consequently become increasingly vulnerable to erosion and desertification.
4. They Support Water Regulation
Healthy vegetation and soil systems influence:
- infiltration
- runoff
- moisture retention
- local hydrological processes
Grassland degradation can therefore have consequences beyond biodiversity.
5. They Support Pastoral Livelihoods
Perhaps the most important human dimension is pastoralism.
Pastoral communities depend upon grazing landscapes for:
- livestock
- fodder
- seasonal movement
- income
- traditional ecological knowledge
- cultural identity
Conservation policies that exclude pastoral communities completely may overlook centuries of human-landscape interaction.
This makes grassland conservation a question of both:
Ecology + Livelihoods
2026: International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
The timing of the Guide is especially important because the United Nations designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP).
The initiative draws global attention to:
- sustainable rangeland management
- pastoral livelihoods
- land restoration
- food security
- biodiversity
- climate resilience
For Prelims, remember:
2026 → International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
The “Wasteland” Problem in India
One of the deeper policy issues behind the Guide is the historical treatment of some open landscapes as “wastelands.”
This terminology can be misleading when applied to naturally open ecosystems.
A landscape may contain few trees yet still be:
- biologically rich
- evolutionarily old
- important for threatened wildlife
- crucial for pastoral communities
- valuable for soil carbon
If such land is assumed to be ecologically empty, it can become vulnerable to inappropriate land-use change.
Why More Trees Are Not Always Better
This is one of the most important concepts from the topic.
Afforestation is extremely valuable where forests have genuinely been degraded.
But planting trees indiscriminately across naturally open grasslands can create ecological problems.
It may:
- reduce grassland habitat
- displace open-habitat species
- change soil conditions
- alter water availability
- affect fire regimes
- restrict grazing
- transform the original ecosystem
Therefore:
Forest restoration ≠ universal ecological restoration
A better principle is:
Restore an ecosystem according to its natural ecological character.
A degraded forest may need trees.
A degraded grassland may need grassland restoration—not conversion into forest.
Orans and Gauchar Lands: India's Traditional Knowledge
At the launch, India's Environment Minister also highlighted traditional systems such as Orans and gauchar lands.
Orans
Orans are community-conserved landscapes, especially associated with Rajasthan.
Many have cultural or sacred significance and traditionally receive community protection.
Gauchar Lands
Gauchar lands are community grazing areas used for livestock.
They demonstrate the close relationship between:
Local communities → livestock → grazing → landscape management
Such examples are useful in Mains answers on community-based conservation.
What Is UNCCD?
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the principal international convention dealing specifically with desertification, land degradation and drought.
Its objectives include:
- combating desertification
- reducing land degradation
- addressing drought
- promoting sustainable land management
- supporting land restoration
Prelims Special: The Three Rio Conventions
Remember this table:
| Convention | Primary Focus |
|---|---|
| UNFCCC | Climate Change |
| CBD | Biological Diversity |
| UNCCD | Desertification, Land Degradation & Drought |
All three emerged from the international environmental process associated with the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
This is a highly useful Prelims linkage.
UNCCD COP17 — Key Facts
The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to UNCCD is being held in:
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Dates
17–28 August 2026
Theme
“Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.”
COP17 brings together UNCCD Parties and stakeholders to address major issues relating to:
- land degradation
- drought
- restoration
- rangelands
- soil
- water
- food systems
- livelihoods
The grasslands Guide therefore fits directly into the wider COP17 discussion on sustainable land management.
What Is Land Degradation Neutrality?
Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) seeks to maintain or improve the quantity and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions, services and food security.
A useful way to understand it is:
Avoid → Reduce → Reverse
Avoid new degradation
↓
Reduce ongoing degradation
↓
Reverse degradation through restoration
The concept is closely linked with SDG Target 15.3.
Connection With SDG 15
Sustainable Development Goal 15 — Life on Land seeks to protect terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.
SDG Target 15.3
It specifically calls for efforts to:
- combat desertification
- restore degraded land and soil
- strive towards a land degradation-neutral world
This gives the Grasslands Guide relevance beyond national conservation policy.
Why This Guide Matters for India
1. It Broadens India's Conservation Thinking
Conservation cannot remain limited to forests and charismatic forest wildlife.
India's ecological policy needs to recognise:
Forests + Grasslands + Wetlands + Deserts + Coasts + Other Natural Ecosystems
2. It Can Improve Land Classification
Scientific identification of ONEs can help distinguish:
Naturally open ecosystem
from
Actually degraded land
This distinction is critical for restoration and land-use planning.
3. It Strengthens Biodiversity Conservation
Many threatened species depend specifically on open habitats.
Protecting the ecosystem rather than individual species alone provides a stronger long-term conservation strategy.
4. It Recognises Pastoralism
Pastoral communities are not merely beneficiaries of grasslands.
Their traditional knowledge can also contribute to sustainable landscape management.
5. It Supports Climate Policy
Healthy open ecosystems can contribute to:
- carbon sequestration
- soil conservation
- drought resilience
- climate adaptation
6. It Can Improve Restoration Policy
The Guide reinforces an important principle:
Restoration should recover the natural ecosystem, not replace it with another ecosystem.
Key Challenges Ahead
Publication of a Guide alone cannot protect India's grasslands.
Several structural challenges remain.
1. Misclassification
Natural grasslands may still be perceived administratively or socially as unused land.
2. Habitat Fragmentation
Roads, urbanisation, agriculture, mining, energy infrastructure and other projects can fragment open habitats.
3. Inappropriate Plantation
Afforestation without understanding historical ecosystem type can transform natural grasslands.
4. Invasive Species
Invasive plants can alter native grassland structure and reduce habitat quality.
5. Climate Change
Changing rainfall and temperature patterns can affect grassland productivity and ecosystem composition.
6. Pastoral Livelihood Pressures
Changes in grazing access, land ownership and livelihood systems can disrupt traditional pastoral management.
7. Governance Fragmentation
Grasslands intersect with forest, revenue, agriculture, livestock, rural-development and conservation policies.
Effective management therefore requires interdepartmental coordination.
Way Forward
India should use the Guide as the beginning of a broader National Open Ecosystem Conservation Framework.
Priority measures should include:
1. Map ONEs accurately
Use satellite data, ecological surveys and ground verification to develop reliable maps.
2. Reform ecological classification
Natural grasslands should not automatically be treated as wastelands or degraded forests.
3. Adopt ecosystem-specific restoration
Restoration targets should reflect the original ecosystem.
4. Protect biodiversity-rich landscapes
Important habitats of threatened grassland species require landscape-level protection.
5. Integrate pastoral communities
Pastoralists should participate in management decisions affecting grazing landscapes.
6. Control invasive species
Management programmes should protect native grassland structure.
7. Improve impact assessment
Environmental assessment of projects in open landscapes should recognise their ecological value.
8. Strengthen research
India needs long-term research on grassland ecology, soil carbon, fire, grazing and climate change.
9. Integrate climate and biodiversity policy
Grasslands should be incorporated appropriately into land-restoration, biodiversity and climate-resilience strategies.
10. Shift from tree-centric to ecosystem-centric conservation
The ultimate objective should be healthy ecosystems, not merely higher tree numbers.
Critical Analysis
India's Grasslands Guide represents an important conceptual advance, but its real impact will depend on what follows.
Three questions will determine its success:
Will recognition translate into legal and planning protection?
Scientific documentation is valuable, but vulnerable landscapes also need consideration within land-use decisions.
Will restoration targets distinguish forests from grasslands?
Large restoration programmes can become counterproductive if success is measured simply through tree planting.
Will pastoral communities become genuine partners?
Conservation will be more sustainable where traditional users participate in governance rather than being treated only as pressures on ecosystems.
Therefore, the Guide's greatest contribution could be to change the fundamental policy question from:
“How many trees can we plant here?”
to:
“What ecosystem naturally belongs here, and how should we protect or restore it?”
Conclusion
India's first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems represents an important evolution in the country's conservation thinking.
The fundamental lesson is that nature is more diverse than forests alone.
Grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands and rocky landscapes can support specialised biodiversity, store carbon, sustain pastoral communities and strengthen ecological resilience.
India must therefore move towards ecosystem-centric conservation—protecting forests as forests, wetlands as wetlands and grasslands as grasslands.
The success of the new Guide will ultimately be measured not by its publication, but by whether India's open ecosystems become more accurately recognised, scientifically restored and sustainably protected.
UPSC Previous Year Questions — Closely Related
PYQ 1 — UPSC Prelims 2016
With reference to ‘Agenda 21’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements:
- It is a global action plan for sustainable development.
- It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: 1 only
Why is it relevant?
It connects the topic with the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and global sustainable-development architecture, from which the Rio environmental conventions emerged.
PYQ 2 — UPSC CSE Mains GS-III, 2020
“How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 helpful in conservation of flora and fauna?”
Connection with the present topic
India's biodiversity is not restricted to forests. Grasslands, deserts, wetlands and other ecosystems contain specialised species and therefore require ecosystem-specific conservation.
Exam Note: These are related PYQs testing the broader syllabus. UPSC has obviously not previously asked about the specific 2026 Guide itself.
UPSC-Level Practice MCQs
1.With reference to Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) in India, consider the following statements:
- They may include naturally occurring grasslands and savannas.
- Absence of dense tree cover necessarily indicates ecological degradation.
- Some ONEs support specialised biodiversity and pastoral livelihoods.
- Grasslands can store significant carbon below ground.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1, 3 and 4 only
C. 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: B
Explanation: Statement 2 is incorrect. Naturally open ecosystems need not represent degraded forests. The other statements describe important ecological characteristics and functions of open ecosystems.
2.Consider the following pairs:
| Convention | Principal Area |
| UNFCCC | Climate change |
| CBD | Biological diversity |
| UNCCD | Desertification and land degradation |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
A. Only one
B. Only two
C. All three
D. None
Answer: C — All three
These three conventions are associated with the international environmental framework emerging from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
Mains Practice Question
“India's naturally open ecosystems should not be treated merely as degraded forests or wastelands.” Discuss in the context of India's first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems launched at UNCCD COP17.
GS Paper III | 250 words
Answer Framework
Introduction: Define ONEs and mention the 2026 Guide.
Body I: Ecological importance—biodiversity, soil carbon, water and land conservation.
Body II: Socio-economic importance—pastoralism and traditional community systems.
Body III: Challenges—misclassification, habitat conversion, inappropriate afforestation, invasive species and climate change.
Way Forward: Mapping + ecosystem-specific restoration + community participation + scientific land-use planning.
Conclusion: India needs ecosystem-centric rather than merely tree-centric conservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did India launch at UNCCD COP17?
India launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) of India.
When was it launched?
17 August 2026.
Where was it launched?
At UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
What are Open Natural Ecosystems?
They are naturally open landscapes such as grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands and other ecosystems that do not necessarily possess dense tree cover.
Are all grasslands degraded forests?
No. Many are naturally occurring ecosystems with distinct biodiversity and ecological processes.
Why are grasslands important for climate change?
Among other ecosystem services, grasslands can store substantial carbon in roots and soils.
What does UNCCD deal with?
It focuses on desertification, land degradation and drought, along with sustainable land management and restoration.
What is Land Degradation Neutrality?
It is an approach aimed at maintaining or improving the quantity and quality of productive land resources while avoiding, reducing and reversing degradation.
What is special about 2026?
The United Nations designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
Prelims Quick Revision Box
| Fact | Remember |
| Development | India's first Guide to Grasslands and ONEs |
| Launch | 17 August 2026 |
| Venue | UNCCD COP17 |
| Host city | Ulaanbaatar |
| Host country | Mongolia |
| COP17 | 17–28 August 2026 |
| Theme | Restoring Land. Restoring Hope. |
| UNCCD focus | Desertification, land degradation & drought |
| 2026 UN observance | International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists |
| ONEs | Naturally open ecosystems |
| Key principle | Open ecosystem ≠ automatically degraded forest |
| SDG linkage | SDG 15, especially Target 15.3 |
| Core policy idea | Ecosystem-centric restoration |
