"Ancient grasslands, once destroyed for development, can take 100 years to grow back"
Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)
non-forest landscapes like grasslands, savannas and deserts with distinct biodiversity value
Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
UNCCD target ensuring productive land area does not shrink over time
India's conservation framework has historically centred on forests, governed by laws such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Grasslands, savannas and other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) (meaning: non-forest landscapes like grasslands and deserts that support distinct biodiversity) were instead recorded as 'wastelands' in revenue registers. This classification made them an easy target for afforestation drives, mining and infrastructure projects, even though these open landscapes support immense biodiversity and sustain pastoral livelihoods.
India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), under which it has committed to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) (meaning: ensuring the amount of healthy, productive land does not shrink over time) as part of the Strategic Framework 2018–2030. Grasslands are central to this commitment because their degradation accounts for a large share of global land loss, and because grassland soils and roots store roughly one-third of all carbon held in the world's land ecosystems. In line with this, India recently launched its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems, prepared with research institutions, marking a shift from a forest-only view of conservation toward one that also values open landscapes.
A long-standing ecological question is why grasslands do not simply turn into forests through natural succession (meaning: the gradual replacement of one plant community by another over time). The answer lies in water-limited conditions and recurring fire, which together kill tree seedlings before they can form a canopy. Grazing by large herbivores reinforces this effect. Old-growth grasslands in Indian, Australian and North American savannas are therefore not an immature stage on the way to becoming forest; they are a distinct, stable ecosystem shaped over millennia by fire, grazing and soil conditions.
A global comparison of 742 plant species from Indian, Australian and Brazilian grasslands, along with major American prairie grasses, found that once an old-growth grassland is destroyed, it does not regrow into the same ecosystem even after a century. …
In the grasslands, trees do not replace the grasses as a part of an ecological succession because of
Consider the following statements regarding old-growth grasslands:
1.They are maintained as a stable ecosystem state primarily due to fire and water-limited conditions that prevent tree establishment.
2.They represent an intermediate stage in ecological succession that would eventually convert into forest if left undisturbed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN):
1.It is a target under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's Strategic Framework 2018-2030.
2.It requires that the amount of productive land remains stable or increases over time.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements:
1.India supports about 15% of the world's livestock population on about 4% of the world's land area.
2.India currently has a dedicated National Grassland Restoration Programme to manage this pressure.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Assertion (A): Secondary grasslands that regenerate after the destruction of old-growth grasslands tend to have taller plants with greater leaf area than the original ecosystem.
Reason (R): Secondary grassland plant species are more resource-acquisitive and better suited to the altered soil nutrient and pH conditions left behind after disturbance.
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