India Calls for Community-Led Restoration of Rangelands at UNCCD CoP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, marks a significant milestone in global efforts to address land degradation, desertification, and drought. India's participation, led by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav, underscores the country's growing leadership in international environmental governance. The UNCCD, established in 1994 and ratified by India in 1996, is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. India's engagement at CoP17 builds on its commitments under the convention, including its pledge to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, announced at the UNCCD CoP14 hosted by India in New Delhi in 2019. The Ministerial Dialogue on "Restoration of Rangelands and the Well-being of Pastoralist Communities" reflects a critical shift in global discourse — moving beyond top-down conservation models to recognize pastoralists as custodians of rangeland ecosystems. This aligns with the UN's designation of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), a proposal championed by Mongolia and supported by India. India's rangelands, spanning approximately 10 million hectares of permanent pastures and grazing lands, are ecologically diverse — from the alpine pastures of the Himalayas and the savannas of Central India to the arid Thar Desert, the Rann of Kachchh, and the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats. These landscapes support over 500 million livestock (as per the 20th Livestock Census, 2019) and millions of pastoralist communities, including the Maldharis of Gujarat, Raikas of Rajasthan, Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh, and Dhangars of Maharashtra. The constitutional framework provides crucial backing: Article 48A directs the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife, while Article 51A(g) imposes a fundamental duty on citizens to protect the natural environment. The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, particularly Section 3(1)(d), recognizes community forest resource rights, including grazing rights, empowering gram sabhas to manage and conserve community forest resources. The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996, further strengthens local self-governance in Scheduled Areas. India's approach at CoP17 — integrating satellite-based Desertification and Land Degradation Atlases (developed by ISRO's Space Applications Centre) with traditional knowledge — exemplifies evidence-based, participatory governance. The 25,000 sacred groves (Orans in Rajasthan, Devrais in Maharashtra, Sarnas in Jharkhand) covering 0.6 million hectares represent centuries-old community conservation systems. Many are now protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (as community reserves under Section 36C) and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The reintroduction of the cheetah in Kuno National Park (2022) and proposed expansion to Banni grasslands in Gujarat highlights landscape-level restoration linking flagship species recovery with grassland ecology. Deep-rooted grasses in these ecosystems enhance soil organic carbon, improve water infiltration, and support groundwater recharge — critical for climate resilience. India's call for dedicated, accessible financing and South-South cooperation reflects the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) under the UNFCCC and UNCCD. As developing nations pursue Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets under SDG 15.3, India's model — combining scientific planning, secure tenure, community stewardship, and livelihood integration — offers a replicable framework. Future implications include potential inclusion of rangeland restoration in India's updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), greater budgetary allocation for the National Afforestation Programme and Green India Mission, and stronger legal recognition of pastoralist rights through a proposed National Pastoralist Policy. The Ulaanbaatar dialogue thus positions India as a bridge between traditional ecological wisdom and modern restoration science, with profound implications for biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and social justice.