The Grasslands of India Explained

The grasslands of India are the open, grass-dominated ecosystems that stretch from the arid plains of Kutch and Rajasthan to the foothill terai of the Himalaya, the high-altitude shola meadows of the Western Ghats and the cold steppes of Ladakh, and they support some of the country’s most threatened wildlife as well as millions of pastoral families. For decades, official records labelled many of these landscapes as “wasteland”, a classification that has encouraged their conversion to plantations, farms and industry.

This explainer describes what India’s grasslands and savannas are, how they are classified, the main regional types and the wildlife that depends on them. It also explains the ecosystem services they provide and the pressures they face, because understanding grasslands as natural habitats rather than empty land is central to protecting them.

Key Takeaways

• The grasslands of India are natural ecosystems found in every climatic zone, from deserts and plains to mountain meadows, and they are not wastelands.
• India’s grasslands support threatened species such as the Great Indian Bustard, the Indian wolf, the blackbuck, the Bengal florican and the Nilgiri tahr.
• Grasslands store large amounts of carbon in their soils, recharge groundwater and provide fodder for the livestock of millions of pastoralists.
• The Banni grassland of Kutch in Gujarat is among the largest and most important tropical grassland tracts in Asia and is managed with pastoral communities.
• Planting trees on natural grasslands, a practice often called afforestation, can damage them because grasslands are open ecosystems that evolved without dense tree cover.
• Protecting India’s grasslands requires correct classification, recognition of grazing rights, control of invasive species and careful planning of infrastructure.

What Are Grasslands and Savannas?

Grasslands are ecosystems dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants, with few or no trees, while savannas are grasslands that contain scattered trees or shrubs. In India, both occur naturally wherever rainfall, soil, fire, grazing and altitude combine to favour grasses over closed forest.

Grasslands are shaped by disturbance. Grazing animals, seasonal drought, occasional fire and poor or shallow soil all help prevent forests from taking over. For this reason, a treeless landscape is not necessarily a degraded one. Many Indian grasslands are old, species-rich and finely tuned to monsoon cycles, with grasses that grow quickly in the rains and go dormant in dry months.

Indian grasslands also include seasonally flooded wetland-grasslands, where tall grasses, reeds and sedges grow in the plains of rivers like the Brahmaputra, Ganga and Ghaghara.

How Are the Grasslands of India Classified?

The grasslands of India are commonly classified into broad types based on climate, altitude and dominant grass species, with the best-known scheme dividing them into major grass cover types such as Sehima-Dichanthium, Dichanthium-Cenchrus-Lasiurus, Phragmites-Saccharum-Imperata, Themeda-Arundinella and temperate-alpine pastures. This framework was developed by Indian range scientists in the 1970s and is still widely cited.

In practical conservation work, it is easier to speak of five broad regional systems that link grass communities to landscapes, as shown below.

What Is the Banni Grassland?

The Banni is a large arid grassland on the southern fringe of the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, widely regarded as one of the finest tropical grassland tracts in Asia. It lies on a landscape of saline flats, seasonal wetlands and low-lying plains that fill with water during the monsoon and support a rich mixture of grasses.

The Banni has been home for centuries to the Maldhari pastoral communities, who raise Kankrej cattle, Banni buffalo, camels, goats and sheep. The grassland produces fodder for these herds, and the Banni buffalo and the dairy economy built on it are central to local livelihoods.

The Banni is also a rich bird habitat. Thousands of waterbirds gather on its seasonal wetlands, and migratory raptors and cranes use the area in winter. It has had to contend with invasion by the mesquite tree Prosopis juliflora, which spreads fast, crowds out native grasses and changes soils. Reducing mesquite and restoring native grass cover is a major management priority.

Why Are India’s Grasslands Called Wastelands?

India’s grasslands came to be called wastelands because colonial and post-independence land records classified land with no forest or cultivated crop as unproductive, a category that included grasslands, scrub and open natural habitats. The label reflected an economic idea of land use rather than an ecological assessment.

After independence, government programmes to bring “wasteland” into productive use, through tree planting, irrigation or agriculture, were widely promoted. Wasteland atlases and development schemes treated open landscapes as available for conversion. Ecologists have long argued that this approach confuses degraded land with naturally open ecosystems, so that healthy grasslands are planted with trees or turned into farms and industrial areas.

A growing body of research and policy discussion now urges that natural grasslands be recorded separately in land-use maps, with their own management objectives. This recognition is important because land classification determines whether a landscape can be protected, fenced, planted or diverted.

Which Wildlife Depends on India’s Grasslands?

India’s grasslands support a distinctive set of species, including the Great Indian Bustard, the Indian wolf, the blackbuck, the Bengal florican, the lesser florican, the swamp deer, the one-horned rhinoceros and the Nilgiri tahr. Many of these are rare, threatened or endemic to open habitats.

Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a heavy, long-legged ground bird of dry grasslands and is listed as Critically Endangered. It survives mainly in Rajasthan, with small numbers in Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is also the state bird of Rajasthan, and its decline is linked to grassland loss, collisions with power lines and disturbance of nests.

Indian wolf and blackbuck

The Indian wolf is a distinct form of wolf that lives in semi-arid grasslands and scrub across peninsular India, preying on blackbuck, small mammals and livestock. The blackbuck, a graceful antelope, is protected at sites such as Velavadar in Gujarat and Ranebennur in Karnataka, and the Velavadar grassland is also known for large harrier roosts in winter.

Terai grassland species

The tall grasslands of the terai and the Brahmaputra valley, including Kaziranga, Manas, Dudhwa and Corbett’s grassland tracts, shelter the one-horned rhinoceros, swamp deer, hog deer, wild buffalo and the Bengal florican. These grasslands depend on the annual flood pulse and on controlled burning or grazing to remain open.

Hill grassland species

In the Western Ghats, the high grassy slopes of Eravikulam and neighbouring hills hold the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in the southern Western Ghats, and the Nilgiri pipit, a small endemic bird. The Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) flowers in mass blooms on these slopes about once in twelve years.

What Ecosystem Services Do Grasslands Provide?

Grasslands provide fodder, soil protection, carbon storage, groundwater recharge and habitat, and they underpin the livelihoods of millions of herders and small farmers. Their deep and dense root systems hold soil, reduce erosion and store carbon underground rather than in woody trunks.

• Fodder and livelihoods: Native grasses feed cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and camels in pastoral systems, supporting milk, meat, wool and manure.
• Carbon storage: A large share of the carbon in grasslands is held in the soil, where it is less vulnerable to fire than carbon in tree biomass.
• Water recharge: Open grassland soils absorb monsoon rain and help recharge aquifers and feed seasonal wetlands.
• Soil protection: Continuous grass cover limits wind and water erosion, particularly on slopes and in dry regions.
• Biodiversity: Grasslands hold numerous specialised plants, insects, reptiles, birds and mammals that do not live in forests.
• Culture: Many communities regard grassland sites, sacred groves and village commons as part of their heritage.

Village commons, known as gochar or gauchar in many states, are a particularly important category. These are community-managed grazing lands that provide fodder and water and sustain livelihoods for landless and marginal families.

Who Lives and Works in India’s Grasslands?

Pastoral and agro-pastoral communities such as the Maldhari of Gujarat, the Rabari and Raika of Rajasthan, the Dhangar of Maharashtra and the Changpa of Ladakh live and work in India’s grasslands. Their herds graze seasonally across large areas and have shaped these landscapes for generations.

Traditional grazing practices, when moderate and mobile, can help maintain grassland structure by preventing woody species from taking over and by dispersing seeds. The relationship between pastoralists and grasslands is therefore a partnership rather than purely a pressure. Problems arise when grazing becomes too intense, when mobility is restricted or when grazing land shrinks because of conversion.

Some pastoralists have lost access to traditional routes because of fencing, protected-area rules and new land uses. Recognising customary rights, supporting herd mobility and involving pastoralists in management are increasingly seen as essential for sustainable grassland use.

What Are the Main Threats to India’s Grasslands?

The main threats to India’s grasslands are conversion to agriculture, afforestation of natural grasslands, invasive plants, mining and industry, infrastructure such as power lines and roads, and unsustainable grazing. Because these ecosystems are widely mislabelled as unproductive, they have received less legal and financial protection than forests.

• Conversion to farmland and industry: Irrigation projects, croplands, solar and wind farms, mines and townships have claimed large areas of open land.
• Afforestation and tree planting: Planting trees on native grasslands, including under compensatory afforestation and greening drives, replaces grassland species with woody cover and can degrade the habitat.
• Invasive species: Plants such as Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara spread rapidly and displace native grasses.
• Power lines and wind turbines: Overhead lines have killed Great Indian Bustards in collisions, and the Supreme Court has examined how to balance renewable power and bustard protection.
• Overgrazing and fodder loss: Excess grazing, loss of commons and reduced rainfall reliability degrade pastures.
• Changing fire and flood regimes: Altered river flows, drainage and fire suppression change the structure of floodplain and terai grasslands.

How Are India’s Grasslands Protected?

India’s grasslands are protected mainly through wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, species recovery programmes, community conservation and, increasingly, specific policies for open natural ecosystems. Protection is uneven, since many grasslands fall outside formal protected areas.

Protected grassland sites

• Desert National Park, Rajasthan: A key refuge for the Great Indian Bustard in the Thar.
• Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, Gujarat: A coastal grassland known for blackbuck, wolves and harriers.
• Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary, Karnataka: A semi-arid grassland sanctuary for blackbuck.
• Kaziranga, Manas and Dudhwa: Terai and floodplain grassland parks for rhinoceros, swamp deer and floricans.
• Eravikulam National Park, Kerala: A montane shola-grassland habitat for the Nilgiri tahr.
• Changthang and trans-Himalayan reserves: Cold-steppe sanctuaries in Ladakh protecting wild ass and cranes.

Species programmes such as the Great Indian Bustard recovery effort, which includes conservation breeding in Rajasthan, add targeted action. Community-managed areas, such as grazing commons and conservation reserves, also play a role, and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 allows the creation of biodiversity heritage sites.

What Is the Role of Grasslands in Climate and Water?

Grasslands play an important role in climate and water by storing carbon in soil, reflecting more sunlight than dense forest, absorbing rainfall and moderating floods. Compared with tree plantations, native grasslands are often more resilient to drought and fire, because their carbon is stored mostly underground.

This is relevant for climate policy. Large tree-planting schemes on natural grasslands can lower biodiversity while delivering uncertain carbon benefits, especially in dry regions where trees need much water. Many ecologists therefore recommend that tree-planting targets be directed to truly degraded forest or farmland and that natural grasslands be treated as carbon-storing ecosystems worth protecting in their own right.

What Is the Way Forward for India’s Grasslands?

The way forward for India’s grasslands is to recognise them in law and land records as distinct natural ecosystems, restore degraded areas with native species and share management with pastoral communities. These steps protect both biodiversity and livelihoods.

• Map and classify grasslands separately from wasteland.
• Avoid tree plantations and renewable energy projects on high-value natural grasslands.
• Control invasive species and restore native grasses.
• Secure grazing commons and pastoral mobility.
• Bury or mark power lines in bustard and florican habitats.
• Support long-term monitoring of grassland birds, mammals and vegetation.

Bottom Line

The grasslands of India are valuable natural ecosystems that shelter threatened wildlife, store carbon and support pastoral livelihoods. Treating them as wasteland has led to their loss, so correct classification, community participation and careful land planning are the keys to their future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the grasslands of India?

The grasslands of India are natural open ecosystems dominated by grasses, found from deserts and river plains to hill meadows and cold steppes. They include the Banni in Kutch, the terai grasslands, the shola-grasslands of the Western Ghats and the trans-Himalayan steppes. They support rare wildlife and the livelihoods of pastoral communities.

Why are grasslands in India called wasteland?

Grasslands in India were called wasteland because land-use records treated land without forest or crops as unproductive. This administrative label ignored their ecological value. As a result, many grasslands were targeted for conversion to plantations, farms and industrial use.

Which animals live in Indian grasslands?

Indian grasslands are home to the Great Indian Bustard, the Indian wolf, the blackbuck, the Bengal florican, the swamp deer, the one-horned rhinoceros and the Nilgiri tahr. Different grassland types support different species. Many of these animals are threatened and depend on open habitat.

What is the Banni grassland?

The Banni is a large arid grassland in the Kutch district of Gujarat on the edge of the Great Rann of Kutch. It is known for its pastoral Maldhari communities, its Banni buffalo and its wetland birds. Invasion by mesquite is one of its main management problems.

Why is planting trees on grasslands harmful?

Planting trees on natural grasslands is harmful because these ecosystems evolved without dense tree cover and support species that cannot live in forest. Trees can replace native grasses, use large amounts of water in dry regions and reduce habitat for grassland birds and mammals. Tree planting is better directed to degraded forest or farmland.

How can India protect its grasslands?

India can protect its grasslands by recognising them as distinct ecosystems, restoring native grass cover and removing invasive plants. It can also secure grazing commons, involve pastoralists in management and avoid damaging infrastructure on key sites. Species programmes for animals such as the Great Indian Bustard add targeted protection.

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