Pastoralists in India need better access to land and rights recognition, says UN report

• Almost half of the world’s rangelands, used for livestock grazing and sustenance of pastoral groups, are degraded, a report by UN Convention on Combating Desertification

Highlights:

• Rangelands cover 54 percent of the earth’s land surface.
• They are characterized by low vegetation and comprise grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, desert, semi-arid land, mountain pastures, plateaus and tundra.
• These rangelands, are an important ecosystem to fight against climate change as they act as carbon sinks and prevent soil erosion, land degradation and desertification
• The report highlighted that pastoralists are a marginalized community with little influence on policy decisions,
  • resulting in uncertainty over access to common land and land rights.
  • Although grasslands are considered threatened ecosystems in India,
  • They have been overlooked in environmental conservation and ecosystem policies against forestry based interventions.
• Less than 5 percent of India’s grasslands fall within protected areas, and the total grassland area declined from 18 to 12 million hectares between 2005 and 2015
• The livestock sector of the economy contributes
  • 4 percent of national gross domestic product,
  • 26 per cent of agricultural gross domestic product.
  • The country also accounts for 20 per cent of the world’s livestock population.

Prelims Takeaway:

• UNCCD
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission