India Calls for Community-Led Restoration of Rangelands at UNCCD CoP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
India addressed the Ministerial Dialogue on "Restoration of Rangelands and the Well-being of Pastoralist Communities" at the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The statement called for rangeland restoration approaches rooted in science, secure land tenure and community stewardship, emphasising the role of rangelands in sustaining pastoralist livelihoods, conserving biodiversity, and regulating water and carbon cycles
India stressed that pastoralists should be treated as custodians of rangeland ecosystems rather than merely beneficiaries of restoration programmes
CoP17 coincides with the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026, intended to spotlight sustainable management of these ecosystems globally
UNCCD — Origin, Structure and India's Standing
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is a legally binding international agreement addressing desertification, land degradation and drought, and is one of the three Rio Conventions to emerge from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (alongside the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity).
Key Details
- UNCCD was adopted in 1994 (opened for signature 14 October 1994) and entered into force in December 1996
- India signed the Convention in 1994 and ratified it on 17 December 1996; it took effect for India from 17 March 1997
- The Convention has 197 parties (196 countries plus the European Union)
- India hosted CoP14 of the UNCCD in New Delhi in 2019, where it announced an enhanced land restoration target
India's CoP17 intervention builds on its role as a long-standing UNCCD party and a recent CoP host, positioning it as an active voice in shaping the Convention's rangeland-specific agenda for the first time.
Rangelands and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
Rangelands — grasslands, savannas, shrublands and open woodlands — cover over half of the Earth's land surface and support an estimated 500 million pastoral community members worldwide, while delivering carbon sequestration, water regulation and food production services. Their restoration falls under the UNCCD's Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) framework, which India has embraced through a formal national restoration target.
Key Details
- Global land degradation affects an estimated 40% of land area, threatening food security and rural livelihoods
- India committed at UNCCD CoP14 (2019) to restore 21 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, later enhanced to 26 million hectares by 2030 (aligned with India's Bonn Challenge pledge)
- As of the latest official figures, India has brought approximately 21.76 million hectares of degraded land under restoration, generating close to 1.22 billion person-days of employment
- Restoration is estimated to deliver USD 4-6 in economic returns for every dollar invested, rising to as much as USD 36 when wider public benefits like water security are counted
India's call for "restoration rooted in science, secure tenure and community stewardship" is a direct articulation of how it intends to meet its own 26-million-hectare LDN commitment, using rangelands specifically as one of the ecosystem types targeted.
Pastoralism, Tenure Security and India's National Action Plan to Combat Desertification
Community stewardship of rangelands depends on secure land tenure — a recurring gap in policy for India's pastoral communities, who traditionally practise migratory grazing across state and forest boundaries without formal land rights. India's domestic response is coordinated through its National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (NAPCD).
Key Details
- India adopted its National Action Programme to Combat Desertification in 2001 pursuant to its UNCCD obligations; it has since been revised, most recently in 2023, when the 26-million-hectare target was formally incorporated
- 2026 is designated by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), intended to mobilise global attention and finance for these ecosystems
- Secure tenure for pastoral and forest-dependent communities is also addressed domestically through the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which recognises community forest resource rights that can extend to grazing and rangeland access
By foregrounding "secure tenure" alongside science and community stewardship, India's CoP17 statement links the international rangeland restoration agenda to unresolved domestic tenure questions for its own pastoral communities.
- UNCCD adopted: 1994; entered into force: December 1996; India ratified: 17 December 1996 (effective 17 March 1997)
- UNCCD parties: 197 (196 countries + EU); one of three Rio Conventions (with UNFCCC, CBD)
- India's UNCCD CoP14 host year: 2019 (New Delhi)
- India's land restoration target: 26 million hectares by 2030 (raised from 21 million hectares in 2019); ~21.76 million hectares restored so far
- Global land degradation: affects ~40% of land area; rangelands cover over half of Earth's land surface, support ~500 million pastoralists
- Restoration return on investment: USD 4-6 per dollar invested (up to USD 36 counting wider public benefits)
- 2026 designated UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP)