WORLD'S RANGELANDS -
GEOGRAPHY
News: ‘Silent demise’ of vast
rangelands threatens climate, food, wellbeing of billions: UNCCD
What's in the news?
●
The Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on
Rangelands and Pastoralists, was prepared and released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD).
Key takeaways:
●
The year 2026,
is declared as the International Year of
Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), by the United Nations General Assembly.
Rangelands:
Area:
●
They cover approximately 80 million sq km, which is
54 percent of the earth’s land surface.
●
Only 12% or 9.5 million sq. km are categorized as
protected rangelands worldwide.
Importance:
●
33% of global biodiversity hotspots are found in
rangelands.
●
24% of the proportion of world languages found in
rangelands.
Nature of Vegetation:
●
Rangelands are characterized by low vegetation and comprises
grasslands, steppes (shortgrass prairies), desert shrublands, shrub woodlands,
savannas, chaparrals,mountain pastures, plateaus and tundra.
●
Rangelands are distinct from pastureland as they
are composed of native vegetation, rather than cultivation by human societies.
●
They are generally confined to areas of marginal or
submarginal agricultural land or to areas that are entirely unsuited to
permanent cultivation.
Development:
●
Rangelands are developed under conditions of
periodic disturbance ie. drought, fire, grazing, weed incursions, outbreaks of
insect pests, disease, and human activities.
●
These disturbances often help maintain the
rangeland ecosystem’s biological diversity and soil health over long periods of
time.
Findings of the Global
Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists:
1. Degradation of
Rangelands:
●
Almost half
of the world’s rangelands i.e. 50% are degraded and accounts for one sixth
of global food production and represent nearly one third of the planet’s carbon
reservoir.
2. Symptoms of
Degradation:
●
Diminished soil fertility and nutrients, erosion,
salinization, alkalinization, and soil compaction inhibiting plant growth,
increasingly contributing to drought, precipitation fluctuations, and
biodiversity loss both above and below the ground.
Reasons of Degradation:
It is due to climate change, population growth, excessive grazing,
abandonment (end of maintenance by pastoralists) and growing farmlands.
1. Land Use Change:
●
Converting pastures to cropland and other land use
changes due to population growth and urban expansion, and rapidly rising food,
fibre and fuel demands.
2. Weak Governance:
●
Poorly implemented policies and regulations leading
to overexploitation and lack of investment in rangeland communities and
sustainable production models.
3. Greening Problem:
●
Rangelands are often the go through land for
greening activities like afforestation and renewable energy production.
●
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
●
Example: Wind energy and solar plants in the
habitat of the Great Indian Bustard in India.
Pastoralism in India:
●
India has some
46 distinct pastoralist identities and they distinguish themselves from
farmers by not owning land.
●
They use their herds or flocks to harvest “waste”
biomass, grazing on harvested fields, in the forest or on uncultivated land.
●
They include transhumance (seasonal migrations,
such as between lowlands and mountains), nomadic and semi-nomadic movements,
and village-based herding.
Pastoralists Economy:
●
They contribute to the economy through livestock
rearing and milk production with the livestock sector contributing 4 percent of
national gross domestic product and 26 percent of agricultural gross domestic
product.
●
The country also accounts for 20 percent of the world’s livestock population.
Community:
●
They are estimated to be around 20 million or more
in population making up 1% of total and include prominent groups such as
Maldharis, Van Gujjars, Rabaris,etc
Marginalization:
● Pastoralists in India are considered as marginalized community with little influence on policy decisions, thus needs better recognition of their rights and access to markets