Grassland soils, not trees, anchor India’s climate resilience, PgII

Key Highlights:

• India's semi-arid grasslands are crucial ecosystems, contrary to being labeled as "wastelands" since British colonial times.
• Grasslands support unique biodiversity, provide livelihoods to millions of pastoral communities, and play a vital role in building and maintaining healthy soils.
• A study in Solapur's grasslands showed a significant increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) in restored areas, with a 50% increase after three years compared to untreated sites.
• The Banni Grassland in Gujarat demonstrates the carbon sequestration potential of restored grasslands managed by pastoralist communities.

Detailed Insights:

• Post-independence policies in India continued to undervalue grasslands, influenced by the British colonial perspective that prioritized forests for industrialization.
• The National Wastelands Development Board was established in 1985 to identify and develop "wastelands," including grasslands, for more productive uses.
• Grasslands have deep, fibrous root systems that stabilize the ground, enhance soil structure, promote long-term carbon storage, and improve water infiltration.
• The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in Maharashtra has started using funds to restore degraded grasslands.
• Restoring native grasses, removing invasive woody cover, and involving pastoralist communities in governance are key to successful grassland management.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights that soils hold twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and all living biomass combined.
• Banni Grassland stores 27 metric tonnes of carbon up to 30 cm soil depth, with an average SOC density of around 120 tonnes of carbon per hectare, making it one of the most carbon-rich arid ecosystems globally.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Soil Organic Carbon (SOC): The organic constituents in the soil, crucial for soil health and carbon sequestration.
• Carbon Sequestration: The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in plants, soil, or other reservoirs.
• Pastoralism: A way of life based on raising livestock, often involving nomadic or semi-nomadic movement in search of grazing land.