Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore. - A Call for Sustainable Pastoralism in India
â Abdul Khabir Pastoralism is connected to Indiaâs dairy economy, wool and fibre production, indigenous livestock breeds, dryland agriculture, and the management of common grazing lands. But this traditional mode of living is not automatically sustainable and depends on the government to cope with ecological, economic, and institutional pressures. At an event in New Delhi to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (observed annually on June 17), the government highlighted the importance of rangelands and grasslands for livestock-based livelihoods, biodiversity, water regulation, carbon sequestration, and climate resilience. Established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1994, the theme of this yearâs World Day was âRangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restoreâ. While this puts the rangelands at the centre of global attention, the UNGA has also designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). The IYRP draws attention to landscapes that cover nearly half of the Earthâs land surface and to the communities whose livelihoods depend on them. But it also raises a practical question for public administration: Can essential services â such as education, healthcare, social protection, and veterinary care â organised around fixed addresses and territorial jurisdictions adequately serve citizens whose lives and livelihoods depend on seasonal movement? In India, the significance of rangelands and grasslands is evident every spring in the Himalayas. As winter snow recedes in the region , pastoral families begin moving with their livestock towards higher pastures. They return before winter closes the mountain routes. Similar seasonal movements take place across Indiaâs deserts, forests, plateaus and semi-arid regions. Rangelands are areas where natural or semi-natural vegetation provides forage for grazing and browsing animals. They are not limited to open grasslands and include grasslands, shrublands, savannahs, steppes, deserts, mountain pastures, open woodlands, and some wetlands. A rangeland is wider than a grassland, which is dominated mainly by grasses and other herbaceous plants. It is also different from a managed pasture, where forage may be cultivated, improved or maintained specifically for livestock. Rangelands support livestock as well as wild herbivores. They protect soil, influence water cycles, store carbon and provide habitat for diverse species. They also convert natural vegetation from areas unsuitable for intensive cultivation into milk, meat, wool, fibre, manure and income. Which of the statements given above are correct? In India, rangelands include the alpine pastures of the Himalayas, the cold-arid grazing grounds of Ladakh, the grasslands and commons of western India, desert vegetation, forest grazing landscapes and open grazing areas of the Deccan Plateau. Indiaâs drylands extend over about 228 million hectares. The India Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas estimates that 97.85 million hectares, or 29.77 per cent of the countryâs geographical area, are affected by land degradation and desertification. Not every dryland is a rangeland and not every rangeland is degraded, but the figures show the scale of the land-management challenge. These landscapes are also vital for pastoral systems. Pastoralism is a livelihood and livestock-production system in which animals depend substantially on natural grazing and browsing resources. Depending on local ecology, pastoralists may rear sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes, camels, yaks, horses or other livestock. Pastoralism is not confined to a single tribe or social category. Not all pastoral communities are Scheduled Tribes, and not all Scheduled Tribes practise pastoralism. Indiaâs ecological diversity has produced different forms of pastoralism: Settled pastoralists: They live mainly in one place and use nearby grazing areas. This form is also found among households from traditionally mobile communities that have partly or fully settled. Nomadic pastoralists: They move with their livestock according to the availability of water, forage and suitable weather. The Raikas and Rabaris of Rajasthan and Gujarat are among the communities associated with such mobile pastoral practices. Transhumant pastoralists: They undertake regular seasonal movement between broadly established grazing areas. The Gujjar-Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir, Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh, Changpas of Ladakh and Van Gujjars of Uttarakhand are prominent examples. Agro-pastoralists: They combine livestock rearing with crop cultivation. Many Dhangar households in Maharashtra and other pastoral groups of the Deccan follow such mixed livelihood systems. These categories are not rigid. A pastoral household may shorten its route, settle some family members, cultivate land or combine pastoralism with wage employment while continuing to move part of its herd. Since a pastoral system depends on adaptive management practices of rangeland resources, it faces multiple pressures from shrinking routes and grazing areas, climate uncertainty, animal health, market risks, and gaps in data. Shrinking routes and grazing areas: Pastoral routes pass through landscapes used for agriculture, forests, wildlife conservation, tourism, roads, settlements and other infrastructure. A route may become difficult even when the final pasture remains available, because resting places, water points or transit corridors have been lost. Climate uncertainty: Pastoral calendars depend on snowfall, rainfall, vegetation growth and water availability. Unseasonal snow, prolonged dry spells, flash floods and heat stress can change the date of migration, the condition of routes and the length of time for which a pasture remains useful. Animal health and market risks: Livestock may travel long distances through areas where timely veterinary support is limited. Disease, injury, parasitic infestation and reproductive problems can cause serious household losses. At the same time, weak access to organised markets, processing, storage and transport can reduce the value received for milk, wool, meat and fibre. Gaps in data: Pastoral populations are difficult to capture through systems based largely on permanent residence. Their livestock holdings, routes, seasonal locations and economic contribution may therefore be under-recorded. Better data are needed, but mapping needs to remain flexible because routes change with weather, pasture conditions and local circumstances. Hence, mobility is central to pastoral livelihoods because it allows pastoralists to use different landscapes at the season when they are most productive based on knowledge of water sources, plant growth, animal behaviour, breeding cycles, weather and safe routes. Mobility can also spread grazing pressure across time and space and allow previously used areas to recover. However, pastoralism should not be romanticised as automatically sustainable. The impact of grazing depends on timing, intensity, herd composition and the ecological capacity of the land. When routes are blocked or grazing areas shrink, animals may be concentrated in smaller spaces, increasing pressure on vegetation and water. Therefore, the policy objective need not be based on a blanket assumption that all grazing is either beneficial or harmful but on evidence-based grazing management. This requires an enabling legal and institutional framework. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is directly relevant to pastoral communities. Section 3(1)(d) recognises community rights relating to grazing, including settled and transhumant grazing, and traditional seasonal resource access of nomadic or pastoralist communities. This is significant because a pastoral system may depend on a connected landscape of pastures, forests, water sources, resting places and movement corridors, rather than one fixed parcel of land. The Act also places responsibilities on rights holders and Gram Sabhas to protect wildlife, forests, biodiversity, catchments and ecologically sensitive areas. It therefore links livelihood rights with conservation duties. Which of the statements given above are correct? In practice, however, recognition requires careful mapping, verification and coordination. Seasonal routes may cross several villages, forest divisions or districts, while the institutional process is often organised around fixed local jurisdictions. India has expanded access to education , healthcare , nutrition programmes, food security, veterinary care, and digital services. Most of these systems, however, work through territorial jurisdictions. A person is linked to a village, school, health centre, ration shop, panchayat or district. However, a pastoral family may spend different parts of the year in different places and pass through several districts before reaching its seasonal destination. The problem is not always the absence of schemes, but the interruption of services when beneficiaries move beyond the jurisdiction through which the schemes are delivered. Education: A child enrolled in a school near the familyâs winter settlement may leave before the academic session ends and return after missing lessons, assessments and attendance. Hostels and residential schools can help some families, but they cannot be the only answer. Seasonal learning centres, mobile teachers and coordination between the schools at the place of origin and seasonal destination can help reduce academic disruption. Health and nutrition: Seasonal movement may interrupt immunisation, antenatal and postnatal care, nutrition services and treatment for chronic illness. Health planning should therefore begin before migration. People requiring follow-up can be identified in advance , records made accessible across locations , and health facilities at the seasonal destination informed. Animal health: For a pastoral household, animal health is part of family welfare. Livestock are sources of food, income, savings and security. Vaccination, deworming, health checks and reproductive care should be planned around the migration calendar. Veterinary institutions in origin, transit and destination districts also need to exchange disease-surveillance information. Such measures would draw attention to the idea of âportable governanceâ. But what exactly does this mean? âPortable governanceâ does not imply moving government offices with pastoral families. It means ensuring that administrative records, entitlements, and responsibility do not end at a district boundary. Through the One Nation One Ration Card system, India has already demonstrated that access to public entitlements need not be tied to a single place of residence. This system enables eligible beneficiaries to access foodgrain entitlements from any participating Fair Price Shop in the country, regardless of where their ration card was originally issued. Although education, healthcare, and animal health cannot use exactly the same mechanism, the basic idea is relevant: temporary movement should not interrupt the access to entitlements or essential public services . At least four broad measures could help ensure the continuity of services: 1. Mapping both permanent residence and likely seasonal locations 2. Planning services before migration 3. Coordinating across jurisdictions 4. Combining portable records with mobile services These measures reflect a broader recognition of the need to align public services with seasonal mobility. Against this backdrop, IYRP 2026 gives India an opportunity to look at pastoralism through a wider lens. Pastoralists are livestock producers, users of common natural resources and holders of valuable ecological knowledge. They are also citizens entitled to education, healthcare, nutrition, social protection and responsive administration. Public policy should neither romanticise mobility nor assume that permanent settlement is the only route to development. Some families may choose to settle or diversify their livelihoods. Others may continue seasonal movement because it remains economically, culturally and ecologically viable. The immediate task is to make existing institutions more responsive to mobility. Records must travel, districts must coordinate and responsibility must remain clear. A mobile livelihood should not lead to an immobile entitlement. 1. Discuss the ecological significance of rangelands in India. How can sustainable pastoralism contribute to rangeland conservation? 2. Climate change has increased the vulnerability of pastoral livelihoods in India. Examine the challenges and suggest adaptation measures. 3. Pastoral migration frequently cuts across administrative boundaries. Discuss the need for inter-jurisdictional coordination in ensuring service delivery â education, healthcare, nutrition, and veterinary services- to pastoral communities. 4. Examine how digital governance and mobile service delivery can improve access to public services for Indiaâs pastoral communities. 5. The concept of portable governance requires continuity of public services rather than continuity of residence. Examine. (Dr. Abdul Khabir currently serves as Deputy Director, Tribal Affairs Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Views are personal.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with ashiya.parveen@ indianexpress.com . Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2026. Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel â IndianExpress UPSC Hub , and follow us on Instagram and X.
-1786025787583_v.webp&w=3840&q=75)
-1786019762906_v.webp&w=3840&q=75)
-1786016064782_v.webp&w=3840&q=75)
