UN Declares 2026 International Year for Rangelands

The United Nations has declared 2026 as the ‘International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists’, aiming to spotlight some of the world’s most overlooked yet vital ecosystems. The announcement comes amid growing concern that global climate action remains heavily forest-centric, despite mounting scientific evidence that grasslands and savannahs play an equally critical role in carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.

Scientific Push to Broaden Climate Focus

In 2022, a group of international scientists urged parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to broaden climate goals beyond forests to include all biomes, particularly grasslands and savannahs. Their open letter, published in “Science”, highlighted that savannahs can function as effective carbon sinks. However, three years on, UNFCCC climate negotiations continue to prioritise forests, leaving other ecosystems largely marginalised.

COP30 and Forest-Centric Climate Action

The UNFCCC COP30 climate talks, held in Belém, Brazil, underscored this imbalance. With Brazil hosting much of the Amazon basin, forests dominated the agenda. The launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), backed by multi-million-dollar commitments, aimed to incentivise forest protection. Yet COP30 ended without a concrete climate roadmap, reinforcing concerns that grasslands and rangelands remain excluded from mainstream climate strategies.

Grasslands Under Climate and Policy Stress

Grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems globally, facing habitat loss due to agriculture, plantations, invasive species, fossil fuel extraction, and fire suppression policies. Indigenous land management practices such as controlled burning and grazing have often been sidelined, worsening wildfire intensity and carbon emissions. In Australia, desert grasslands stewarded by Indigenous communities are grappling with climate-induced droughts, flash floods, and invasive buffel grass, which burns more intensely than native species.

Imporatnt Facts for Exams

• 2026 is the UN-designated International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists.
• Grasslands and savannahs are major but under-recognised carbon sinks.
• UNFCCC primarily focuses on climate change mitigation through carbon management.
• UNCCD emphasises land degradation neutrality and rangeland protection.

Global and Indian Policy Implications

Similar challenges exist in Brazil’s Cerrado savannah, which supports major river systems and faces higher land-use pressure than the Amazon. Scientists and policymakers have called for integrating grasslands into national climate plans and the Paris Agreement’s nationally determined contributions. In India, grasslands fall under multiple ministries with conflicting mandates. Recognising grasslands as carbon sinks within India’s NDC framework could strengthen climate mitigation while supporting pastoral livelihoods. Experts argue that coordinated action across UN conventions and national institutions is essential to mainstream grassland conservation globally.