Advancing Land Degradation Neutrality: India’s Strategy for Community-Centric Rangeland Restoration

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), held in Ulaanbaatar, has brought the critical issue of rangeland degradation to the forefront of global environmental discourse. India’s intervention at the summit underscores a paradigm shift in land management, moving away from top-down bureaucratic interventions toward a community-led, decentralized approach. Rangelands, which cover vast swathes of the earth's surface, are vital for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and the livelihoods of pastoralist communities. However, they remain highly susceptible to desertification and climate-induced stress. India’s proposal highlights the necessity of empowering local stakeholders—the primary custodians of these ecosystems—to implement restoration strategies that are ecologically and culturally contextual. By integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific practices, India aims to achieve its national Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets. The conference also emphasized the technical dimension of climate resilience, specifically the need for robust, cross-border data sharing mechanisms. Such cooperation is essential for early warning systems regarding drought, which often transcends national boundaries and requires a coordinated regional response to mitigate its socio-economic impact.