States urge Centre to amend grassland protections under afforestation law

The Banni grasslands of Gujarat were highlighted, noting 2015 Community Forest Rights for 47 Maldhari villages and a 2021 National Green Tribunal directive to remove encroachments to uphold Maldhari rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The SC-NBWL also noted that the introduction of cheetahs in Banni is underway, with habitat improvement, prey augmentation, and infrastructure development, and an expert committee will visit soon. The grasslands constitute about 45% of Gujarat’s pastures, underscoring their ecological and cultural significance.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will undertake a study on nomadic communities whose seasonal migration routes pass through protected forests and sanctuaries, focusing on conservation issues. The study will be funded under the National CAMPA and completed within six months, covering Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The committee decided that CoE-SLM will submit a detailed project report for an Atlas of Grasslands of India, covering status and associated biodiversity, and seek funding under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMFA).

At the 90th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir called for amendments to India's forest conservation law to recognise grassland restoration under compensatory afforestation. A senior environment ministry official cautioned that the recommendation must be read carefully, noting that compensatory afforestation plantations may alter the ecological characteristics of grasslands and should be taken up cautiously; the SC NBWL also agreed that grasslands within recorded forest areas are already protected under existing law. The meeting also heard a detailed presentation from the Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM) under the ICFRE.