Grasslands are India's most neglected ecosystems. Analyse this statement in the context of the decline of grassland-dependent species.

Grasslands are open landscapes stretching from the Thar to the Deccan plateau. They support specialist species such as the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), which is now Critically Endangered with perhaps ~250 birds left [1]. The bustard's collapse largely supports the statement, although recent policy shows the neglect is starting to be addressed.

Dimensions of neglect

• Undervaluation: unlike forests, open grassland is often treated as unproductive land waiting to be turned into farms or infrastructure.
• Fragmentation: the GIB once ranged across the grasslands of India and Pakistan. It now survives only in small, isolated fragments [1].
• Protection gap: most bustard habitat is farmed and grazed land outside protected areas. This is why WII stresses incentivising local land users [2].
• Population pressure: IUCN notes that wide-ranging species lose out in densely populated regions [1].

Impact on grassland-dependent species

• GIB: hunting, disturbance and habitat loss pushed it into the highest threat category [1].
• Lesser florican: WII keeps captive "insurance" populations of both bustards as a guard against extinction [2].
• Reliance on ex-situ tools: chicks are now hatched artificially from wild-collected eggs [3].

Signs the neglect is easing

• MoEFCC drew up the National Bustard Recovery Plans (2013). A WII-led habitat improvement and conservation breeding project followed in 2016 [3][4].
• The GIB is covered by the Species Recovery Programme under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme–Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats [3].
• A breeding centre runs at Sam, Jaisalmer, with technical help from IFHC and Reneco, Abu Dhabi [3].
• Limitation: released birds go back into the same threatened landscape, so breeding alone cannot reverse the decline.

Lesson from abroad

• The Iberian lynx grew from 62 to 648 mature individuals between 2001 and 2022. It was moved down from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2024 because its prey, its habitat and human-caused deaths were tackled together [5].

Neglect → land conversion + fragmentation → bustard decline
        → captive breeding (necessary, not sufficient)
        → habitat + community action → recovery

Fig: From neglect to recovery

The bustard's collapse shows that grassland neglect is real, but the policy response shows it can be reversed. Grasslands should be recognised as a distinct ecosystem in land-use planning, and farmers and herders should be rewarded for conservation-friendly practices. Success should be measured by breeding adults in the wild. Together, these steps can turn captive gains into lasting recovery, in line with SDG 15 (Life on Land).