Grasslands vs wastelands: why confuse the two?

How grasslands are geographically undercounted

 Why should  grasslands matter to urban India?

Which grasslands are wrongly tagged wastelands

One example showing the real cost of wasteland

Why grasslands are ignored as carbon sinks now

Grasslands may beat trees on climate cost gain

Turning grasslands into solar parks is mistake

Lose grasslands, milk meat wool supply crashes

Grassland neglect exposes India's policy decay

Conclusion

Credits

Half your milk comes from animals grazing on land the government calls wasteland. The mutton in your biryani? Same story. We're talking ₹1.3 lakh crore annually 5% of India's GDP built on ecosystems we've systematically mislabeled as worthless since the British needed a tax category for "land we can't monetize. Now we're converting these "wastelands" into solar farms at scale without asking the millions of pastoralists who depend on them, or calculating the carbon stored beneath them, or wondering what happens when milk and meat prices spike because we've paved over the free grazing grounds that keep them affordable. The twist? These aren't degraded lands waiting for rehabilitation. They're ancient grasslands and savannas that have existed for millennia, doing exactly what they're supposed to do. We just never bothered to look closely enough to notice. Until now, when it might be too late. Host Anirban Chowdhury asks Dr Abi Vanak, Director, Centre for Policy Design at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE-CPD), to explain.

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You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin

Check out other interesting episodes from the host like Battle Beyond Borders, Peace Perished: Explaining the Pahalgam Terror Attack, Corner Office Conversation with Sridhar Vembu, CEO, of Zoho Corporation, Rebel Foods’ chief on Building Brands, Tech, and an IPO on the Horizon and much more.

Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.

Half your milk comes from animals grazing on land the government calls wasteland. The mutton in your biryani? Same story. We're talking ₹1.3 lakh crore annually 5% of India's GDP built on ecosystems we've systematically mislabeled as worthless since the British needed a tax category for "land we can't monetize. Now we're converting these "wastelands" into solar farms at scale without asking the millions of pastoralists who depend on them, or calculating the carbon stored beneath them, or wondering what happens when milk and meat prices spike because we've paved over the free grazing grounds that keep them affordable. The twist? These aren't degraded lands waiting for rehabilitation. They're ancient grasslands and savannas that have existed for millennia, doing exactly what they're supposed to do. We just never bothered to look closely enough to notice. Until now, when it might be too late. Host Anirban Chowdhury asks Dr Abi Vanak, Director, Centre for Policy Design at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE-CPD), to explain.
Listen in: You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: <a href="https://twitter.com/AnirbanET">X</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirban-chowdhury-b5067219/">Linkedin</a>
Check out other interesting episodes from the host like&nbsp;<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/morning-brief-podcast/morning-brief-podcast-battle-beyond-borders/podcast/121052322.cms?from=mdr">Battle Beyond Borders</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/peace-perished-explaining-the-pahalgam-terror-attack/id1568661777?i=1000704659454">Peace Perished: Explaining the Pahalgam Terror Attack</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/corner-office-conversation-with-sridhar-vembu-ceo-of/id1568661777?i=1000731722016">Corner Office Conversation with Sridhar Vembu, CEO, of Zoho Corporation</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/rebel-foods-chief-on-building-brands-tech-and-an-ipo/id1568661777?i=1000733234302">Rebel Foods&rsquo; chief on Building Brands, Tech, and an IPO on the Horizon</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777">much more</a>.
Catch the latest episode of &lsquo;The Morning Brief&rsquo; on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/podcast?from=mdr">The Economic Times Online</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PL5kfPbwURBEu6fHCVTOL?si=26ec0fbfa7134fea"> Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.jiosaavn.com/shows/the-morning-brief/1/GNPiFQD2xpY_">JioSaavn</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/f378141f-9afb-495d-83da-9b08ec5047ac/the-morning-brief">Amazon Music</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theetpodcasts">Youtube</a>.

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The Morning Brief

India Calls its Grasslands “Wastelands”; it’s a ₹1.3 lakh Crore Mistake!

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