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Isro, ATREE partner to map grasslands, improve land use planning

April 16, 2026 4 min read Science & Technology Environment & Ecology GS Paper 3 (Science & Technology Environment)
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What Happened

  • The Space Applications Centre (SAC) of ISRO and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 16, 2026 to jointly map India's grasslands and open natural ecosystems.
  • The collaboration combines SAC-ISRO's geospatial and satellite mapping capabilities with ATREE's field-based ecological research expertise to generate policy-ready datasets.
  • Key objectives include: (i) assessing the restoration impact on degraded landscapes, (ii) improving methodologies for above-ground and below-ground carbon estimation, and (iii) creating standardised monitoring tools for ecosystems often underrepresented in land use policy — grasslands, savannas, and open natural ecosystems.
  • The initiative aligns with India's commitment to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030 under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and supports multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Datasets generated will support national and state-level decision-making on land use planning, climate action, conservation priorities, and rural livelihoods dependent on grassland ecosystems.

Static Topic Bridges

India's Space Applications in Environmental Monitoring

ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC), headquartered in Ahmedabad, is the primary institution responsible for developing applications of space technology for societal benefit. SAC operates under ISRO's Department of Space mandate and maintains dedicated programmes for Earth observation, natural resource management, and environmental monitoring.

  • ISRO satellites used for land use/land cover (LULC) mapping include ResourceSat (LISS sensors), Cartosat (high-resolution optical), and RISAT (SAR/synthetic aperture radar — useful for vegetation beneath cloud cover)
  • National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad: the data dissemination and applications arm of ISRO; produces national LULC maps
  • Bhuvan: ISRO's geospatial portal that makes satellite imagery and thematic maps publicly accessible
  • NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, scheduled for 2024-onward: designed specifically to track Earth's changing surfaces including vegetation biomass — directly relevant to grassland carbon estimation

Connection to this news: SAC's remote sensing expertise enables large-scale, systematic mapping of India's open natural ecosystems — a task too vast for ground-level ecological surveys alone. Satellite data provides the spatial resolution needed to detect degradation, restoration progress, and biomass changes across millions of hectares.

Grasslands as Underrepresented Ecosystems in Indian Policy

India's grasslands and savannas — spread across the Deccan Plateau, Banni grasslands of Gujarat, shola-grassland mosaic of the Western Ghats, high-altitude meadows (bugyals) of the Himalayas, and the Terai-Duar savanna — are ecologically significant but systematically undercounted. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the National Forest Policy, 1988, forests receive explicit protection, but grasslands lack comparable legal safeguards, often classified as "wastelands" and vulnerable to diversion.

  • India's grasslands cover approximately 12% of the country's land area but are frequently reclassified as degraded land available for tree plantation drives, which can paradoxically reduce biodiversity
  • Carbon sequestration: grassland soils store 10–30% of global soil carbon; below-ground carbon stocks often exceed above-ground biomass
  • "Open Natural Ecosystems" (ONEs): a term used in Indian ecological literature to distinguish grasslands, savannas, and scrub forests from closed-canopy forests — these require distinct conservation approaches
  • State Biodiversity Boards under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 have a role in documenting and conserving locally significant grassland ecosystems

Connection to this news: The ISRO-ATREE MoU directly addresses the data deficit that prevents grasslands from being accurately counted in India's land use inventory. Accurate mapping is a prerequisite for any legal or policy protection of these ecosystems.

Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and International Commitments

Land Degradation Neutrality is a global target under Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to which India is a party. LDN means that the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services remain stable or increase within specified temporal and spatial scales. India submitted its voluntary LDN target to UNCCD as part of its national commitments.

  • India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 (Bonn Challenge commitment)
  • India's National Action Programme to Combat Desertification coordinates LDN efforts domestically
  • Restoration monitoring requires baseline data (current degradation extent) + periodic reassessment — exactly what satellite mapping + ecological research can provide
  • Carbon credits from land restoration: properly mapped and verified grassland restoration could generate tradeable credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (carbon markets)

Connection to this news: Without standardised, satellite-verified baseline maps of India's grasslands and their carbon stocks, both India's LDN targets and potential climate finance claims remain unverifiable. The ISRO-ATREE partnership aims to fill this measurement gap.

Key Facts & Data

  • MoU signed: April 16, 2026 — SAC-ISRO and ATREE
  • ATREE: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, headquartered in Bengaluru; an independent conservation research organisation
  • SAC: Space Applications Centre, ISRO, headquartered in Ahmedabad
  • Target ecosystems: Grasslands, savannas, deserts, and other open natural ecosystems
  • Core deliverables: Carbon estimation methodologies, restoration monitoring tools, policy-ready land use datasets
  • International alignment: UN SDG 15 (Life on Land), UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030, India's Bonn Challenge commitment (26 million hectares restoration)
  • Key ISRO satellite for LULC: ResourceSat, Cartosat, RISAT; upcoming NISAR (NASA-ISRO)
  • India grassland coverage: approximately 12% of total land area