India launched its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It treats grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands, ravines and rocky plateaus as valuable ecosystems rather than 'wastelands', covering the Thar Desert, Banni grasslands, Deccan savannas, Aravalli scrublands, Yamuna-Chambal ravines and Tamil Nadu's Theri Kaadu. Prepared by MoEFCC with ATREE, IUCN and ISRO, it highlights biodiversity, soil carbon, hydrology and pastoral communities such as Raikas, Dhangars, Gujjars and Bakarwals, and warns that tree planting does not suit species like the Great Indian Bustard and Blackbuck.