It is a new report released by the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD).
About half of the world’s rangelands are degraded and need policy interventions, and communities depending on them need focused support.
The UNCCD report defines rangelands as natural or semi-natural ecosystems that are grazed by livestock or wild animals.
Rangelands contain vegetation such as grasses, shrubs, bushes, open forests, and agroforestry systems (land which contains trees and crops or pastures).
Currently, rangelands cover 80 million sq km of Earth’s terrestrial surface area (over half of Earth’s land).
Rangelands generate 16% of global food production and 70% of feed for domesticated herbivores, most significantly in Africa and South America.
In India, rangelands occupy about 1.21 million sq km, from the Thar Desert to Himalayan meadows.
The United Nations General assembly has designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP).