In a lecture at the Science Gallery Bengaluru, ecologist Mahesh Sankaran stressed the importance of grasslands, and why we must conserve them
Mahesh's research includes studying grasslands in Africa and India and determining how these ecosystems have evolved and contribute to the biosphere. With over two decades of experience working on the subject, Sankaran emphasised on the need to conserve the second most widespread habitat.
'Grasses have influenced our biosphere in so many ways, supporting the evolution of ungulates and herbivores. All of these grazers, eat grass and could have evolved only after grass evolved,' he said.
He also explained how savannas and grasslands have played an important role in the evolution of human society. 'As many as 35 grass species have been domesticated over the years as cultivated crops. About 17% of cultivated crops are grasses and they affect our nutrient cycle and diet,'
'There are many other ways we use grasses — for instance bamboos are used for building houses, to thatch roofs, for sweeping, and even to make alcohol.'
Conservation challenges
However, he mentions that India's grasslands face many conservation challenges. 'I think one of the biggest reasons is that most of them are administratively classified as wastelands; this is a legacy from colonial foresters who looked at vegetation only from the perspective of forestry. Anything that didn't generate revenue was classified as a wasteland. Unfortunately, that is still the case today.'
He explains that since wastelands do not get protection status, one can easily convert them for any other land use without a hassle. 'People don't always see grasslands as important. It is something called bio-awareness disparity, where people seem to value trees more than they do grasslands.'
'Most of the time people plant trees in grasslands to reduce the effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but these invasive plantations often fail to bring the anticipated benefit. What they don't understand is that grasslands are ancient ecosystems which evolved more than 100 million years ago and continue to shape the entire world.'
The first evidence for grasslands was observed when scientists spotted traces of grass fossilised between the teeth of dinosaurs. Now there are over 12,000 species of grasses and 10 percent of these species are found in India. But unfortunately, DSankran says that 70 percent of the grassland habitats across the Western Ghats have been lost in the last 100 years.
'I think if people just appreciate grasslands and are aware of their importance, the rest of the actions to conserve them will follow. Grass is more than just a patch of green below your feet,' he concluded the lecture, held as part of the six-day Sci560 programme hosted by the Science Gallery Bengaluru from May 4 to May 17.
Sankaran completed his PhD from Syracuse University in the US and carried out postdoctoral research in both the UK and the US before joining NCBS in 2009. His distinction has been recognised at the Fellowship of the Indian Academy of Science (2020) and the Indian National Science Academy (2021).
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