1. Background
Amid the towering challenges of climate change, the quiet loss of pastoral lands may seem inconsequential to many. Still, for India’s pastoralist communities, it marks the erosion of a lifeline. Pastoralism is understood to be one of the oldest practices in India, where communities lead nomadic lives rearing livestock, with a multifaceted production system contributing to the numerous products and services, including essential goods such as milk, meat, fiber, hides and also offering a means for travel, agriculture and tourism (Malhotra, 2024).
India is home to nearly 46 pastoral communities spread across all states and parts of the country, from Ladakh in the north to the Thar Desert in the west (Rollefson & Kishore, 2021). Due to its past pastoralism, it contributes significantly to the rural economies in India and holds potential for sustainable and green economic growth. Though official data is wanting, estimates suggest that there are nearly 13 million pastoralists in India, roughly around 1% of the total population. They contribute to around two-third of the 4.5% share of the livestock sector in the national GDP (Rollefson & Kishore, 2021).
Despite their large numbers, pastoral communities in India receive little legal recognition. In fact, the government of India does not recognize “pastoralism” as an official category. Thus, there is little research about these communities (Rollefson & Kishore, 2021). Even the 2011 Census did not separately account for pastoral communities, but rather placed them under a broader ‘nomad’ category, which does not encompass relevant demographic information of these communities. Yet, some research from the Centre for Pastoralism gathers data on district-level numbers and maps out communities across the states, and they recognize an overall absence of reliable government-supported macro-level data available for these communities.
A survey in a study recognizing the challenges of pastoralist communities and data collection assesses Aadhar ownership across communities in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The results show nearly 50% belonged to OBC categories, nomadic (28.7%), ST (11.0%), Scheduled Caste (4.6%), and only 5.4% to the General category. Moreover, there was a general lack of literacy (69%) and land ownership, with only 53.7% claiming land ownership over agricultural land (Centre for Pastoralism, 2019).
There has been some recognition of the communities and their rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Even so, the act has also not been very effective in granting rights to pastoralist communities, especially on grazing lands and routes. Furthermore, official categorisation plays a big role in this recognition; some pastoralist communities are listed as scheduled tribes (STs) in one region but not others; for instance, Gujjars are a scheduled tribe in Himachal but not in Uttarakhand (Ramaswamy, 2023). This recognition has major implications for the rights of these communities because the FRA specifically requires Other Traditional Forest Dweller (OTFDs) to show ‘primary residence in forest lands for three generations (75 years) before 13-12-2005’ as opposed to a mere ‘primary residence’ requirement for STs (Ramaswamy, 2023). The FRA vests the right to access seasonal resources in the nomadic and pastoralist communities.
However, these communities have been diverted from land for the construction of roads, hydro projects, and plantation activities by the forest department (Rathore, 2025). For instance, over the last 22 years, 11,000 hectares (ha) of forest land for development infrastructure have been diverted by the governments in the Himachal Pradesh state government (Parashar, 2025). More recently, an order from the forest department of Himachal has highlighted the rising tension between the afforestation measures and the rights of its pastoral communities (Rathore, 2025). In a win for the pastoralist communities, the state’s principal chief conservator directed all divisional forest officers in the state to avoid tree planting in “areas that serve as migratory routes or halting sites for pastoral communities” (Rathore, 2025). This marks the first such protection of the traditional routes of pastoral communities in many parts of the country.
2. Pastoralist Communities and Rights
Pastoralist communities across India have long remained on the fringes of environmental policy, never fully comprehended and not completely excluded. Pastoralism has evolved in response to climate change; however, traditional practices have also aligned with conservation of biodiversity and local ecology (Maggu, 2021). Pastoralist systems focus on mobile grazing for animals under nomadic, transhumant, or sedentary management systems. Communities raise animals, including sheep, goats, cattle, horses, donkeys, pigs, camels, and yaks, while managing land, water, and other natural resources as well (UNCCD, 2024). Yet, their traditional grazing practices and livelihoods have received little attention.
Despite their sustainable relationship with ecosystems, these communities also find themselves excluded from conservation narratives and on the margins of legal recognition. A key gap in policy that may have resulted in pastoralist communities remaining on the sidelines can also be the misidentification of India’s grasslands as “wastelands” or subsumed under forest categories in policy frameworks, including the FRA, 2006.
Under the FRA, community forest resource rights are granted within forests, but legal ambiguity around non-forest ecosystems like grasslands makes it difficult for pastoral communities to claim their rights. Furthermore, grasslands are historically underappreciated and highly degraded amid many threats, including excessive grazing, altered fire regimes, high rates of land clearance and land-use, encroachment by trees, among others (Kapuria, 2022). Such misinterpretation reinforces the invisibility of pastoral concerns in India’s conservation discourse and threatens not only biodiversity, but also disempowers the pastoral communities. Below are two case studies that illustrate how pastoral communities struggle with legal non-recognition, a challenge that carries significant implications for both social equity and environmental sustainability.
2.1. Maldharis of the Banni Grasslands
The Maldhari community in the Kachch district of Gujarat is the custodian of the Banni grasslands, although this claim is legally weak. The community consists of Hindu and Muslim religious groups (with the latter being the majority) who have lived in harmony for many years (Dutta, n.d.). However, these communities do not hold any land titles for their houses (Dutta, n.d.). Furthermore, they face the threats to their grasslands from the increasing spread of the invasive alien species gando baval (prosopis juliflora), which has taken over the grassland, sucking up the groundwater, and leading to the infestation of pods and the death of Kankrej cattle (Dutta, n.d.). The species was introduced by the Forest Department without consultation with the Maldharis as a part of their greening campaign (Dutta, n.d.); however, more recently, the government took measures to restore the Banni grasslands by removing the encroachment and gando baval (prosopis juliflora) and planting Banyan trees (Kateshiya, 2023). However, this decision is also concerning since the plantation of these trees could change the ecosystem of the grasslands (Kateshiya, 2023).
2.2. Van Gujjars in Rajaji National Park
The Van Gujjars, a semi-nomadic pastoralist community, have been residents of the Rajaji national park which was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1983 (Fanari, 2023). Since then, many members of the community have been relocated over multiple relocation initiatives and threats of eviction. In 2008, the Uttarakhand High Court served a contempt notice to the director of the National Park for evicting the community without settling their forest rights under the FRA, 2006 (Fanari, 2023). Following a long legal battle by the community for the recognition of their land rights, the Uttarakhand High Court directed the state government to set up a committee to look into the matters related to the Van Gujjars.
The community was deeply impacted by the devastating floods in 2023; however, they have remained vigilant in the face of changes driven by the changing climate. To manage their lands and manage water resources in the midst of drying out springs, the community creates suuta (small ponds) from natural springs to sustain cattle and wild animals (Mahale & Sushmita, 2024). The community, which is present in both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, is only recognised as a Scheduled Tribe in the latter state.
3. Recognizing Pastoralist Community Practice
The pastoral communities in India, including the Gujjars, Raikas, Bakarwals, and Maldharis, among others, have nurtured a centuries-old symbiosis relationship between people, livestock, land, and markets. Besides their lifestyles of seasonal migration, many of these communities prevent overgrazing, encourage soil regeneration, and sustain biodiversity across fragile rangelands. In a massive move to recognize the pastoral communities, the government decided to make a special provision to include pastoral livestock in the 2024 livestock census (Bhatti & Ramaswamy, 2023). The move would not only provide an estimate of the number of pastoralists in the country but also highlight their contribution to livestock rearing and bring these communities into the fold of policy initiatives with extended government support.
The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, an initiative aimed at raising awareness and advocating for the value of healthy rangelands and sustainable pastoralism (FAO, 2022). Pastoralism plays a significant role in India, and the government’s initiatives over the last couple of years to recognize this contribution can help facilitate the use of knowledge and enhance sustainability within these communities. The 21st Livestock Census, which included data on pastoralists, their contributions to the livestock sector, their socio-economic conditions, and livestock holdings, will pave the way for more inclusive policymaking (Upadhyaya, 2024).
Furthermore, the government has taken measures to extend ‘Kisan Credit Cards’ for all livestock, including sheep and goat, and constituted a pastoral cell to prioritize and enable policy to focus on issues of the communities across India (Rupala, 2023). These initiatives align with the forest department’s effort to recognize and map traditional pastoral routes used for seasonal grazing, offering some protection against misguided afforestation measures. Yet, uncertainty persists.
In 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, for example, had issued a similar directive in the Chamba circle, to halt the government-run afforestation activities in the state on migratory paths and halting points of the pastoralists, similar to the recent such directive by the Chief Conservator (Gupta, 2023). While this order was welcomed by the communities, they expressed concern that without ‘adequate institutional support’ (Gupta, 2023), lasting solutions would remain out of reach.
The move served as a wake-up call for other government bodies to reconsider these drives, highlighting the need for a digitized and coordinated strategy. Although a framework exists in the form of the State Level Advisory Review Committee (Gupta, 2023), it has not been operational, leaving critical gaps in implementation. Despite the existence of identification systems like Aadhaar and broader rights-based frameworks, pastoralists frequently remain excluded from consistent service delivery due to the logistical challenges of their mobile livelihoods. Implementation gaps persist, particularly in tracking seasonal migrations, ensuring portable benefits, and aligning bureaucratic procedures with the lived realities of these communities.
3.1. Pathways to Inclusion
Integrating pastoralists into forest restoration efforts in India is not just a matter of social justice; it is essential for ecological resilience and empowering traditional livelihoods through community recognition. Pastoralist communities, through generations of migratory grazing, have shaped and maintained some of the country’s more fragile ecosystems, including grasslands, scrub forests, and alpine meadows in the states of Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand.
To better integrate pastoralists into forest restoration in India, policy interventions must legally recognize their mobility and ecosystem stewardship. First, integrating traditional migratory routes into afforestation planning with collective action, such as through directives by the Himachal Pradesh forest department, will ensure that restoration efforts align with sustainable grazing practices. Second, leveraging the Forest Rights Act’s mechanisms to grant Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights to pastoralists, as demonstrated by the Banni Maldharis’ successful resource management, can empower local communities to lead restoration efforts (Maggu, 2021). Third, embedding pastoralist voices within decentralized governance frameworks like Gram Sabhas and Joint Forest Management Committees under PESA can facilitate co-decision-making on land use, grazing, and restoration practices (Choudhary & Chandra, 2022).
4. Towards Inclusive Restoration
India is a blend of pastoralist cultures with 46 distinct identities that have unique knowledge and understanding of ecosystems (Choudhary & Chandra, 2022). These communities also contribute majorly to the livestock rearing and other systems, including milk and meat production. However, the traditional livelihood practices and the rights of these communities have not been given significant attention. Pastoralists have long been custodians of India’s grasslands, scrublands, and forest fringes, offering sustainable models of ecosystem management through their traditional practices.
The upcoming International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists presented a timely opportunity for India to correct this imbalance. Given that India is home to one of the world’s largest pastoral populations, the country has a unique responsibility and potential to lead by example in securing rights, integrating knowledge systems, and building participatory governance frameworks for pastoralists. Policy interventions must go beyond symbolic recognition; they must institutionalize support through legal safeguards for grazing routes, community forest rights, and inclusion in restoration programs. By doing so, India can position itself as a global champion of inclusive restoration where climate resilience can go hand in hand with recognizing traditional but sustainable economic pathways.
