Sustaining Asia’s Grasslands Through Smarter Governance and Investment

Asia hosts some of the world’s largest and most diverse grassland ecosystems. These are vast landscapes that have shaped cultures, supported civilizations, and sustained pastoral livelihoods for millennia. From the Eurasian and Central Asian steppes to tropical and island grasslands in South, Southeast, and Pacific Asia, the region contains about 8.9 million km² of grasslands across habitats including savannahs, semi-deserts, dry woodlands, meadows, wet grasslands, peatlands, and salt marshes. India alone contains important and often underestimated grassland systems, such as the Banni, Shola, Terai, and Deccan Plateau grasslands.

About forty Asian countries have notable grassland coverage. The largest areas lie in the People’s Republic of China (2.8 million km²), Kazakhstan (2.33 million km²), and Mongolia (1.01 million km²). In six countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, and Mongolia, grasslands cover more than half of the country’s land area.

Asia’s grasslands generate a wide range of ecosystem services that support economies, ecosystems, and societies. These services include provisioning services such as livestock fodder; supporting and regulating services such as biodiversity conservation, water flow regulation, and carbon storage; as well as cultural and aesthetic services. Their combined economic worth is substantial, estimated at between USD 3,955 and 5,466 per hectare, depending on ecosystem type. Moreover, regulating services, such as carbon sequestration and water cycle regulation, are valued at roughly four times that of provisioning services and eight times that of food supply alone, underscoring the strategic importance of grasslands for climate and environmental stability.

Most grasslands in Asia are pastoral landscapes where herders manage mixed livestock systems adapted to harsh climates and seasonal variation. Mongolian herders commonly raise sheep, goats, horses, cattle, yaks, and camels, while pastoralists in the Kyrgyz Republic raise sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. These species provide milk, fiber, meat, and transport, creating diverse livelihood streams that enhance household resilience.

Mobility is the foundation of pastoralist production. Herders move seasonally to access nutritious forage and avoid extreme weather or disease outbreaks, shifting between high-altitude summer pastures, lowland winter areas, shrublands, wetlands, and woodlands.

However, pastoralists increasingly face constraints on mobility and access. National borders, administrative boundaries, land conversion, and competing land uses have reduced access to traditional grazing routes. Even small patches of pasture, such as winter or dry-season grazing areas, can be critical. Landscape fragmentation and loss of traditional natural resources now threaten both pastoralist livelihoods and grassland ecosystem integrity.

With pressures on mobility, land access, and ecological integrity increasing, a coherent set of policy and investment responses is essential to safeguard the long-term productivity and resilience of Asia’s grasslands. These include: 

Support well-managed grazing as an ecological tool.
Most grasslands in Asia are semi-natural ecosystems, meaning they are shaped by long histories of pastoral use but still retain high biodiversity and essential ecological processes. Evidence shows that well managed grazing—using strategic, high-intensity grazing followed by rest—can maintain and even enhance grassland condition. This ecological foundation broadens the rationale for investment and underscores the need to support pastoral systems rather than replace them.

Invest in pastoral systems for their full ecological and socio-economic value.
Pastoralist landscapes deliver far more than livestock production as described above. Investment strategies must recognize and balance their multiple benefits.

Restore grasslands through coordinated, community-led management.
Large-scale restoration is often low cost when grazing is adjusted and traditional practices are reinstated. Strengthening communal coordination enables natural recovery across extensive areas. Where land conversion poses risks, area-based conservation, such as community managed conservation zones and Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measure (OECM), may be required. With Asian grasslands remaining among the least protected biomes, these represent major opportunities for improved conservation.

Align governance and finance systems to incentivize sustainable management.
Long-term sustainability depends on integrated governance and investment frameworks that link ecological health with economic value. Connecting livestock value chains to carbon, water, or biodiversity finance can drive improved practices, though such mechanisms require capable institutions and innovative financial tools. Strengthening local governance is essential, especially where countries face institutional and technical capacity gaps in community-based management.

Strengthen policy frameworks that secure mobility, connectivity, and pastoralist rights.
Policies must support pastoral mobility, maintain ecological connectivity, and reduce degradation risks. Governments should legally recognize grassland user associations, invest in integrated landscape planning, and build capacity across livestock and non-livestock value chains. Private investment must comply with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) to safeguard pastoralist rights and ensure positive community outcomes.

Establish monitoring systems that track ecological health and livelihood benefits.
Effective monitoring is needed to assess grassland condition and the delivery of global environmental benefits alongside local socio-economic gains. Monitoring systems should align with pastoralist management objectives and integrate ecological and livelihood indicators.

Asian Development Bank. 2025. Asia-Pacific Climate Report 2025: Unlocking Nature for Development.

J. Davies. 2025. Asian Grasslands. Background paper for the Asia-Pacific Climate Report 2025: Unlocking Nature for Development. Asian Development Bank.