Isro, ATREE partner to map grasslands, improve land use planning | India News
Bangalore: ISROIts Space Applications Center (SAC) has signed an MoU with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) to integrate satellite data with environmental field research.“The collaboration will focus on mapping India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems, which often remain underrepresented in policy and planning. It will assess the impact of restoration efforts on degraded land and develop improved methods to estimate both above- and below-ground carbon,” said a statement issued on Thursday.The partnership will combine SAC’s capabilities in large-scale geospatial mapping with Atri’s interdisciplinary environmental research and on-ground experience. The goal is to create reliable, policy-ready datasets that can support decision-making at both the national and state levels.“The two institutions will also work to develop standardized and scalable methods for identifying and monitoring ecosystems such as grasslands, savannas and deserts. These landscapes, although ecologically important, have received limited attention compared to forests,” the statement said.The initiative is expected to join land use planning, climate action strategies, conservation efforts and rural livelihood programs. By improving how ecosystems are mapped and assessed, the collaboration aims to provide a clearer picture of changes on the ground.The partnership aligns with India’s commitment to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 and contributes to the broader Sustainable Development Goals.
