For decades, much of India’s open grasslands and savanna-woodlands were dismissed as degraded forests or “wastelands”, remnants of lost jungles, waiting to be restored. But recent research challenges that narrative. A groundbreaking study combining literary evidence, ecological science, and palaeo-data now shows that India’s savannas have ancient origins, existing for centuries or even millennia as stable ecosystems, not casualties of deforestation. Recognizing this changes how we think about conservation, restoration, and land-use policy across the subcontinent.

How Ancient Texts Unlock Ecology: Folklore as Evidence

The new study, published in People and Nature, mined centuries-old Marathi and Sanskrit texts, folk songs, poems, myths, and pilgrim records written by communities across western India. The researchers identified references to wild plants, grasses, and landscape descriptions that match savanna-type ecosystems. For example, an acacia tree (Vachellia leucophloea), thorny thorn-savanna shrubs, and extensive “empty, grass-filled” valleys are repeatedly mentioned.

In one 13th-century text by a saint-poet, savanna-characteristic flora are described in devotional verses; in others, herders and travellers refer to “thorny plains” abundant in grass rather than dense forest.

Altogether, the team documented 44 species from the texts: nearly two-thirds recognized today as savanna species, suggesting these landscapes were not recently created but were historically persistent.

This historical documentation offers an important, often-overlooked kind of ecological evidence: literature as palaeo-ecology, helping trace back what existed long before modern surveys and satellite imagery.

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Ecology and Paleoecology: Scientific Evidence Supports the Ancient-Savanna Hypothesis

The literary evidence aligns with scientific and paleoecological research. Studies of grass phytoliths (microscopic silica bodies from grasses) and fossilized plant remnants in central India show that savanna-type grasses have existed in the subcontinent for millions of years.

Climate-driven shifts, such as the development of a strongly seasonal monsoon pattern after the uplift of the Tibetan plateau, transformed parts of the Indian subcontinent from continuous tropical forest to more seasonal, open woodland-grassland biomes. That transition, occurring roughly 5–8 million years ago, corresponds with global patterns for the expansion of savanna biomes.

More recently, ecological mapping and biome-distribution studies confirm that large swathes of peninsular and central India correspond to savanna/wooded-grassland conditions: moderate rainfall, seasonal climate, open canopy with grass understory, and tree cover kept in check by soil, fire, herbivory, or other ecological processes.

Thus, across multiple lines, the fossil record, climate history, and present vegetation patterns, the ecological science supports the conclusion that savannas in India are not accidental or degraded forests, but ancient, persistent ecosystems.

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Geography & Extent: Where India’s Savannas Occur

According to the recent study, in western India alone, there are about 37,485 square kilometers of open grassy expanses still existing, roughly two-thirds the area of Lake Michigan.

Beyond western India, savanna and grassland-type biomes extend across the central peninsular regions, and northeast in areas such as the Terai‑Duar Savanna and Grasslands, the lowland belt at the foothills of the Himalayas.

These savannas, varying from open grasslands with few trees to more wooded savanna-woodlands, form part of a broader mosaic across India, shaped by climate, soil, fire, herbivory, and human use over centuries.

Recognizing this extent is crucial: it means savannas aren’t just small isolated patches, but significant ecotypes covering large swathes of the subcontinent, deserving conservation and careful management.

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Why Savannas Were Misunderstood: Colonial Legacies and Afforestation Bias

Historically, colonial-era forest policy and later conservation thinking prioritized dense, closed-canopy forests. Landscapes with sparse trees or open grasslands were often labeled “wastelands,” “degraded lands,” or “deforested areas.” Many savannas ended up misclassified as degraded forests.

This misclassification led to aggressive tree-planting and afforestation drives, often oblivious to the local ecological and cultural context. Unfortunately, planting trees on natural savanna grasslands doesn’t restore a “true forest” — it disrupts the natural tree-grass balance, harms endemic savanna species, and compromises traditional grazing or pastoral livelihoods.

The new findings, especially from ancient texts, challenge these biases. If India’s savannas have ancient origins, then afforestation policies need recalibration: we must distinguish between genuine degraded land and ancient savanna ecosystems that deserve protection, not transformation.

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Why Savannas Matter: Biodiversity, Carbon, and Culture

Recognizing savannas as ancient and valid biomes has wide implications:

• Biodiversity and endemism: Savannas in India harbour many plant and animal species unique to these grasslands. According to some estimates, Indian savanna-grasslands contain over 200 endemic plant species, many of them threatened by land-use change.
• Ecosystem services: Savannas provide grazing lands for livestock, support pollinators and grassland fauna, maintain soil and hydrological cycles, and contribute to carbon storage, sometimes guarding against desertification in seasonal climates.
• Cultural and historical heritage: For many centuries, human communities, shepherds, pastoralists, and tribal groups have lived in and around these landscapes. Folklore, songs, pilgrimage stories, and literature all embed the memory of savannas, making them part of cultural heritage, not just ecological zones.
• Conservation & climate action relevance: In the age of climate change and mass tree-planting drives, treating savannas merely as degraded forests can cause ecological harm. By recognizing savannas as valid biomes, restoration and conservation policy can shift toward protecting their unique vegetation, supporting biodiversity, and preventing harmful afforestation.

In sum: savannas matter, not as second-rate lands, but as ecosystems with intrinsic ecological, cultural, and climate value.

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Conclusion: Rewriting India’s Landscape History and Its Future

The assertion that India’s savannas have ancient origins is more than academic: it demands a rethinking of how we treat grasslands, how we do restoration, what counts as “forest,” and how we value different ecosystems. Savannas are not failed forests; they are ecosystems with their own history, biodiversity, and value.

As policymakers, conservationists, and citizens rally around nature restoration and carbon-offset afforestation, we must avoid one-size-fits-all approaches. For savannas, the correct action may be conservation, not tree-planting. For grassland fauna, the right move may be habitat protection, not conversion.

This rediscovery of savanna heritage offers hope that India’s open-land ecosystems, long misunderstood, may get recognition, protection, and respect. To do that, we must let both ancient texts and modern science guide us.

Short Data Snapshot

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Top 5 FAQs on India’s Savannas Have Ancient Origins

1. Does this mean every open grassland in India is a natural savanna from ancient times?

No. While the study shows savanna-type ecosystems have existed for centuries, not all open lands are natural savannas. Each region needs an ecological and historical assessment before classifying or restoring land.

2. Why were savannas previously misclassified as degraded forests?

Because colonial and post-colonial forest policy prioritized dense forests and timber value, open-canopy grasslands were considered “wastelands” or “deforested areas,” leading to tree-planting and afforestation campaigns irrespective of ecological context.

3. Are savannas less valuable than forests in terms of carbon storage or biodiversity?

Not necessarily. Savannas support unique biodiversity, endemic plants, and grassland fauna and provide ecosystem services like grazing, groundwater recharge, soil maintenance, and wildfire resilience. Their carbon dynamics differ, but they remain ecologically valuable.

4. Should we stop all tree planting and afforestation then?

Not at all. Tree planting remains vital in degraded lands and truly deforested zones. But blanket afforestation, especially over old savannas or grasslands, can harm native ecosystems. Restoration policy must be context-sensitive, informed by ecological history.

5. What does this mean for conservation policy in India now?

It means savannas and grasslands should be recognized as distinct biomes. Conservation efforts must protect savanna habitats, prevent ill-planned afforestation, support grassland restoration, and integrate traditional knowledge with modern ecological science.

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