“Grasslands are the ‘common’ lands of the community and while there have been robust traditional institutions ensuring their sustainable management in the past, today, due to take-over by government or breakdown of traditional institutions, they are the responsibility of none. They are the most productive ecosystems in the Indian subcontinent, but while they belong to all, they are controlled by none. Indeed, they are often looked at as ‘wastelands’ on which tree plantations are carried out, or which can be easily diverted for other uses. Such diversions often put even more pressure on adjoining ecosystems for grazing and fodder removal, resulting in a cascading chain of degradation.”