The theme of the conference is Sustainable Use of Grassland/Rangeland Resources for Improved Livelihoods. The Congress will be organized under seven thematic areas of rangeland and grassland research and development with a better balance between the people/social/policy and more traditional topics. The congress will cover 30 sessions each dealing with a particular aspect of grasslands/rangelands as listed below. The congress themes are:-

1) RANGELAND/GRASSLAND ECOLOGY

  • Ecological site description and ecosystem classification.
  • Soil and watershed management, water supply, quality and riparian health.
  • Shrub encroachment, fire ecology, invasive species and pest management.
  • Monitoring of rangeland and grassland resources.
  • Sustainable rangeland/grassland management and improvement.

2) FORAGE PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION

  • Genetic resources, forage development and management.
  • Grazing management practices and animal nutrition.
  • Challenges for sustainability of intensive high rainfall grasslands, sown pastures and turf.
  • Seed science and production systems.

3) LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

  • Intensive production systems (including small-holder dairy systems in tropics and subtropics).
  • Extensive production systems (including ranching, nomadism, and dairying).
  • Integrated systems (Agro-silvopastoral systems and crop-livestock interactions).

4) WILDLIFE, TOURISM AND MULTI-FACETS OF RANGELANDS/GRASSLANDS

  • Wildlife management, conservation and tourism.
  • Privately owned or leased rangeland systems.
  • Biodiversity and ecosystem services of rangelands/grasslands.
  • Status, and trends in rangelands/grasslands and options in the future.
  • Competing interests in rangelands: mining, fracking, ground water exploitation.

5) DROUGHT MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN RANGELANDS/GRASSLANDS

  • Drought management for sustainable productivity.
  • Carbon sequestration.
  • GHG emissions from rangeland/grassland livestock systems.
  • Impacts on biodiversity, livestock and grazing systems.
  • Early warning systems and modelling future climate change in arid and semi-arid lands.

6) PASTORALISM, SOCIAL, GENDER AND POLICY ISSUES

  • Cultural heritage and indigenous people’s use of rangelands/grasslands (Indigenous Technical Knowledge).
  • Governance, land rights and changes to pastoral systems.
  • Social justice, gender and equity issues in rangelands/grasslands.
  • Livelihood diversification opportunities for pastoralists (crops, hand crafts, fishing, beekeeping, bio-fuels, silk, herbs, spices, wild fruit etc.).
  • Marketing infrastructure and systems in rangelands/grasslands.
  • Policy issues for rangelands/grasslands development.
  • Political instability and extremism: its impact on rangelands/grasslands management.

7) CAPACITY, INSTITUTIONS AND INNOVATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN RANGELANDS/GRASSLANDS

  • Emerging/trending issues in rangeland/grassland science and education.
  • Extension and technology-transfer.
  • Green energy and Information Communication Technologies applications.
  • Rangelands/grasslands and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Participatory approaches and innovations in the management of rangelands/grasslands.