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.