Bengaluru: Indian Space Research Organisation’s Space Applications Centre has signed an MoU with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) to integrate satellite data with field-based ecological research.
The collaboration will focus on mapping India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems, which have historically been underrepresented in policy and planning. It will also study the impact of restoration efforts on degraded land and develop improved techniques to estimate carbon both above and below ground.
The partnership combines SAC’s expertise in large-scale geospatial mapping with ATREE’s interdisciplinary research and field experience. The goal is to generate reliable, policy-ready datasets to support decision-making at national and state levels.
Both institutions will also work on creating standardised, scalable methods to identify and monitor ecosystems such as grasslands, savannas and deserts—landscapes that have received far less attention than forests despite their ecological importance.
The initiative is expected to strengthen land use planning, climate strategies, conservation efforts and rural livelihood programmes. By improving ecosystem mapping and assessment, it aims to provide a clearer understanding of environmental changes on the ground.
The collaboration also supports India’s commitment to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 and contributes to broader sustainable development goals.
