For decades, vast open landscapes across western India were labelled as degraded forests, assumed to be the result of centuries of human deforestation. A new study now challenges this long-held belief, using 750-year-old Indian poems, folk songs and sacred texts to show that these regions were always natural savannas and grasslands.
The research, led by Ashish Nerlekar of Michigan State University, suggests that many conservation practices, especially large-scale tree-planting drives, may be misdirected and potentially harmful to ecosystems that were never forests to begin with.
Medieval literature offers ecological clues
Published in the journal *People and Nature*, the study takes an unconventional approach by combining ecology with historical and archaeological analysis. Instead of relying solely on modern surveys, researchers examined medieval Sanskrit, Marathi and early vernacular texts dating back to the 13th century.
These writings, rooted in daily life, travel, worship and courtly traditions, consistently describe open terrain, thorny vegetation and grass-rich landscapes used for grazing. Dense forests, the study notes, are largely absent from these descriptions.
From the texts, researchers identified references to 44 wild plant species. Nearly two-thirds of them are characteristic of savanna and grassland ecosystems, closely matching the vegetation seen in western India today.
“The striking thing is how little the landscape seems to have changed,” Nerlekar said. “Descriptions written hundreds of years ago align remarkably well with present-day savannas.”
Rethinking ‘wastelands’ and tree-planting policies
During the 20th century, many of India’s grasslands were officially classified as “wastelands,” reinforcing the idea that they were degraded forests in need of restoration. This view shaped national conservation and climate strategies, often promoting tree planting in open ecosystems.
The historical evidence tells a different story. According to the study, savannas were already widespread at least 750 years ago, long before modern land-use pressures. Rather than being failed forests, these landscapes evolved naturally under the influence of climate, fire and grazing.
Other scientific findings support this conclusion. Fossil pollen records show grasses dominating the region for thousands of years, while remains of grazing animals indicate a long-standing open ecosystem.
Why recognising savannas matters for conservation
Misclassifying savannas as degraded forests can have serious ecological consequences, the researchers warn. Tree planting in natural grasslands can disrupt soil systems, reduce native biodiversity and threaten species adapted to open habitats.
India’s savannas support more than 200 endemic plant species and sustain millions of people through pastoral livelihoods. Treating them as damaged forests risks erasing ecosystems that have existed for centuries.
“These landscapes are frequently misunderstood,” Nerlekar said. “If we manage them as ruined forests, we may end up destroying some of India’s oldest and most resilient ecosystems.”
The study argues that recognising the true ecological history of savannas is essential for shaping conservation and climate policies that protect biodiversity rather than unintentionally undermining it.