Advancing vegetation classification of grassland ecosystems across Asia: current status and way forward

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Prepared by Alireza Naqinezhad, Idoia Biurrun, Victor Chepinoga, Jürgen Dengler, and Arkadiusz Nowak

Examples of Asian grassland types. a) Acantholimono caryophyllacei-Stipetum holosericeae, Armenia; b) Alpine vegetation in Damavand Mts with Acantholimetum demawendici as the main vegetation at altitude 3,700 m a.s.l.; c) Quercus brantii forest steppe (2,000–2,600 m a.s.l.) on the right-hand side and Aethionemetum umbellati scree vegetation (4,200 m a.s.l.) on the left-hand side, both from Dena Mts; d) Fereydunshahr: tall umbelliferous vegetation type (2,800 m a.s.l.); e) Pistacietum khinjuk near Ramhormoz, Iran; f) Pistacion verae near Nurek, Tajikistan (1,450 m a.s.l.); g) cryophilous steppe near Alichur, Eastern Pamir, Tajikistan (3,900 m a.s.l.), h) forb steppe of Eremogono griffithii-Nepetetea near Koshtegirmen, Tajikistan (3,300 m a.s.l.).

Photos by: D. Vynokurov (a), A. Talebi (b), J. Noroozi (c–d), A. Naqinezhad (e), A. Nowak (f–h)

Grasslands are open landscapes mostly covered by grasses and wildflowers, playing a key role in supporting biodiversity, feeding livestock, and storing carbon. Asia, the largest continent, is home to an incredible variety of grasslands—from dry steppes in Kazakhstan and Iran to alpine meadows in the Himalayas and tropical savannas in Southeast Asia. Despite their importance, grassland classification is poorly understood and often missing from global scientific studies. This is mainly because research efforts across Asia have been uneven, with many countries lacking data, or international cooperation needed for systematic classification of grassland types.

Our editorial introduces a special collection of studies focused on classifying the grasslands of Asia. The collection was inspired by the 2022 Asian Grassland Conference and the formation of the Asian Regional Section of the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS). These events brought together scientists who realized that to protect and manage grasslands effectively, we need shared methods for describing and organizing information about them.

The papers in this collection cover regions like Iran, Armenia, Tajikistan, and other parts of West and Central Asia. These studies use field surveys and data analysis to describe grassland types, identify rare plant communities, and show how climate and human activities (like grazing or land use) shape these ecosystems. Some even proposed entirely new vegetation types based on their findings.

The editorial also shows that many parts of Asia—especially South and Southeast Asia—still lack the data and classification systems needed to fully understand their grasslands. Only a few countries in Asia have comprehensive systems in place; many have partial, local, or no systems at all.

We suggest that building regional and international partnerships, sharing data openly, and training early-career scientists are key steps to closing these gaps. By doing so, Asia can catch up with other continents like Europe and North America, where vegetation is better mapped and classified. These efforts matter because without clear knowledge of what grasslands exist and where they are, it becomes much harder to protect them from threats like climate change, overgrazing, and land conversion. A strong foundation in classification will help support biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable land management across Asia.

This is a plain language summary for the paper of Naqinezhad et al. published in Vegetation Classification and Survey (https://doi.org/10.3897/VCS.151773)