But for the sudden, large expanse of open space, there is none of the dreamy, tall grass that one often sees in old photos, except for a patch inside the institute. Instead, what greets you are scrawny old saplings that have been called out for being unscientifically planted in the wrong landscape, and evidence of bonfires and beer parties in the several bottles and litter left behind.
At the time of our visit, a pre-wedding photography session was in progress at a distance, and local residents say it is a common affair. A hare races away from its spot near some rocks, hearing human voices.
Film city to biodiversity hotspot
Before 2025, these grasslands were in the news primarily for being the choice of ‘real estate’ for the Karnataka government to set up ambitious projects such as a film city or a theme park, much to the chagrin of environmentalists. Successive governments failed to see what it really is: an important reservoir of biodiversity, a refuge for endangered wildlife species, a ‘carbon sink’.
The grassland presents a picture of evidence of bonfires and beer parties in the several bottles and litter left behind | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
It was not until 2003-04 that things began to move, recalls Mahesh Bhat, a photographer and filmmaker who has been working on preserving the Arkavathy catchment for over two decades. “Following a drought, when the Hesaraghatta lake had completely dried up, a group of local people wanted to rejuvenate it,” he said. As the group started surveying the area, they discovered that the channel that used to bring rainwater runoff from Dasenahalli khana was filled with silt.
“We decided to open the channel,” he said, recalling how village people started digging the channel over the weekends manually. Water flowed, and more volunteers started pitching in — one bore the charges of heavy machinery, and the MEG got involved in desilting.
“Around 2006-07, there were also groups involved in the conservation of Kumudvathy and Arkavathy basins,” he says. These groups then got together to bring in some political push into rejuvenating the catchments.
The government of Karnataka had leased this land to Mysore Film Development Corporation (MFDC) in 1972 to build a film city. MFDC was later renamed Karnataka Film Development Corporation (KFDC), but it closed down. “The rights of this land were temporarily vested with Kanteerava studios, which used to rent out the area for Kannada film shootings. We had to clean up the mess created by it,” Mahesh said.
Long before this, in 1942, this piece of land was sold to the Department of Animal Husbandry by the then Maharaja of Mysore for ₹10,000.
In 2012, the film city proposal came up again, which prompted the Arkavathy and Kumudvathy Nadi Punaschethana Samithi to file a PIL against the project in the High Court of Karnataka. “The Advocate General said that the government will maintain the status quo till it took a decision on the status of the land. The government decided to give the land back the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services,” he added.
It was only in January 2025 that the Karnataka Cabinet approved the declaration of Greater Hesaraghatta Grasslands Conservation Reserve (GHGCR), comprising 5,678 acres. | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
It was only in January 2025 that the Karnataka Cabinet approved the declaration of Greater Hesaraghatta Grasslands Conservation Reserve (GHGCR), comprising 5,678 acres. While the proposal was first mooted in 2013, the declaration of the area as a conservation reserve had been deferred owing to pressure from certain sections, including local bodies. But the nod from the State Board for Wildlife in October 2024 paved the way for the conservation reserve tag.
Finally, a Conservation Reserve
The government notification, dated February 24, stated the area is being declared the “Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve (GHGCR) for its ecological, faunal, floral and geo-morphological importance, and for the purpose of protecting, propagating and developing grassland and wildlife therein or its environment, and to protect the important catchment area around Hesaraghatta, which is one of the sources of water for Bengaluru city”.
It acknowledged grasslands as “unique ecosystems that are characteristic of dry open areas where grasses form the predominant vegetation”, and how “grasslands are equal, if not more important than any forest”.
All grasslands in India suffer owing to people’s ignorance and indifferenceall grasslands in India suffer owing to people’s ignorance and indifference. | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
“They sustain biodiversity and hold a lot of atmospheric carbon. Conserving the grasslands helps to reduce the impacts of global warming and climate change caused by excess carbon dioxide. The said area not only gives shelter to various types of plants, animals, birds, reptiles and insects, but also has become a shelter to various types of biomasses,” it stated. “Hesaraghatta lake bed and grasslands in the surrounding catchment area are an important reservoir of biodiversity and a refuge for endangered wildlife species such as leopard, slender loris, jackal, Indian fox, Smooth Coated Otter, wild pig, common mongoose, Black Naped Hare, Indian Mole Rat and Indian Field Mouse. In addition, there are seven different species of snakes observed in Hesaraghatta grasslands.”
The Hesaraghatta landscape is a site for several wintering migrants from Europe, Central Asia and Himalayas, including several species of raptors. One of the migratory birds is the Greater Spotted Eagle, and globally threatened species like the Lesser Florican and the Red-necked falcon, the notification adds.
A year on…
A year later, has anything changed on the ground? Local residents are unenthused.
Umesh, 53, who was born and brought up here and runs a makeshift tea stall outside the grasslands, said there is one guard stationed for the over 300-acre grassland, and garbage dumping continues despite trenches being dug up to prevent access to vehicles.
Instead, the trenches have deterred local cattle grazers.
Basavaraj, 42, from Dasenahalli village, said he had stopped taking his cows to the grassland as they could not cross the trenches. “There is also a leopard problem. So, I don’t want to take the risk,” he added.
H.M. Yeshwanth, 43, is an entomologist who has grown up here. “I was an avid bird watcher during school. This was like an airport landing for raptors and falcons. There were no trees excepting these two,” he said, pointing to two large trees at a distance.
The grassland not only gives shelter to various types of plants, animals, birds, reptiles and insects, but also has become a shelter to various types of biomasses. | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
Mahesh said the ideal term for the grassland should be Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs). “Since getting the conservation tag, not much has changed for Hesaraghatta. It is not a national park or reserve forest, So, the land ownership remains with the Animal Husbandry Department and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). However, the government has to constitute a management committee, which has not happened. The Forest Minister, during his recent visit, had made it clear that foraging, grazing and fishing rights will remain. Now, some boundary markers are being placed. So, work seems to have begun.”
“The grassland is a small 345-acre portion of the 5,000-odd acres. It will always be a porous area. So, a lot of garbage is being dumped. People continue to go in with vehicles for photography, eat, drink and litter. It is not the locals, but the visitors. In the grassland, overgrazing is a problem. It should be regulated, like fishing in coastal areas,” he added.
The road ahead
Seshadri K.S., ecologist and faculty member at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, who was involved in making the proposal to declare the area a conservation reserve, said all grasslands in India suffer owing to people’s ignorance and indifference. “They are seen as wastelands, and this needs to change. The wasteland atlas of India, for example, classifies many native grassland habitats as wastelands, and they are either subject to an onslaught of plantation drives, or are diverted to a different land use. Grasslands or community owned grazing lands, such as gomala land or karab land, are subject to apathy and encroachments.”
While grasslands don’t look like forests, they hold immense biodiversity and capture substantial amounts of carbon. | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
While grasslands don’t look like forests, they hold immense biodiversity and capture substantial amounts of carbon, he said, adding that the grasslands of Hesaraghatta have been a source of bioresources. “An insect called Neodusmetia Sangwanii was discovered in these grasslands, which has been used as a biological pest control agent in the U.S., and likely saved the golf turf and beef industry back in the day. By losing the grasslands, we stand to lose several such tangible and intangible benefits. The shift in people’s perspective cannot happen overnight, and this requires continued engagement and awareness,” he added.
Apart from bioresource, the grasslands at Hesaraghatta are an important roosting site for birds such as the Harriers. “We have about four species, which migrate all the way from Kazakhstan and parts of Central Asia. Recent research by my colleagues has shown that these birds are responsible for seed dispersal, and shape ecosystems. They primarily feed on birds, such as larks, which consume grass seeds. The Harriers eat these larks and regurgitate the undigestible parts out at roosting sites. The researchers collected the pellets and examined them for seeds. They found an incredible diversity of seeds, and many of the seeds were viable. So, the simple act of having a bird roost in an area is silently shaping ecosystems by dispersing seeds, and shaping the grassland ecosystem,” he said.
The grasslands at Hesaraghatta are an important roosting site for birds such as the Harriers. | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
For those in Bengaluru, the grasslands in and around the reserve are an important water catchment. They can prevent run-off of water and soil during rains. and help recharge groundwater. People around the lake are benefiting from ample water and salubrious local climate, he added.
Only the beginning
While the declaration of the conservation reserve has been a long-fought battle, it is only the beginning, says Seshadri.
“While the region is now officially protected, much work remains to be done in terms of setting up a committee to draft the management plan and obtain funds to ensure the region is protected. Rules for managing the conservation reserves should be consultative, and include representatives from the stakeholders. In the case of GHGCR, it includes representatives from the panchayat, the Department of Animal Husbandry, research organisations, and the Forest Department,” he said.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre , during his recent visit, had made it clear that foraging, grazing and fishing rights will remain | Photo Credit: N. Ravichandran
He too said the first step is to constitute a committee and establish rules and regulations, which clearly articulate that existing bonafide users would not be excluded or harassed. “This was a primary fear behind the opposition to the reserve being declared. Then, the Forest Department has to obtain funds and demarcate the conservation reserve. and put up boards in Kannada and English, clearly stating the list of activities which are permitted. and secure protection by deploying guards and watchers for patrolling. There needs to be a check on unregulated cattle grazing. The grassland is also being used as a place for recreational motorbiking, and this needs to be stopped,” he added.
Over the next few years, the GHGCR needs to be restored, by removing planted saplings from the grasslands and replacing them with native grass and herbs. This has to be done in a phased manner so as to prevent any environmental shock caused by sudden removal of trees or alterations of the habitat, he said.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, during a recent visit to the reserve, had assured of measures to not only protect the area, but also develop it with fund allocation and CSR help.
Getting a conservation reserve tag was no doubt a victory for the Hesaraghatta Grasslands, but only half the battle is won. As the Bannerghatta National Park, the other protected area near Bengaluru to its south, continues to battle various threats, it remains to be seen if the grass will be greener for the newly-formed Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve.
