<h1>Expert panel seeks end to 'wasteland' label, urges unified national land-use atlas and stronger ecosystem protections</h1> A national expert panel at the India Land Development Conference urged urgent legal and administrative reclassification of lands currently labelled as 'wastelands,' arguing the colonial-era category undermines biodiversity, pastoral livelihoods, and India's climate and land-degradation commitments. Representatives from government, research institutions, and civil society highlighted that most open natural ecosystems and village commons fall under ambiguous 'wasteland' tenure, enabling diversion for infrastructure and compensatory afforestation despite high ecological and economic value. The panel proposed a harmonised national mapping portal integrating satellite, tenure, and seasonal use data, and recognition of such areas as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures. It called for a unified National Atlas of land use to guide planning, prevent unlawful diversion, and align with international environmental obligations.