Ecorestoration of Banni Grassland - Global Restoration Network
Ecorestoration of Banni Grassland - Global Restoration Network
Ecorestoration of Banni Grassland - Global Restoration Network
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PREFACE<br />
<strong>Ecorestoration</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Banni</strong> <strong>Grassland</strong><br />
<strong>Banni</strong>, a vast stretch <strong>of</strong> 3847 Km 2 area, located along the northern border <strong>of</strong> Kachchh<br />
district <strong>of</strong> Gujarat state supports a good number <strong>of</strong> livestock from Kachchh and other<br />
districts <strong>of</strong> the state and also neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Today<br />
this area is severely degraded due to increasing salinity, overgrazing, climatic abnormalities<br />
and alarming invasion <strong>of</strong> Prosopis juliflora. This situation is evident from the fact that the<br />
human and livestock population <strong>of</strong> the area decreased by 25 and 47 per cent respectively.<br />
To over come the existing issues, many developmental projects have been implemented in<br />
the area with a view to improve the socio-economic conditions <strong>of</strong> the people. However,<br />
results were not very satisfactory, because these efforts did not ensure the involvement <strong>of</strong><br />
people and had ignored the ecological fragility <strong>of</strong> the region. Gujarat Ecology Commission<br />
(GEC), therefore, decided to make a novel and eco-friendly intervention to improve the<br />
living standards <strong>of</strong> <strong>Banni</strong> people under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP)<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Government <strong>of</strong> Gujarat.<br />
GEC, after a series <strong>of</strong> interactions with the <strong>Banni</strong> people, laid out the plan for the development<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Banni</strong>, while the implementation <strong>of</strong> that plan was carried out through Gujarat Institute <strong>of</strong><br />
Desert Ecology (GUIDE) and Vivekananda Research and Training Institute (VRTI). Though<br />
the project activities commenced since late 1995, due to severe drought in 1995 and 1996,<br />
the actual results <strong>of</strong> the restoration work were visualised only in 1997. The present report<br />
deals with the one year recovery <strong>of</strong> the restoration sites located at Bhirandiyara and Dhordo<br />
and the comparative productive status <strong>of</strong> unprotected and Prosopis juliflora infested<br />
grassland areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>Banni</strong>. It also describes the pilot restoration activities carried at<br />
Bhirandiyara (reclamation <strong>of</strong> saline land by GUIDE) and Dhordo (development <strong>of</strong> degraded<br />
land by VRTI) villages <strong>of</strong> <strong>Banni</strong> to demonstrate the ways to improve the saline and degraded<br />
lands. The restoration activities are in progress, however, the results obtained after the<br />
1997 monsoon is summarised in the present report. The results <strong>of</strong> the study enhance our<br />
hope <strong>of</strong> improving such areas. I hope the present report will help the researchers, planners<br />
and development agencies to understand the effects <strong>of</strong> proper management in puts on the<br />
development <strong>of</strong> degraded and saline lands.<br />
Y.D.Singh<br />
Director<br />
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