Ecorestoration of Banni Grassland - Global Restoration Network

Ecorestoration of
Banni Grassland
eral to perennial vegetation when weather conditions
change. The conclusion of Ellis and Swift
(1988) that noma’dic herds cause no change in the
vegetation may be true, their effect is rather to prevent
change, locking the vegetation in a phase
dominated by ephemeral. However, large continuous
areas of such event-driven systems are kept in
the same phase for a long time leading to exhaustion
of seed sources, forming a further constraint
on changes. Thus, herbivores act as a major instrument
in modifying the grasslands (Sarmiento 1983,
1992 and Medina 1987). This situation actually
occurrs in many parts of Banni, therefore, to enrich
the natural seed bank, reseeding was enforced in
the restoration sites.
Further, overgrazing not only degrade the land but
also forms a major causative factor for the massive
expansion of Prosopis juliflora. If grasses are destroyed
by heavy grazing, more water becomes
available for trees and shrubs (Knoop and Walker
1985), leading to changes in the interactive pattern
and to an increase in woody vegetation (Stuart Hill
and Taintan 1989, Skarpe 1990). This is one of the
main causes of widespread invasion of bush into
heavily grazed dry rangelands (Walter 1954, Noy-
Meir 1982, Archer 1989). Thus, overgrazing in Banni
helped Prosopis juliflora to expand in most areas.
Decrease in herbaceous vegetation following
heavy grazing may also lead to physical changes
in soil properties, reducing water infiltration and
water holding capacity (Ruess 1987). This situation
leads to soil degradation in many parts of Banni.
Tropical savannas are commonly defined as
strongly seasonal plant communities with a continuous
graminoid component and a discontinuous
woody component (Walker and Gillisin 1982,
Huntly 1982). Trees in semi arid regions are viewed
as having the potential to increase forage production,
reduce soil erosion, improve soil fertility and
reverse Desertification (Nair 1984, Young 1987,
Steppler and Nair 1987). However, reports on the
effect of trees on savanna grasses and soil are inconsistent.
Under some circumstances herbaceouslayer
productivity is lower under tree canopies than
in nearby open grasslands (Ward and Cleghorn
1964, Grunow etal. 1980, Dye and Spear 1982, Walker
and Noy-Meir 1982) whereas in other instances,
the grassland productivity is higher under tree
canopies than in nearby open grasslands (Singh
and Lal 1969, Holland 1980, Maranga 1984). Further,
it has been reported that, compared to open
grassland, tree canopy reduces total solar radia-
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tion, air temperature and wind velocity and thereby
decreases the potential evapo-transpiration (PET)
in the shaded area. Further, soil moisture and fertility
was also high in the immediate surroundings of
tree canopy. These factors are extremely favourable
to the development of herbaceous stratum under
the tree canopy. Thus, production would be normally
1.5 to ,’4 times higher in the shade than in
open sunlight (Belsky et al. 1989, Le Houerou 1993
and Grouzis et al. 1995). However, the positive effect
of trees on the herbaceous layer production is
generally associated with savanna with low tree
density (Grouzis et al. 1997). Contrary to this, negative
impact of trees on the production of herbaceous
stratum in certain areas has also been reported
(Cesar 1991 and Mordelet and Menaut 1995).
Further, increase of soil fertility under canopy is
largely due to precipitation (Kellman 1979), redistribution
of nutrients from deep to superficial horizons
(Bosch and Van Wyk 1970, Chariey and Cowling
1986), nutrient transport through interspecific
micorhiza (Grime et al. 1987) and excretions of domestic
and wild animals (Akpo 1993). Drier and
drought conditions limit these process (Hogberg
1986) and thereby the availability of soil nutrients.
This may be true in case of dense Prosopis juliflora
growing under arid condition in the Banni area
where severe drought prevails with highly erratic
and scanty monsoon. Further, saline soils may adversely
affect plant growth and microbial population.
However, very little is known concerning the
effect of salinity on soil micro-organisms. The nitrifying
organisms are considered more sensitive to
salts. Saline soils may constitute an unfavourable
habitat for the growth and multiplication of rhizobia,
which fix the nitrogen in the root nodules of
legumes. Due to high density of Prosopis juliflora
and inherent soil salinity in Dhordo, only aggregation
of grass species was seen in suitable areas
under tree canopy and this led to very low productivity
in the area than that of restoration and unprotected
area. This suggest a competitive interactions
between trees and herbs as reported earlier in
other parts of the world (Ward and Cleghorn 1964,
West 1969, Beale 1973, Clary and Jameson 1981,
Dye and Spear 1982, Walker et al 1986).
Soil moisture is one of a major factor, which governs
the germination and growth of grass species. Soil
moisture was reported high during the first half of
rainy season (June to September) in the open
grassland while it was higher during second half
(September to October) under tree cover (Bernhard-