Pastoralists in Banni grasslands
Source : Down To Earth
GS II : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Why in News ?

Banni Pashu Uchherak Maldhari Sangthan (BPUMS) had filed a case against the rampant encroachment in the ecologically-sensitive grassland in May 2018.

• NGT upholds rights of pastoralists in Banni grasslands, wants encroachments removed.

Key Facts

• All encroachments to be removed from Gujarat’s Banni grasslands within six months and directed a joint committe to prepare an action plan in a month.
• The region’s nomadic pastoralist community, the Maldharis, whose livelihoods are depend on this protected shrub-savanna who Breed Banni Buffalo.
• The Maldharis will continue to hold the right to conserve the community forests in the area.
• The region was granted to them as per the provisions in Section 3 of Forest Rights Act, 2006.
• What is the reason for encroachment and destructions ?
  • Lack of coordination between the forest department and the revenue department lead to the problem of encroachment.
  • Studies have found many wetlands to be polluted by chemical effluents from industries at Banni’s borders.
• The tribunal ordered to demarcate the boundaries of the Banni grassland and restricted non-forest activities in 2019.

Breed Banni Buffaloes

• Breed Banni Buffaloes a species endemic to the region.
• The buffaloes are adaptive to Kutch’s hot weather condition and yields 12-18 litres milk a day.
• Buffalo breed survives by feeding on the Banni grasslands.
• The Banni Buffalo was recognized as the 11th breed of buffalo in the country in 2010.

Banni Grassland and its importance ?

• Banni grassland is spread over 2,618 kilometre and account for almost 45 per cent of the pastures in Gujarat Rann of Kutch region.
• It comprises 48 hamlets / villages organised into 19 panchayats, with a population of about 40,000.
• Two ecosystems, wetlands and grasslands, are existed together in Banni.
• The area is rich in flora and fauna with 192 species of plants, 262 species of birds, several species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
• Banni grasslands, traditionally, were managed following a system of rotational grazing.
• The court notified that the grassland will be a reserve forest in 1955.

Maldhari Community

• • A tribal herdsmen community in Gujarat, India and basically nomads having occupational term.
  • They are notable as the traditional dairymen of the region.
  • They are came from Pakistan, Rajasthan and other parts of Gujarat, and finally settled in the Banni grasslands.
  • Their livestock including sheep, goats, cows, buffalo, and camels.
  • Their main sources of cash income are sale of high quality ghee, milk, wool, animals and handicrafts.
  • The literacy rate of the community is very low.

Grassland and Conservation

• Grassland is a community dominated by grasses or grass-like plants.
• Natural grasslands occur in temperate zones with annual rainfall 25 to 80 cm, while in tropics they may be found in areas receiving rainfall up to 150 cm.
• Grasslands occupy approximately 24% of India’s geographical extent.
• Most grasslands in India are anthropogenic in origin, evolving under the influence of fire, grazing, floods and droughts, and the clearing of forest cover.
• Grasslands are the last home of the Great Indian Bustard.
• India’s grasslands is summarised in the Task Force Report on Grasslands and Deserts submitted to the Planning Commission of India.

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