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Land Degradation and Restoration Driven by Invasive Alien - Prosopis Juliflora and the Banni Grassland Socio-Ecosystem (Gujarat, India) Land Degradation and Restoration Driven by Invasive Alien -Prosopis Juliflora and the Banni Grassland Socio-Ecosystem (Gujarat, India)
... Banni grasslands provided an ideal region for animal husbandry but successive droughts and excessive animal pressure have virtually left P. juliflora and Suaeda fruticosa as the only perennials [22]. Prosopis juliflora's introduction to Banni grasslands in the 1960s triggered a sequence of ecological, social, economic and policy changes in Banni and beyond [23]. The rapid invasion of juliflora has resulted in a drastic reduction of grazing areas, both in terms of extent and species composition. ...
... The concurrent processes of soil salinization and P. juliflora invasion triggered desertification and land degradation. Overgrazing, leading to loss of vegetation cover, soil erosion, salinization and further expansion of P. juliflora at the expense of grass-covered lands represents a classic land degradation/desertification scenario [23]. The density of P. juliflora ranges from 96 to 1450 plants per hectare across Banni villages [27,28]. ...
... Banni grasslands provided an ideal region for animal husbandry but successive droughts and excessive animal pressure have virtually left P. juliflora and Suaeda fruticosa as the only perennials [22]. Prosopis juliflora's introduction to Banni grasslands in the 1960s triggered a sequence of ecological, social, economic and policy changes in Banni and beyond [23]. The rapid invasion of juliflora has resulted in a drastic reduction of grazing areas, both in terms of extent and species composition. ...
... The concurrent processes of soil salinization and P. juliflora invasion triggered desertification and land degradation. Overgrazing, leading to loss of vegetation cover, soil erosion, salinization and further expansion of P. juliflora at the expense of grass-covered lands represents a classic land degradation/desertification scenario [23]. The density of P. juliflora ranges from 96 to 1450 plants per hectare across Banni villages [27,28]. ...
The dynamics of household and regional economy of Banni grasslands in India were studied based on primary data collected from 280 households across 13 villages. Each household had one primary occupation and, on average, two secondary occupations. Pastoralism and charcoal production employed 58 and 28% of households as primary occupations, respectively, whereas leather work, services and tourism employed 4% of households each. Further, pastoralism and charcoal production employed 60 and 48% of households, respectively, as secondary occupations. Highest and lowest average annual net returns were realized from the sale of milk and milk products (₹ 414,070/HH) and honey and gum collection (₹ 2827/HH), respectively. The Banni grassland is still a traditional society predominantly based on the primary sector as it employed 88% of the households and contributed 91% to the economy. Pastoralism alone contributed 82% to the economy of the Banni region followed by charcoal production (8%) and tourism (5%), whereas all other occupations contributed <1–2% each. Contribution from secondary and tertiary sectors was very low. Pastoralism has evolved in the region, but it continues to be the dominant livelihood option. Therefore, arresting and addressing the land degradation process in Banni grasslands is of paramount importance to sustain the livelihoods and the ecology.
This is a study of the interactions between the ecology and economy of the Banni grassland, located in the district of Kutch, Gujarat, India. The study focuses on modelling the economic impact of grassland degradation in the Banni from 1992-2015 and simulates future scenarios up to 2030 using system dynamics. The specific sectors being modelled are the area spread of the invasive species Prosopis juliflora, palatable grass, the populations of livestock as well as the livestock and charcoal incomes of Banni. An economic valuation is done by discounting the future earnings of the pastoral (milk, livestock sale, dung manure) and charcoal economy under two scenarios 1) Base case (Business as Usual), i.e. keeping current policies constant and 2) P. juliflora removal policy (PRP) i.e. where a decision is implemented to remove P. juliflora from Banni. Under the BAU scenario, modelling results indicate that the Banni grassland is headed for severe fodder scarcity due to the shrinking area under grassland. Under the PRP scenario, Banni is able to revive its grasslands and increase the present value of future earnings (up till 2030) by 62 per cent. A delay of five years in the decision to remove P. juliflora results in a 28 per cent reduction in earnings indicating the policy's time sensitivity. The model serves as a test bed for generating what-if scenarios of the Banni grassland.
Migratory pastoralism is the traditional occupation of pastoralists (Maldharis) for more than 500 years and agriculture is not practised in entire Banni grasslands. The present study was conducted in Banni grasslands between 2014 and 2017 covering 280 households from 12 villages to investigate the livelihood and income dynamics. Banni buffalo based pastoralism and Prosopis juliflora based charcoal production were the primary occupations for 70 and 20% households respectively. Charcoal production was the predominant secondary occupation for 60% households. Sheep and goat rearing, handicrafts production, services and trade were the primary occupations for 2–3% households each. At least three livelihood options contributed to annual income of households. Contribution of primary occupation to annual income ranged from 38 to 93% whereas secondary occupation(s) contributed 0.3 to 42%. The analysis revealed that families owning >40 buffaloes were the richest group with net annual income of
` 12,07,429, followed by the households owning 21–40 animals with an average income of ` 6,94,008 and those engaged in trade with net income of ` 6,68,254. Households engaged in charcoal production and services earned net annual income of ` 65,059/ and ` 66,288/ respectively and were the poorest groups as majority of them did not own buffaloes and cattle. Those engaged in service sector were either in unorganized sector or were unskilled and semi-skilled labourers. Factors such as ownership of livestock (Banni buffalo and Kankrej cattle) and herd size; market access to milk collection centre and its distance from the village; and income from sale of milk and milk products, livestock (buffalo, cattle and camel), charcoal, embroidery, tourism and trade contributed significantly to the net annual income of households. Income earned from labour and sale of minor forest produce (honey and gum) were low and nonsignificant. Scientific management of rapidly expanding P. juliflora is crucial for conservation of Banni ecology and improving livelihoods. Establishment of milk collection centres in interior villages would
contribute significantly in increasing incomes (upto ` 35,920/buffalo/lactation) of pastoralists.
Prospis juliflora is an invasive tree native to Northern South America, Central America,
and the Caribbean. It has been used as a folk remedy for catarrh, cold, diarrhea, dysentery,
excrescences, flu, hoarseness, inflammation, measles, sore throat, and in the healing of wounds.
Its antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, antitumor, and anthelminitic activities are also reported
and it contain phytochemicals such as flavonols, alkaloids, tannins, ellagic acid, glycosides,
steroids, and various phenolic compounds. It is reported to be used as feed for cattle worldwide.
Low intake of this plant doesn’t affect the health of cattle but excessive intake is harmful and can
cause nervous breakdown, weight loss, imbalance in nutrient levels, etc. and in severe cases it
can be fatal. Therefore, it should be used as feed in limited amounts.
