PROSOPIS JULIFLORA
The Banni grasslands in Kutch, Gujarat,
span over 2,600 square kilometres (sq km). These grasslands are home to a
pastoral community called the Maldhari.
But in the 1960s, the government wanted
to protect this region from salinity ingress from the Rann of Kutch and dropped
millions of seeds of an exotic species called Prosopis Juliflora from
helicopters.
Since then, Prosopis Juliflora has
overtaken the native grasses in the area. The locals call this tree Ganda ('Crazy')
Babool because it does not let anything else grow.
The problem of salinity has also
multiplied several times, and the Maldharis are faced with a perpetual fodder
crisis. Often called Asia’s finest
natural grassland, it now resembles a shrubby forest.
The area under the Prosopis Juliflora was
only six per cent till 1997. But by 2015, this alien species had covered 54 per
cent of the grassland. Salinity is also spreading across the Banni by 80 sq km
every year.
Generally, this area gets about 400 millimetres
of rainfall. But for the last two years, there has been hardly any rain, and
the region is facing a drought-like situation. Because this tree sucks up all
the water from the soil, it is also leading to land degradation and
desertification.
Desertification in Gujarat has been a
cause of worry for decades now. The state has lost more than 50 per cent of its
area to desertification. There has been very little effort from the government
to reverse this trend.
To restore the Banni grassland, a non-profit,
Sahajeevan is working along with the local communities. They are trying to
revive around 18,000 hectares of land in Kutch. They are now planting seeds
collected by the local community with the hope that they will be able to revive
part of the grassland.
PROSOPIS
JULIFLORA
Prosopis juliflora can be a very
aggressive invader and replaces native vegetation and takes over rangelands.
Negative effects include complete loss of pasture and rangelands for both
domestic and wild ruminants, losses due to access to water and the destruction
of fishing nets by the thorns, and illness and death of livestock due to eating
P. juliflora pods and being pierced by the sharp and stout thorns. Other
impacts are loss of cropland, the costs of repairing tyres punctured or
destroyed by thorns, and doctor's bills for treating thorn wounds. Dense stands
of P. juliflora can block irrigation channels, obstruct roads and block smaller
trails completely affecting access to pasture, croplands, water sources and
fishing areas.
Prosopis species are salt and drought
tolerant with deep roots which tolerate dry as well as waterlogged soils. Seed production is prolific. Trees rapidly form dense thorny thickets that
reduce biodiversity. Invaded grasslands are transformed to woodland and forests. Loss of grass cover under canopies may also
promote soil erosion. It has massive
impacts upon water resources. The tree re-sprouts easily after damage.