Banni Grasslands

Banni Grasslands

News: The Gujarat Forest department will restore 10,000 hectares of the Banni grasslands in the coming year, and every year in the coming decade. Under Bonn declaration, India’s endeavour is to reach the target of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

About:
• It is the largest grassland (accounting for 45% of pastures in Gujarat) in Asia situated near the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
• Two ecosystems, wetlands and grasslands, are mixed side by side in Banni.
• It is dominated by low- growing plants, forbs and graminoids, many of which are halophiles (salt-tolerant).
• It is a Reserve Forest (most restricted forest; local people are prohibited unless specifically allowed by a Forest Officer in the course of the settlement.
• Maldharis are a tribal herdsmen community inhabiting Banni.
• It is one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India and a possible reintroduction site for the species.

Highly recommend you to click on the following link which talks about how India lost its finest Banni Grasslands to an exotic species called Prosopis Juliflora https://youtu.be/hUagl_YR0v4