02/12/2019 - Environment | Mainstorming

IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

· The recent UN-led conference to combat desertification committed to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030. At this conference, India committed to restoring at least 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. Gujarat can begin with restoration of the grasslands in Saurashtra.

· Private vidis, gauchars (community grasing-lands controlled by village panchayats) and government wastelands supplement these vidis.

· Most of these vidis are part of the 22,000-sq km Greater Gir landscape, the last abode of Asiatic lions.

· A good lion habitat must have a good prey-base. For a healthy prey-base, grasslands are the key. Lion conservation efforts are focused on habitat improvement and, by extension, on improvement of grasslands.

· Dispersal of lions from the core Gir forest was possible due to a matrix of grasslands and open patches in the Greater Gir area.

· They can make a very good habitat for lions while also meeting requirements of the locals, also in one way combats the process of desertification especially near the fringes of Thar desert by arresting the land degradation.

· Over a period of time, however, these grasslands have degraded owing to invasion of woody and shrubby species and have turned into somewhat unproductive woodlots.

· This gradual, unattended shift has affected both ecology and economics of the region. The net result is that the landscape is suffering the tragedy of commons and a vicious self-perpetuating circle of unproductiveness.

· Grassland restoration will not only have positive ecological effects on long-term lion conservation, it will also yield significant socioeconomic benefits to the locals.

· Just like with lion conservation, grassland restoration can also be done with the participation of local communities.