Grassland mapping/monitoring of Banni, Kachchh (Gujarat) using remotely-sensed data

Abstract

In India 12.15million ha of land, i.e., 3.7 per cent of the total geographical area, has been recorded as permanent pasture or grazing land. In recent years, the factors responsible for gradual loss of grassland are expanding agriculture, overstocking of domestic animals at a phenomenal rate and improper pasture and grazing land management. However, in an agriculture-based economy, like that of India, a judicious ratio has to be maintained amongst grasslands, croplands and forestlands, in order to obtain optimum results in socio-economic and ecological terms. The acquisition of sufficient and timely information on these resource components is of prime importance for judicious planning. Remote sensing data, which is now available at regular intervals, assumes a great significance. To understand the above-mentioned facts a pilot study has been conducted in the Banni grassland areas of the Kachchh district. Banni, at one time considered the largest grassland of its kind in Asia, has fallen upon sad times in the last decade. The main aim of this study is to standardize methodology for mapping and monitoring grassland through satellite data. This includes, identification of major problem areas, selection of proper season and scale. For knowing trends regarding the changing ecology of Banni areas, multitemporal satellite data from the years 1980, 1985 and 1988 were used and the status of grassland spread, invasion of prosopis juliflora and salinity ingress were critically observed.

Tracking Invasive Land Covers in India, or Why Our Landscapes Have Never Been Modern

“…3. This phenomenon has previously been observed in the nearby region of Kuch, in Gujarat, where remote sensing reveals a decline of grassland in the wake of julflora growth (Jadhav, Kimothi, and Kandya 1993). 4.…”

Characteristics of major soils of Banni mudflat in arid western India and their relationship with topography

“…The plant is an aggrasive colonizer, and has invaded large tracts of the grasslands through seed dispersal and animal litter, replacing the existing grass species. The rate of spread in the 1980s was calculated as 2673 ha y !1 (Jadhav et al, 1993). Although the species is fast-growing and has a high value for fuelwood, there is hardly any other benefit from it for the cattle rearers.…”

Removal or utilization? Testing alternative approaches to the management of an invasive woody legume in an arid Indian grassland

“…The tree was introduced to Banni in 1961 with the objective of checking the ingress of the salt pan desert, the Great Rann of Kutch, which lies to Banni's north (Kumar et al 2015). Since its introduction Prosopis has spread rapidly, and now occupies over 50% of Banni (Jadhav et al 1993; Pasha et al 2014). In fact, it has been suggested that in 30 years (since the 1960s) afforestation has successfully converted all of Kutch into a Prosopis woodland (Saxena 1993).…”