Maximizing the Ecological Value: Assessing Land Suitability for Sustainable Grassland Management in Asia's largest grassland, western India

Abstract

Grasslands are crucial ecosystems that provide numerous ecological services and support biodiversity conservation. Grasslands undergo significant threat from both anthropogenic and natural threats, compromising their ability to maintain biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. Despite this, grasslands are frequently ignored in sustainable development objectives. An adequate knowledge of how grassland degradation affects ecosystem services is essential for sustainable management and grassland ecological restoration. The Kachchh region in western India harbours unique grassland ecosystem known as the Banni grassland, which had once boosted to be finest grasslands in Asia. However, undesirable anthropogenic interventions have accelerated its degradation. This research paper aims to assess the suitability of different land areas in Banni for sustainable grassland management, considering ecological value as a primary criterion. In the current research, land suitability for grassland management was assessed using a Geographical Information System (GIS) based multi-criteria evolution (MCE) method using satellite data and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Ground truthing of soil samples was carried out alongside. Slope, Rainfall, infiltration rate, LULC, Geomorphology, soil texture, soil organic carbon, water holding capacity, SAR,CEC, pH, EC, and soil nutrients were among the criteria used. The weights for each criterion were calculated using a pairwise comparison matrix, and scores were allocated to sub-criterions based on field work, expert opinions, and a literature review. The proposed method can be very useful for evaluating the state of the land and can help with the best possible planning for grassland development and conservation. Banni grassland holds the perspective to be developed into a CZO (Critical Zone Observatory) in future and the present study with further inputs holds the promise for furthering the cause for its sustainable management. Overall, this study underscores the importance of assessing land suitability for sustainable grassland management and highlights the potential for maximizing the ecological value of grasslands in western India and beyond.