Banni - Ramble

ABOUT BANNI

The Banni grassland in Gujarat’s Kachchh district is one of the largest grasslands in the Indian subcontinent with an area of over 2500 sq.km. It is a region that is both socio-culturally unique and ecologically valuable. It has a rich and long history of migratory pastoralism dating back at least 500 years, and links with a broader geographical landscape that included Sindh and Balochistan in Pakistan, and even Afghanistan. Many factors have served to shape Banni over time, including the damming of rivers, the introduction and spread of the invasive Prosopis juliflora tree, and the continually varying composition and density of livestock that have grazed these grasslands for many centuries.

Banni’s diversity

Banni is home to great biological diversity, with over 40 grass species, 275 bird species, reptilian and mammal populations, and domesticated animals, such as the Banni buffalo, Kankrej cow, sheep, goats, horses and the mangrove dwelling Kharai camel alongside the better-known scrub-forest Kachhi camel. This diversity is linked to the range of ecological conditions that characterize the Banni, including a number of seasonal wetlands, periodically high levels of salinity owing to the nearby coast, and the aridity of the Kachchh Desert. Many of the Banni’s plant, bird, reptile, and mammal species are threatened.

The Banni is also home to 22 ethnic groups, the majority of whom are pastoralists, spread across 48 settlements in 19 Panchayats, with a population of close to 40,000 people. Their rights to graze the Banni are derived from historical rulers of the region who granted these rights in return for a grazing tax. Today around 80,000 livestock, mostly Banni buffalo and Kankrej cow, graze these grasslands and well over 100,000 litres of milk is sold every day. The region also serves as a breeding ground for the Banni buffalo and the Kankrej cow, sold in many parts of the country.

Introduction of
Prosopis juliflora

In the early 1960s, the Gujarat State Forest Department planted Prosopis juliflora in 31,550 ha (~315 sq. km) of the Banni with the stated objective of minimizing the perceived threats of salinity ingress and desertification. Over the past 50 years, this invasive species has spread to over 1500 sq. km of the landscape. This expansion is thought to have taken place at the expense of palatable and perennial grass species. Although the mechanisms of such displacement are yet to be fully understood, the spread of P. juliflora has had dramatic impacts on local livelihoods and biodiversity as well as on larger stakeholder perceptions of the Banni. The increase in P. juliflora has been accompanied by a corresponding shift in livestock holdings from a population formerly dominated by the Kankrej cow to one now dominated by the Banni buffalo, better equipped to handle the growing presence of this plant. P. juliflora is also widely used by the local community to produce charcoal which is in high demand by industries within and outside the state. P. juliflora is therefore an important driver of ecological and economic change in the landscape, although many of these relationships remain unclear.

Changing
water flows

In addition to the introduction of P. juliflora, the Banni has undergone other changes in the last 4-5 decades. In the 1960s, dams were built across the rivers draining the Banni. Although not adequately researched, this is thought to have resulted in a dramatically reduced “flushing” function performed by these rivers, and a consequent increase in salinity ingress from the neighbouring Arabian Sea. About 50% of the Banni (about 1500 km2) is now highly saline, an undocumented, but likely, factor in shaping the landscape’s biophysical characteristics.

Recent
privatisation

In recent years, close to 100 sq. km of land has been enclosed by pastoralists seeking to grow fodder for their livestock, and castor and cluster beans for the market. Such enclosures are a reflection of a more sedentarized form of pastoralism, but are also responsible for changing the terms on which pastoralists access the Banni as a common property. Over the past year or so, pastoralist institutions have sought to involve the National Green Tribunal in requiring the government to remove these enclosures.

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Over the last few years, we have received financial and institutional support from a number of local and international organizations. If you are interested in supporting us, please contact us at:

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Field station located at:
Banni Research Centre,
Hodko village, Bhuj,
Gujarat 370510

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RAMBLE 2019 ©

Governance

Ethics Policy

GOvernanace

The RAMBLE Management Committee, comprised of core RAMBLE partners, is constituted annually with the mandate to govern and manage the field station. The five-member committee is comprised of representatives from ATREE, Centre for Pastoralism, NCBS and Sahjeevan. The three-year term follows the calendar year. The committee meets twice a year. The committee is expected to perform a number of roles, including:

Oversight of the Director

The management committee appoints and oversees the RAMBLE Director. The Director oversees all day-to-day functioning of the field station, including the use of all field station facilities. S/he is also expected to oversee the long-term ecological monitoring of the vegetation of the Banni grassland, a core RAMBLE objective, and may also develop his or her own research agenda. The Director is expected to manage the Ramble Maintenance Fund, oversee RAMBLE’s annual budget and assist in fund-raising for RAMBLE. The Director is expected to coordinate research by fellows, universities and others and coordinate on all educational and outreach activities. S/he is the first point of contact for any information on RAMBLE, and provides a half-yearly progress report to the RAMBLE Management Committee.

Fund raising

A range of partners has generated core funds to meet RAMBLE's capital expenditure costs or have generated research grants that have helped meet annual running costs. A relatively small portion of the latter are met by researchers and other users who pay for the use of RAMBLE facilities. The Management Committee is expected to undertake fund-raising on behalf of RAMBLE and to undertake a half-yearly review of its budget.

Research

The Management Committee designates a Research Committee to oversee all research at RAMBLE. This committee is expected to provide approval on research projects proposed to be undertaken by researchers or partner institutions; ensure that all research is compliant with its research ethics policy; and administers the Jaikrishna Indraji Thaker Research Opportunity. The Management Committee facilitates the sharing of research outcomes and results with the BPUMS Executive Committee.

Outreach

A variety of outreach programmes undertaken by partner organizations use the RAMBLE facilities. The Management Committee provides formal approval for any such programme, with the expectation that these will conform to RAMBLE’s general objectives. These activities also help generate funds for the day-to-day functioning of the field-station.

Internal Complaints

Owing to the fact that RAMBLE is not a registered body, any complaint will ultimately need to be addressed by the organisation that the affected individual is part of. RAMBLE's complaints committee will assist the complainant's organisation in undertaking a thorough review of the complaint.