Traditional salt workers contribute to wild ass conservation and regain access to Little Rann of Kutch

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

The forest department of Gujarat has officially acknowledged the role of Agariyas, the salt workers of the Little Rann of Kutch, in wildlife conservation, particularly of the wild ass that is predominantly found in the region.

Agariyas:

Agariyas have traditionally been making salt from underground brine in the Little Rann of Kutch.
The 60,000-odd Agariyas at the Little Rann produce 30 percent of India’s inland salt. The forest department is issuing ‘Agar’ cards to some Agariyas for extraction of salt. The card is only valid for a year and lists 23 conditions. Use of heavy machinery is not allowed.
In 1973, the area was designated as a Wild Ass Sanctuary and their (Agariyas) access to it was restricted by the forest department.
- As per law, a sanctuary can only be ‘declared’ once the Survey and Settlement (S&S) of the rights of people dependent on it has been completed. An incomplete S&S, over the last 50 years, is delaying the declaration of the sanctuary.
The latest acknowledgment gives theAgariyas official access to land and in turn, access to bank finance and markets. But legal recognition of their traditional rights, by rights settlement, is still awaited.
The wild ass population improved from a meager362 in 1969 to 4451 in 2014 and 6082 in 2020, shows that salt production activities have no negative impact on wildlife.
The forest department stated that as per the Mines Act, 1952, salt production is not a mining activity.

The history and geography of Little Rann of Kutch (LRK):

LRK is a low-lying bowl-shaped tract of land.
During monsoon, 11 big and small rivers drain into LRK while water from the Arabian Sea also enters from a conical creek at another end, making it a large wetland from July to October.
Gujarat produces 76% of India’s salt. During monsoon it becomes a fishing ground, while during dry season it becomes a large underground brine from whichAgariyas extract salt.
Salt was being produced in LRK from the Mughal period. Kharagoda railway station, right at the edge of LRK, is one of the oldest railway stations in the country that the British administration set up to transport salt to various parts of the country.
No permissions and licenses were required by Agariyas, who made salt in 10-acre patches of land as they were considered small producers. They were not charged any cess either because India was still heavily dependent on imports despite many natural sources for salt making and known traditional technologies to produce salt.

Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary:

Located in the Little Rann of Kutch in the Gujarat state of India. It is spread over an area of 4954 km².
The wildlife sanctuary was established in 1972 and came under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The sanctuary is one of the last places on earth where the endangered wild ass sub-species Indian Wild Ass (Khur) (Equus hemionus khur) belonging to Asiatic Wild Ass species Onager (Equus hemionus) can be spotted.
Indian Wild Ass:
- The Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur), also called the Indian onager or, in the local Gujarati language, Ghudkhur and Khur, is a subspecies of the onagernative to South Asia.
- It is currently listed as Near Threatened by IUCN.
- The population has risen by 37% since 2014, reveals data released by the Gujarat forest department. The population has reached 6,082, according to the census conducted in March 2020.

Source: Mongabay