While Banni readies for cheetah, native pastoralists demand land rights

Subject: Environment

Section: Protected Area

Context:

Over a year after starting India’s cheetah reintroduction project, plans are underway to establish a cheetah breeding and conservation centre in the Banni grasslands of the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

Details:

The Banni grasslands were initially considered for wild cat reintroduction and deemed capable of supporting over 50 cheetahs by the Wildlife Institute of India and the Wildlife Trust of India.
Historical records from 1839 and 1872 suggest the presence of Asiatic cheetahs in Banni, indicating its potential as a suitable habitat.
However, the Banni grasslands were not initially chosen for cheetah reintroduction due to low prey density.
Efforts to rejuvenate the grasslands focused on removing invasive plants and planting native grass, but significant steps to increase prey density were not taken.
The government’s proposal for a breeding centre was approved by the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.

Impact on a pastoralist community:

Banni, the largest grassland in Asia, spans 2618 sq km and is home to about 40 different grass species. Due to challenging climatic conditions and soil salinity, agriculture is limited, making animal husbandry the primary livelihood for the region’s inhabitants.
Around 45,000 people, mostly from the Maldhari pastoral community, reside in Banni’s 48 villages, along with over 1.5 lakh cattle. The daily milk yield from the local Banni buffalo breed is estimated to be over 1.5 lakh liters.
Following the government’s announcement of a cheetah breeding center in Banni, the Banni Breeders Association, representing breeders from all Banni villages, expressed opposition due to the lack of consultation in the decision-making process.
While the breeding center itself is not the main concern, the Maldharis fear potential threats to their traditional livelihoods and the well-being of the Banni buffalo.
The community is apprehensive about losing their land to government initiatives.
The grass restoration project of the state government in 2019 had the forest department restore 800 to 3900 hectares of land every year.