Biodiversity
Grasslands
Kachchh district harbors grasslands/pasture lands which were once the largest grasslands in Asia, in the form of Banni that extended to around 3, 000 km2. In addition, the grasslands in Abdasa taluka known as the Naliya grasslands are presently the only natural grasslands extending to about 160 km2. Over and above, there are open grasslands; grasses under tree cover (forest) spread over other parts, from east to west, mainly on the hilly undulating tracts of Kachchh. All these are in a much degraded state. In Kachchh, all villages have their grazing lands called “Gauchar lands” but all are in a degraded state due to lack of proper management and maintenance.
In the lowlands of Banni, mixed halophyte scrub savannah is the dominant vegetation type. This type is well adapted to stress and can withstand high grazing pressure. At man-made water conservation areas, locally called jheel, more favorable micro climate conditions exist, permitting the growth of vegetation which is richer in species and reveals a larger spread of grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees.
Banni refers to an arid region that is covered with coarse and low perennial grasses like Desmostachya bipinnata (Dhrab), Sporobolus marginatus (Dhrabad), Dichanthium annulatum (Jinjvo), Cenchrus ciliaris (Dhaman), Sporobolus sps. (Khevai), and Chloris barbata (Siyarpuchha); and sparsely distributed colonies of Cynodon dactylon (Chhabar), Dactyloctenium sindicum (Madhanu), Eleusine compressa (Nanu Mandhanu); besides sedge like Eleocharis atropurpurea (Nano Chiyo), Cyperus rotundus (Chiyo), Scirpus sps. (Kal, Kaluro) and coarse and pioneer colonizing grasses like Aeluropus lagopoides (Khariyu) and Cressa cretica (Oin) occur extensively. Undershrubs like Suaeda fruticosa (Lano), Suaeda maritimum (Moto Lano), Suaeda nudiflora (Unt Morad), and Tamarix aphylla (Lai), occur abundantly all over especially in the places where water logging occurs in pools during the rainy season and sedges with annual grasses also occur around the fringes of such pooling spots. Today, palatable grass and tree species like Acacia nilotica (Desi bavar), Salvadora persica (Khari Jar) and S. Oleoides (Mithi Jar) are though present, their abundance has decreased very significantly due to the invasion of Prosopis juliflora (Gando Bavar).
Wetlands
Wetland ecosystem is more important in dry lands. Dry lands are known for high population growth and scarce resources due to insufficient water. Wetlands are one of the most important sources of water in dry lands. Kachchh region with arid and semi-arid climate, in westernmost corner of Gujarat state in India, forms one of the most important dry land ecosystems in country. Kachchh is known for true saline deserts (locally called as Rann that includes Greater and Little Rann of Kachchh), Banni (once considered as Asia’s finest grassland stretch) and wetlands. There are series of wetlands in Banni e.g Shervo-Dhand, Vekaria-Dhand, Kheerjog-Dhand, Kunjevari-thanth, Hanjtal, Abdha-Jheel, Mokaro-Jheel and Luna-Jheel. All the water bodies in Banni are seasonal, filling up during years of heavy precipitation and through spillovers from the nearby irrigation reservoirs. Water gradually turns saline due to excessive evaporation and the high contents of dissolved salts in the soils. A huge concentration of water birds is hosted by these ‘Dhands’ during the fall migration.
A huge fresh water jheel locally known as Chhari-Dhand (Dhand – a saucer shaped shallow lake) is a prominent feature of Kachchh. The jheel is bordered by stands of Tamarix sps., Salvadora persica (Khara Pilu) and Salvadora oleoides (Mitha Pilu) interspersed by numberous shrubs. The low-lying areas in Rann get filled during monsoon. During the good rainfall year, Chhari dhand becomes the wintering ground of the enormous flocks of Common Cranes, about 25000 to 40000, Dalmatian Pelicans (50 to 60) and about 1500 Rosy Pelicans in the vicinity of Chharidhand. About 32 species of Raptors and 16 species of waterfowl, 3 species of Cranes and 31 species of Charadridae have been recorded from the Chhari Dhand.
The construction of a series of check dams and irrigation reservoirs on the stream, which previously used to flow unhindered into the area, together with the laying of numerous roads/bunds in the Banni has affected the water regime thus contributing to the gradual shrinkage of the Dhand over the years. This is further aggravated by siltation by windblown sand. Substantial portions of the area around the Dhand have been gradually invaded by Prosopis juliflora (Gando Bavar), which has grown proportions thus altering the habitat of the area.