Though lions are carnivores, there is an umbilical link between grass
and the big cats. Grass is the starting point of all major food chains.
Dheeraj Mittal
The writer, an IFS officer, presently serves as deputy conservator
of forest, Gir West Forest Division in Junagadh. Views are personal
Mon, Dec 02, 2019
Just like with lion
conservation, grassland restoration can also be done with the
participation of local communities. They can help in tending grasslands
and clearing any woodlots, if required. Part of the proceeds from wood
clearing can be shared with the panchayats...
https://indianexpress.com/profile/columnist/dheeraj-mittal/
Restoring Saurashtra’s grasslands is key for the big cats to thrive in their natural habitat
Just like
with lion conservation, grassland restoration can also be done with the
participation of local communities. They can help in tending grasslands
and clearing any woodlots, if required. Part of the proceeds from wood
clearing can be shared with the panchayats.
Written by
Dheeraj Mittal
|
Updated: December 2, 2019 10:02:24 am
Recently, a video showing an Asiatic lion eating grass went viral on
social media in Gujarat. Many wondered if lions indeed eat grass! As a
matter of fact, wild carnivores often eat grass when they have a stomach
upset so as to vomit undigested food, and in some cases, to encapsulate
shards in bony food.
Though lions are carnivores, there is an umbilical link between grass
and the big cats. Grass is the starting point of all major food chains.
Wild ungulates like spotted deer, blue bulls (nilgai), sambar, wild
boars etc, which form the main prey-base of Asiatic lions, dependent on
good grass. Their habitat comprises grasslands and open patches.
The Saurashtra region is interspersed with 106 reserved vidis
(grasslands) maintained by the forest department and 434 non-reserved
vidis controlled by other agencies. They are spread over 1,810 sq km,
making up 20 per cent of total grassland cover in Gujarat. Private
vidis, gauchars (community grasing-lands controlled by village
panchayats) and government wastelands supplement these vidis. Most of
these vidis are part of the 22,000-sq km Greater Gir landscape, the last
abode of Asiatic lions.
A good lion habitat must have a good prey-base. For a healthy
prey-base, grasslands are the key. Lion conservation efforts are focused
on habitat improvement and, by extension, on improvement of grasslands.
Dispersal of lions from the core Gir forest was possible due to a
matrix of grasslands and open patches in the Greater Gir area. It is
imperative, therefore, to initiate landscape-level interventions to
ensure that the lion population keeps thriving. Since these big cats
coexist with local agro-pastoralists, minimising competition for natural
resources between wildlife and local communities is crucial. Productive
grasslands can help achieve this. They can make a very good habitat for
lions while also meeting requirements of the locals.
Lions have been dispersing out of the core Gir forest for the past 15
years. According to the 2015 census, out of total 523 Asiatic lions,
167 were living outside protected forests. That is one-third of their
population. The lions living outside protected forests have made these
grasslands in revenue areas their home. Hence, these grasslands will be
critical to lions’ further dispersal and sustaining their robust
population growth seen over the past couple of decades.
Over a period of time, however, these grasslands have degraded owing
to invasion of woody and shrubby species and have turned into somewhat
unproductive woodlots. Hardly any grass grows in them now. Instead,
growth of species like lantana, prosopis, van tulsi and cassia defines
their vegetation. This vegetation is unpalatable for wild ungulates and
domestic animals.
The progressive degradation of grasslands has exacerbated some of the
present problems like shortage of fodder, lack of good grazing grounds
for maldharis (a semi-nomadic pastoralist community), increase in crop
depredation by wild herbivores etc. Eventually, it can prove detrimental
to animal husbandry, which, after agriculture, is the other major
occupation in Saurashtra. As grasslands on forest fringes become
unsuitable for wildlife and local livestock, the fringe further shifts
towards agricultural fields and human settlements. This, in turn, is
aggravating human-wildlife conflict. In the long run, such a scenario
may sour the unique sentiment and goodwill the local communities have
for wildlife in general and lions in particular.
This gradual, unattended shift has affected both ecology and
economics of the region. Village panchayats are unable to maintain their
gauchars for lack of resources. Nor do they consider managing their
gauchars and wastelands a priority. The continued apathy is resulting in
large-scale encroachment on such swathes and soil mining from such
patches. There aren’t many management interventions by the forest
department either in the non-reserved vidis. The net result is that the
landscape is suffering the tragedy of commons and a vicious
self-perpetuating circle of unproductiveness.
For long-term ecological and economic security, all stakeholders need
to make a collective effort. The forest and revenue departments and
panchayats need to take up a joint mission to restore these grasslands.
Good productive grasslands are extremely important for fodder security.
For instance, the more than 1.6 crore kg of grass collected by the
forest department from reserve vidis in 2018-19 will be available for
distribution in the event of a drought. Grasslands are important for
water security too as they serve as great watersheds. The conflict due
to crop depredation and lions venturing into human habitations can also
be mitigated if grasslands are maintained and managed properly. Wild
herbivores naturally prefer open and productive patches and thereby keep
carnivores interested in such areas. Grassland restoration will also
help in the conservation of bustards, floricans, wolves, blackbucks and
many other wild species that share a similar habitat.
Wildlife conservation and sustainable utilisation of grasslands are
not mutually exclusive pursuits. Grassland restoration will not only
have positive ecological effects on long-term lion conservation, it will
also yield significant socioeconomic benefits to the locals. Just like
with lion conservation, grassland restoration can also be done with the
participation of local communities. They can help in tending grasslands
and clearing any woodlots, if required. Part of the proceeds from wood
clearing can be shared with the panchayats.
The recent UN-led conference to combat desertification committed to
achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030. At this conference, India
committed to restoring at least 26 million hectares of degraded land by
2030. Gujarat can begin with restoration of the grasslands in
Saurashtra.
This article first appeared in the print edition on
December 2, 2019 under the title ‘Grass for lions’. The writer, an IFS
officer, presently serves as deputy conservator of forest, Gir West
Forest Division in Junagadh. Views are personal
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/gujarat-saurashtra-asiatic-lion-eating-grass-video-6146005/
