Fjölrit RALA - 05.12.1999, Page 117

RALA Reportno. 200
Desertification control and rangeland management
in the Thar desert of India
Rajiv K. Sinha, Sonu Bhatia, and Ritu Vishnoi
Indira Gandhi Centre for Hitman Ecology, Environment and Population Studies,
Rajasthan University, Jaipur-302004 (INDIA)
Tel: 91 141 51 9956: Fca: 91 41 511 572
ABSTRACT
India has about 2.34 million km2 of hot desert called ‘Thar’ in the westem part, mostly covering the
state of Rajasthan. After independence strenuous efforts were made towards desertification control,
ecological regeneration and restoration of the Thar desert in order to reclaim the productivity of the
vast unproductive desert land. For this purpose a 649 km long man made canal was made to bring
Himalayan water into the water starved desert. Although Thar desert is ‘highly generic’ i.e. it be-
comes lush green with slightest precipitation, its natural rates of regeneration have been very slow due
to intense biotic pressure (overgrazing, extraction of fodder and fuelwood).
Introduction of fast growing exotic species of trees and grasses from isoclimatic regions of the
world for stabilization of shifting sand dunes; creation of ‘microclimates’ through shelterbelt planta-
tions; and creation of ‘fencing and enclosures’ for regeneration of indigenous species have proved
highly successful towards the control of desertification, ecological regeneration and restoration of the
Thar desert. The degraded Thar desert ecosystem shows tremendous resilience for regeneration when
the influence of biotic factors is removed.
The native people of the Thar desert have a grand tradition of preserving village grazing lands
called ‘gochars’, and green woodlands called ‘Orans’. Orans are preserved in the name of local diety.
The villagers take a vow not to cut down any tree or branches of trees from the Orans. Only the
grasses and palatable herbs can be used as fodder for the cattle. Orans and gochars are like ‘mini-
biosphere reserves’ in the Thar desert and have greatly helped in the maintenance of ecological stabil-
ity of the region.
Thar desert holds a big potential for development into a rangeland. The highly nutritive fodder
grasses Lasiurus sindicus, Cenchrus ciliaris, C. setigerus and Cymbopogon jwarancusa are well
adapted to the Thar desert environment.
Key words: aerial seeding, enclosures, fencing, Orans, shelterbelt plantation, village grazing lands.
INTRODUCTION
In India there are about 2.34 million km2 of hot desert called ‘Thar’. It represents one
of the most inhospitable arid zones of the world, spreading mostly through westem
Rajasthan, Gujarat, South-Westem Punjab, Haryana and part of Kamataka. About
85% of the great Indian desert lies in India and the rest in Pakistan. About 91% of the
desert, i.e. 2.08 million km2, falls in Rajasthan covering about 61% of the geographi-
cal area of the state. The Aravali hills, older than the Himalayas, intersect the State to
the north-east and in the west lies the great Indian desert the ‘Thar’.
The Indian desert is characterized by high velocity wind, huge shifting and rolling
sand dunes; high diumal variation of temperature; scarce rainfall; intense solar radia-
tion and high rate of evaporation. Thar desert receives between 100 to 500 mm of
rainfall every year, 90% of which is received between July and September. The sandy
soils of the desert have a rapid infiltration rate of water, poor fertility, low humus
content due to rapid oxidation and high salinity. All conditions are very hostile for the
existence of life, yet, large human and livestock populations inhabit the area. The In-
dian desert is highly firagile with poor primary producers but large liabilities i.e. the
consumers causing severe impediments in its ‘ecological regeneration’ and ‘desertifi-
cation control’ efforts.