Banni grasslands

About Banni Grasslands

• It is located along the northern border of Kachchh district in the state ofGujarat.
• The Banni is also home to 22 ethnic groups, the majority of whom are pastoralists.
• It is home to great biological diversity, having 37 grass species, 275 bird species, and domesticated animals like Buffalo, Sheep, Goat, Horses and Camel, as well as wildlife. 
• The Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and Chhari Dhand Conservation Reserve are part of the Banni Grasslands.
• Flora: The vegetation here mainly comprises Prosopis Juliflora, Cressa critica, Cyperus spp, Sporobolus, Dichanthium, and Aristida.
• Fauna: It is home to mammals such as the Nilgai, Chinkara, Blackbuck, Wild boar, Golden Jackal, Indian Hare, Indian Wolf, Caracal, Asiatic Wildcat and Desert Fox etc. 

Key facts about Grasslands

• These are one of the largest ecosystems in the world.
• They are distributed mainly in semiarid and arid areas, and include savannahs, grassy shrublands, and open grasslands.
• Ecological benefits: They harbour a large number of unique and iconic species and offer a variety of material and intangible advantages to people, including several ecosystem services such as carbon storage, climate mitigation, and pollination.
• Threats: They face the problem of degradation due to deforestation, overgrazing, agriculture, urbanisation, and other natural and human-made reasons. As much as 49% of grassland areas worldwide are estimated to be experiencing degradation.
• In India, grasslands account for approximately eight lakh sq. km, or about 24% of the country’s total land area (32.8 lakh sq. km).