Traditional salt workers from the Little Rann of Kutch recognised for their role in conservation

Traditional salt workers from the Little Rann of Kutch recognised for their role in wild ass conservation

The Wild Ass Sanctuary (WAS) in Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) region was one of the last refuges for the Indian wild ass, which is only found in the Kutch region of Gujarat. The presence of Agariyas (traditional salt workers) was considered to be a threat to the wildlife protection efforts in LRK by wildlife conservationists and the forest department. This resulted in eviction notices, no access to welfare schemes and no livelihood insurance in case of natural disasters such as flooding for them.

LRK is a low-lying bowl-shaped tract of land. Fishers earn a living from the LRK in monsoon and Agariyas enter the region once the water drains off. The region has huge reserves of underground brine, hard topsoil, a lot of sunlight, and very low humidity, which makes it highly suitable for salt production. 

Though there has been an increase in the number and area of salt pans, wild ass population has now improved from meagre 362 in 1969 to 4451 in 2014 and 6082 in 2020. This shows that salt production activities have no negative impact on wildlife,

A recent report by the NGT has acknowledged that peaceful co-existence of Agariyas and Wild Ass has resulted into the continuous growth of population of Wild Ass in the sanctuary area. The state forest department and the Gujarat High Court, have now recognised the role of Agariyas in the conservation of wild ass in the region. 

Following the reports in the NGT case and the PIL, around 5,000 Agariyas can now have legitimate access to land, bank finance and market access and can even ask for a minimum support price for their produce (Mongabay, India).

Kashmir farmers adapt to climate change with trout farming

Many farmers across Kashmir valley are using an innovative technique for trout farming to combat the harsh consequences of climate change. Trout was introduced by British officials in a few water streams at the foothills of Dachigam in the early 20th century and trout farming was then confined to government-managed fishery farms in Srinagar and Anantnag. However, 1,200 private fish farms have sprung up throughout the Valley in recent years providing livelihoods to numerous families. 

The RAS technique involves tapping into groundwater pools to create in-house ponds for trout farming. Groundwater is skillfully extracted through borewells and stored in tanks. The water is then filtered with impurities being removed through mechanical and biological processes, allowing for efficient water recycling and reuse. This ensures a continuous flow of fresh, cold water vital for the well-being of the trout.

The process not only ensures a continuous supply of fresh cold water to the trout, but also liberates farmers from the constraints of untimely rainfall and allows them to raise trout throughout the year in their farms, unhindered by the unpredictability of the weather.

Statistics from the fisheries department show that approximately 1,500 tonnes of trout are produced annually from both government and private farms in the Valley and the demand for the fish continues to grow (Village Square).

The age old chuspon system of water use provides hope to water starved Ladakh

The town of Leh in the beautiful Himalayan state of Ladakh is falling prey to tourism with its fragile ecosystem under threat and a growing water crisis. But the quaint village of Sakti, just a few kilometres away continues to have water, thanks to an age old and time-honoured traditional system of land and water use.

Being one of the largest villages in the region with around 400 households,  Sakti relies on traditional agriculture that survives on meltwater from the glaciers. Nestled between Chang La and Wari La, and the meltwater from these two major passes lets the land flourish with mountain grasslands and fertile fields.

Agriculture has survived because of the chuspon tradition where a chuspon or water lord is elected by the community and like any social institution, the chuspon system allows the farming communities to use their land and water resources judiciously. The election of the water lord is a crucial component of the village’s traditional festival, facilitating local governance, maintenance and equitable distribution of precious water resources.

Chuspon are annually appointed at the beginning of the agricultural season and include a person with extensive knowledge on customary duties, rights and responsibilities related to water management and are nowadays appointed on a rotational basis.

Every Ladakhi village has a community water reservoir called zing, where meltwater is collected directly for irrigation. These reservoirs are connected to water canals called yura, which supply water to the fields. A chuspon is responsible for managing water distribution, irrigation turns, overseeing zing maintenance, resolving water disputes, and ensuring equitable water distribution among all village families without personal bias or favouritism (Village Square).

Radio Bundelkhand helps farmers communicate, gain information, join hands and cope with climate change

Radio Bundelkhand, a community radio run by a non-profit Development Alternatives, with funds from the World Bank, has reached out to people in some 100 villages in the region, formed 25 groups with their representatives to talk on five themes namely kitchen garden, vermicomposting, agroforestry, amrit mitti (bio-enriched soil) and water harvesting. 

The station’s first female radio jockey, has been producing the show Shubh Kal on climate and agriculture-related issues since 2017, and the one-hour show that she hosts reaches about 250,000 residents of the region consists of a discussion on a specific topic related to climate change with experts associated with the environment or agriculture departments of the government, interactions with farmers who call in during the session, jingles that highlight the main message of the episode as well as folk songs in the local languages that talk about the issue. 

Listeners are asked to share their views or environmental challenges they wish to raise with the Panchayat,  so that there is mutual exchange of information as the Sarpanch of their villages also often tune in to become aware of the problems and solutions shared by the experts. While Radio Bundelkhand is available only in around 300 villages in the region, its mobile application has been giving farmers from across the country access to its programmes that are live streamed on the app (Down To Earth).

Citizen science helps record bird sightings in the Pune Bird Atlas, first of its kind in Maharashtra

A first-of-its-kind project in Maharashtra, the Pune Bird Atlas (PBA) seeks to understand the distribution and abundance of birds in Pune by involving the public that includes experienced birders and interested amateurs, in systematic bird-watching efforts to document how bird numbers and their distribution change in Pune over a period of time.

PBA is a part of Bird Count India, a consortium of organisations, whose aim includes encouraging bird watching in the country. The platform used by PBA to document the information is Ebird, which is online and supports citizen science. Observers from around the world can record their bird observations here.

There is a protocol involved for bird-watching with PBA. Members, individually or in groups, survey a grid for 15 minutes on weekend mornings by demarcating the city into 198 grids of 1.1 km × 1.1 km. Volunteers observe and report the birds they see and document it on the global bird citizen science platform eBird.

The functioning of PBA is an example of citizen science, an approach that relies on participation by enthusiasts and not only experts. Members have a checklist to fill out during every session. New hobbyists are trained through multiple sessions in birding as well as in the technology used to upload checklists and other data, which is reviewed by experts (Indian Express).

This is a roundup on important news updates from 16th October to 31st October 2023. Also read our policy updates here