How To Create An Oasis

Neither a short-term solution nor a one-size-fits-all approach will help fight desertification. Governments tend to commit this mistake, but communities across the world are building on their traditional experiences to achieve land degradation neutrality

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INDIA

Mixing it up to save Banni grasslands

GUJARAT’S PASTORAL Maldhari community is trying to revive the Banni grasslands that are fast degrading due to the onslaught of invasive plant species Prosopis julifora. The members, along with non-profit Sahjeevan, started a project earlier this year where they are replacing the invasive species they call gando babool with mixed varieties of native seeds in six plots spread over 125 hectares (ha). “Rainfall is erratic. So we are using a seed mix that can withstand heavy, normal and low rainfall,” says Pankaj Joshi of Sahjeevan. They are also reclaiming the grassland portions where some of the community members started illegal farming. “We are sowing small pellet balls of mixed seeds, manure, soil and water in 15 ha,” says Joshi. The members are also sensitizing the young members of the community to draw them back to livestock rearing.

TUNISIA

Acacia to Tunisia’s rescue