Grassland project in Purandar village helps restore wildlife, rejuvenate soil

PUNE: The Grasslands Trust and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have observed that the soil carbon sink, biodiversity and ecological health in a five-hectare patch of grassland in Gulunche in Purandar improved with restoration efforts in the first year of interventions.

The project is supported by Suzlon Foundation and the divisional commissionerate.
The team said soil carbon improved by 30% in a grassland in Solapur compared to the degraded land, achieving water efficiency without using any other resources or fertilisers.
The current pilot project is being conducted in Gulunche since 2021. The team acquired 20 hectares from the village common land and started the project.
Increased activity of jackals, hyenas, porcupines, and chinkaras in the land parcel under interventionsare all indicators of good ecological development, they said.
Earlier, the team saw multiple threats such as habitat degradation due to overgrazing, fire damage, and a decrease in flora diversity limi-ted to a few species.
Mihir Godbole, founder of The Grasslands Trust, said, decreased soil cover and shifting rain patterns brought changes to the landscape. “Herbivores such as chin-kara, hare, and porcupine, have started depending on agricultural crops causing conflict with the farmers. A change in the agricultural pattern towards sugar cane farming has brought new wildlife such as wild boar and leopard, increasing the conflict in many areas,” he added.
Due to lack of good grasslands, the pastoralists and local livestock keepers also reduced their livestock.\
For the restoration, the team started controlling grazing, removing invasive plant species, working on restoring natural water courses, and developing nurseries and seed banks of the grass with the help of the forest department. A large plantation of native grass species was undertaken.
“We conducted the plantation, provided water, and protected the area from any obstructions and allowed natural restoration,” Abi Vanak, director of the Centre for Policy Design, ATREE, said.