KACHCHH SUB-STATE BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN PREPARED UNDER THE NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN- INDIA Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology Bhuj, Kachchh 2002 Dedicated to The Undying Spirit of People of Kachchh KACHCHH SUB-STATE BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN PREPARED UNDER THE NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN- INDIA Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology P. O. Box # 83, Opp. Changleshwar Temple, Mundra Road, Bhuj (Kachchh) Ph. (02832) 32160-61; Fax: 32162 2002 NBSAP Executing Agency: Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India NBSAP Funding Agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/ Global Environment Facility NBSAP Technical Implementing Agency: Technical and Policy Core Group (TPCG) Coordinated by Kalpvriksh NBSAP Administrative Agency: Biotech Consortium India Ltd. Kachchh BSAP Nodal Agency: Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Bhuj (Kachchh) TPCG Member Associated: Ms. Seema Bhatt, Dr. Ravi Chellam Local Advisory Committee Members (27): Prof. Y.D. Singh, Mr. K.C. Shroff, Mr. Himmatsinhji, Conservator of Forests (Kachchh), Deputy Conservator of Forests (Kachchh West), Deputy Conservator of Forests (Kachchh East), Ms. Sushma Iyenger, Mr. Sandeep Virmani, Dr. Nipun Bhuch, Dr. Arun Mani Dixit, Mr. Dinesh Bhai Sanghvi, Mr. Raisingh Rathod, Mr. Fakir Mohammad Turk, Ms. Sahnaz Saiyad, Dr. Justus Joshua, Mr. Shailesh Vyas, Mr. Ishwarlal Patel, Dr. G.A. Thivakaran, Mr. Dalpatbhai Dhandaria, Prof. R. S. Dodiya, Mr. Ravibhai Soni, Mr. Navin Bapat, Mr. H.L. Lalka, Ms. Bharti Nanjar, Mr. A.E. Rao, Mr. Anup Kumar Gupta, Mr. Devjibhai Dhamecha Nodal Person: Dr. Arun Mani Dixit E-mail: [email protected] Suggested Citation: Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (2002). Kachchh Sub-State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Prepared under National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, executed by Ministry of Environment and Forests (Government of India), technical implementation by Technical and Policy Core Group (TPCG) coordinated by Kalpavriksh, and administrative coordination by Biotech Consortium India Ltd., funded by Global Environment Facility through United Nations Development Programme. 123 pp. Preface Biodiversity conservation is considered to be one of the key elements for Sustainable Development. Efforts were made, therefore, to include it as necessary developmental agenda at country to local levels. To achieve the goals many efforts were made to draw strategic action plans at various levels. Out of all such plans majority failed in achieving their goals and objectives. Unequivocally, the failure of such plans owe to their ‘top-bottom’ approach of planning. The messages were loud and clear that centralised, round-the-table planning will not withstand the ground realities and thus decentralised, participatory, ‘bottom-up’ approach are the need of hour. It is really great to find that that the NBSAP-India has followed the later approach. It is also of a great satisfaction that GUIDE is also one of the partners in the national exercise of this kind and magnitude. It is even personally very satisfying that the biodiversity values of Kachchh are now getting special focus at national level. This document is prepared under extraordinary situation, when almost entire district was passing through a traumatic experience of earthquake. Nevertheless, it was the Kachchhi spirit and their deep sense of belongingness to their land that overcome all the odds and gave serious inputs to this document. The document, on its part, provides a synergy between the issues of biodiversity conservation and livelihood of local communities, especially in the rural context. This paradigm shift from wildlife (flora-fauna) centric to livelihood centric approach gave biodiversity conservation a much needed humane face. I am sure with the kind of strategies and actions suggested in this document, it will bring more friends than enemies to entire conservation efforts. I knew that we needs to go many more miles before we operationalize most of the recommendations of this report, yet with concerted efforts from all like minded individuals and agencies, operating within or outside Kachchh, this journey could be faster and easier. Y.D. Singh 10 September 2002 Director, GUIDE GUIDE, Bhuj v NBSAP GUIDE, Bhuj vi NBSAP Acknowledgements I, on behalf of people of Kachchh, wish to convey my sincere thanks to all those persons and institutions involved in this exercise for searching a better ‘common future’ for all of us. Numerous persons’ experience, knowledge and information sharing, and critical comments, considerably enhanced the quality of this report. In particular, I put my sincere gratitude and thanks to: • All those village people who, despite their personal sufferings caused by the devastating earthquake, participated in this exercise wholeheartedly through different meetings and provided their valuable inputs which ultimately form strong foundation to this document. • Mr. K.C. Shroff (Kaka) and Mr. Himmatsinhji, for their overall moral support to the process and also for providing invaluable insights to the subject. They are instrumental in bringing humane face to this exercise. • Mr. Hashmukh Shah and Prof. Y.D. Singh for their encouragements and full support during the entire course of the project. • All the members of Local Advisory Committee to provide their inputs in giving direction to the process. Special thanks are due to Mr. Raisinghji Rathod who took-up this exercise very seriously and provided all his time and energy to make this exercise a success. His vast experience and knowledge about the Kachchh are used in many ways and places in this report. • Mr. Ashish Kothari, Ms. Seema Bhatt and Dr. Ravi Chellam for their continuous supply of information and guidelines which always put us in right track. Their firm beliefs on our efforts is one major driving force that lead us to this far. • Prof. Anil Gupta for sharing some of his views during the initial phase of the project that opened-up new windows for looking the whole issues of biodiversity conservation and their livelihood linkages. His encouraging words actually inspired us to go to the people’s door and invite their opinions. • Mr. Sandeep Virmani and Ms. Sushma Iyenger for sharing their experiences in working with different communities and livelihood sectors of Kachchh and thus gave new dimension to the project. • Mr. Shailesh Vyas, Mr. Yogesh Jadeja, Dr. Nipun Bhuch and Mr. Fakir Mohammad Turk for their never lasting support and inputs in preparation of this report in many ways. • Mr. Narayan Bhai Joshi, Ms. Bharti Nanjar, Ms. Bhavna Ben, Ms. Meena Rajgour, Ms. Dimple Ben, Ms. Shahnaz Saiyed, Ms. Karuna Ben, Mr. Jayesh Lalka, Mr. Dhanraj Bhai Gadhvi, Narottam Kaka and Mr. Gautam Ghediya to help in organizing village level meetings. The support of different units of Kachchh Mahila Vikas Sangathan is specially thanked. • Dr. J.P. Agarwal and Dr. H.S. Singh, for their comments and suggestions on various aspects of biodiversity conservation in Kachchh and their linkages with the Gujarat State BSAP. GUIDE, Bhuj vii NBSAP • Mr. H.S. Panwar, Dr. Ranjitsinhji and Dr. Diwakar Sharma for their valuable comments on the draft manuscript. The visit of Mr. Panwar to Kachchh and his valuable inputs during the field visits added some new dimension to the suggested actions. Thanks are also due to Dr. Somnath Bandhopadhyay for adding some new dimensions to biodiversity conservation for larger betterment of communities. • Mr. S.C. Srivastava, Mr. G.V. Vadi, Mr. S.K. Chaturvedi and Mr. Y.L. Verma for providing valuable information and insight to the report specially about the forests, wildlife and PAs of Kachchh. • Mr. Dinesh Bhai Sanghvi, Mr. H.L. Lalka, Mr. Prakash Tulpule, Mr. Manu Bhai Mankad, Dr. B. Thakkar, Mr. Ramji Bhai Savani, Mr. Kulinkant Shah, Mr. Anup Kumar Gupta, Mr. A.E. Rao, Mr. Devjibhai Dhamecha, Mr. Kartik Chauhan, Mr. Dilip M. Maru and Mr. Shivji Bhai Shah, for giving their valuable time to this exercise and give different view points on various issues related to biodiversity and livelihood. • Mr. Mukesh Bhai Javeri and Mr. Tara Chand Chheda for taking keen interest and giving moral support to the process • Mr. Vijendra Patil and Mr. Ravji Bhai Sondarva for filming the village meeting at Jarpara to include it into the national level effort of process documentation of NBSAP. • Dr. C.S. Silori, Dr. S.F.Wesley Sunderraj, Dr. C.P. Geevan, Dr. V.Vijay Kumar, Dr. Justus Joshua and Dr. G.A. Thivakaran for sharing their knowledge about ecology of Kachchh, field data and regular inputs in the manuscript to improve the overall content of the report. • Ms. Leena Gupta, Ms. Nisha Mistry, Dr. Oswin Deiva, Ms. Jagruti Shah, Mr. Hiren Soni, Mr. Nischal Joshi, Mr. Avnish Rana, Mr. Pankaj Joshi, Mr. Shesh Sarbiah, Mr. A. Shravan Kumar, Mr. Ishwarlal Patel and Mr. Naresh Maheshwari for compiling the data from different sources and made available to the project. • All the participants of different workshop and meetings organised under NBSAP process for commenting on Kachchh BSAP and sharing their experiences of working in different parts of the country. Special thanks are due to all the gender experts, for explaining the complexities and problems related to the women and gave meuch needed orientation on gender issues. • Ms. Neera Burra and her unit in UNDP, at New Delhi, to give this whole exercise a real meaning by assuring some funding for implementation of a few key actions suggested in the report. A.M. Dixit Project Coordinator