Ecological restoration of arid land: a pilot approach in great Rann of Kachchh, Kachchh District, Gujarat, India

The Greater Rann of Kachchh (GRK) is a marshy and highly saline area characterized by flat terrain, harsh climate and ecologically fragile due to very low soil moisture and high soil salinity.  Therefore, an attempt was made on a pilot scale to reclaim the Rann and accelerate the natural recovery process of two bets (upland area), namely, the Kuar and Mori bets. Some traditional techniques of land resource practices were applied for reclaiming the area in year 2001 and 2007. In total, 1776 ha area has been reclaimed under the project, evidenced by  increased in dense scrub forest and grassland to 667% and 44% and number of plant species increased from 113 in 2001 to 261 in 2007. The results of the study are found to be highly successful, which is evident from the development of vegetative cover and increase in soil fertility, which in turn improved ecology of the area.