The Hindu : National : Ghana park witnesses a major weeding operation

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Saturday, Oct 27, 2007
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Ghana park witnesses a major weeding operation

Sunny Sebastian

A vast area now free from Prosopis juliflora, a tree species

Operation carried out with help from villagers
Authorities took advantage of lack of water

BHARATPUR: The authorities are making hay while the sun shines at the world famous Keoladeo Ghana National Park near here. There is very little bird life this season in the absence of water for the second consecutive year in the wetland, yet the birders are chirping merrily as, making the most of an adversarial situation, the park management has carried out a massive weeding operation here with active support from the local villagers.

Over 6 sq km area of the 29 sq km park -- a World Heritage site and Ramsar Convention wetland -- is now free from Prosopis juliflora, a tree species which had spread not only in the 11 sq km wooded area but also to the grasslands, taking advantage of the changes in the eco system in the wake of recurrent droughts. The inhabitants of as many as 15 villages in the park neighbourhood are happy.

“This kind of removal of Prosopis juliflora has been unparalleled anywhere in the country. The activity has brought incredible goodwill to the park from the local villagers besides helping the native vegetation to come up,” said seasoned conservationist and Keoladeo-watcher Harsh Vardhan after a recent visit to the sanctuary.

There was nothing the park management could have done about missing water which was to come either from good rains during the monsoon or from the Panchana dam situated in the neighbouring Karauli district. As the State Government, afraid of the reaction from the farmers in the downstream area of the Panchana, refused to listen to the desperate appeals for release of water from the environmentalists and the park officials, there was nothing much to do -- or so it seemed.

“In the 1980s, the water supply to the park started getting reduced. Taking advantage of the dry conditions, Prosopis juliflora started spreading. Within a span of a few years it not only took over the entire woodland but also infiltrated the unique grassland.

Even the wetland, spread over 11 sq km, got engulfed with this weed,” says P. S. Somashekhar, Conservator, Forests.

Prosopis juliflora has vigorous coppicing power. The park authorities had made several attempts in the past to kill the mother trees but could not succeed as even the burnt stumps sprouted with great vigour. The mammal population in the park such as Blue bulls, chital, wild boar and feral cows, which consumed the ripe seeds, helped its propagation. The only option seemed to be uprooting each individual tree.

“By 2006, the situation got very critical. Then we formed an Eco Development Committee in February this year and registered all the villagers. Strategically Ram Nagar was selected as the first village to start this experiment,” notes Sunayan Sharma, Field Director, Keoladeo Ghana.

The Ram Nagar experiment, carried out under strict supervision of the forest personnel, proved successful. The villagers, grouped family-wise, were allocated plots of 10x100 metres area each from where they removed the mother trees, new seedlings and saplings, plucking them by root.

The villagers—men, women, children, once shooed away by the park authorities for attempts at cutting grass—were allowed to take away the wood so procured.

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