Validation of Traditional Pastoralist Practices Based on Ecological Observations of a Camel Herding Community and Coastal Mangrove Forests of Kutch, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Mangrove forests cover coastal areas of the Kutch district in Gujarat, western India. The inhabitants of this area, pastoralists known locally as Maldhari, have used these mangroves for their traditional livelihoods, including the rearing of Kharai camels, whose staple food consists of mangrove leaves, petioles, and associated saline vegetation. However, conservationists have accused these pastoralists of harming the mangrove forests through their grazing practices. Therefore, we analyzed Landsat data to understand how mangrove biomass has changed in this region over the past 33 years under grazing. The results revealed that changes in mangrove leaf biomass exhibited a sinusoidal seasonal trend, with a peak in December, and ongoing growth after the end of the rainy season. However, mangrove leaf biomass increased continuously from 1988 to 2020, with a similar rate of increase before and after 2005, when access to mangrove forests was restricted by the Border Security Force and Forest Department of the region. These results suggest that mangroves have adapted well to the semi-arid climate and that grazing by Kharai camels has not reduced their leaf biomass over the last 33 years. The traditional usage of mangrove leaves by pastoralists has not led to a reduction in mangrove coverage. Our findings confirm the perceptions of local pastoralists, expressed in interviews. Thus, traditional mangrove use ars to promote the sustainable coexistence of mangroves, camels, and herders.