Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Natural Resource Management in the Indian Desert

Abstract

Indian local communities in the desert have often shown that they are good managers of their natural resource base through their traditional knowledge and wisdom. Efficient community strategies have exemplified their intelligent and sustainable use of land, water and soil without causing damage to the resilience and functioning of the surrounding ecosystem. The Bishnoi tribe of the western Indian state of Rajasthan has over the centuries combined a unique blend of ecological sense and religious sensibility. The Thar desert in India is full of ironies – one of them being the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan. Here, peace is maintained with aggression, and robust health rubs shoulders with regular famine. Living amidst the barren wastelands interspersed with Khejri and Babool trees, the Bishnois are a proud race. Johra Ram, head of the Bishnoi community, says “Any change in the world has to begin within the society. All this talk about nature and wildlife protection would be more effective if each individual was to believe in the Earth as a living, breathing entity and fight for its survival the way we do.” There is a story of Amrita Devi a Bishnoi woman who, along with more than 366 other Bishnois, died saving trees. The Bishnois are an example of people living in harmony with nature where they maintain groves, locally known as orans, where animals graze and birds feed. Orans serve as important rechargers of rainwater in the desert aquifers, where every single drop of water is precious. It is estimated that orans account for about 9% of the desert area. Here, the tree species, Prosopis cineraria or Khejari, is worshipped for its immense ecological value.