Assessment of forage availability from rangelands in Bundelkhand region using GIS and remote sensing techniques.

摘要

This study was conducted in Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh, India. Results revealed that forage production from the rangelands of the region was approximately 2.57 m tonnes dry matter per year. Approximately 0.25 m ha land was covered and dominated by native grasses. The spatial distribution of grassland in the region was uneven. Approximately 170 943 ha land of the total area under grazing lands was affected by ravines from which the severity was found more along the middle and lower reaches of rivers and streams in the northern part of the region. Meanwhile, it was also observed that infestation of grazing lands with shrubs has considered as a threat to the existing grazing lands in the region wherein ~39 342 ha land in the region was infested with shrubs. Good forest cover, on the other hand, showed hardly 11% of the total land area. The results revealed that the spatial distribution of forests in the region was directly related to the amount of rainfall, geomorphic controls and to some extent human and livestock pressure. The share of forage production from the forest land to the total range forages was ~80% in the region.