Rann of Kutch

• Category: Grassland, Tundra, and Human Biomes.
• Geographic Location: South Asia.
• Summary: An unusual ecosystem, this very large seasonal marshland offers vital refuge to animals as diverse as flamingo and wild ass—and even hosts the world’s only inland stand of mangroves.

The Rann of Kutch is a hot, arid, and intermittently inundated biogeographic region extending across the Kutch (or Kachchh) district of northwestern Gujarat, India, and the Sindh province of southern Pakistan. The Rann of Kutch lies mainly on a great peninsula between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River, and is largely ensconced within the Thar Desert. The phrase Rann of Kutch is derived from Hindi ran, meaning "desert," and Kutch, referring to an alternately wet and dry place. The Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh, geographically split into the Great and Little Ranns, covers an area of some 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers).

Since the Mesozoic era, the Little and Great Ranns were extensions of the shallow Arabian Sea until geological uplift closed off the connection with the sea, creating a vast lake that was still navigable until as recently as the fifth century. Over the centuries since then, silting has created a broad, saline mudflat. With monsoon periods bringing direct rainfall and flooding, and also filling the seasonal upland rivers that drain through the peninsula, parts of the region became a seasonally inundated grassland. While these freshwater inputs are substantial, they are not enough to overcome the underlying saline foundation of the area; therefore, the nature of the inundated grassland is that of a sprawling salt marsh.

During the dry season, roughly October through June, the area resumes its state as a salty mudflat set amidst the Thar Desert. The average summer daytime temperature is extremely high, around 106 F (41 C), and dropping to about 95 F (35 C) at the onset of monsoon season, July through September. Winters are far less humid, with a milder average temperature of 84F (29 C) by day, and 54 F (12 C) by night.

There are several ranges of low-salt, sandy land islands set 6.5 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) above the flood level. These beyts provide footholds for thorny scrub vegetation and grasses that are not as subject to the halophytic regime present across the great majority of the biome. They offer vital refuge for key animal species of the biome.

Flora and Fauna

One characteristic of salt marshes and salt deserts is that a relatively small number of plant species are capable of tolerating the arid, saline conditions; among such salt-tolerant, or halophytic, plants in the Rann of Kutch are sedge (Cyperus dwarkensis), lotebush (Ziziphus williamsii), and a regionally unique salt cedar (Tamarix kutchensis).

The biome also has stands of halophytic mangroves (Avicennia spp.), in particular one that oddly is found some 62 miles (100 kilometers) inland—quite uncharacteristic for this genus. This conglomeration has taken on a spiritual aura, in the sense that its revered 1.7 acres (0.7 hectares) of landlocked greenery is considered a sacred little forest, locally called Shravan Kavadia.

The Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh is vital in offering refuge to migratory wading birds, in particular the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and lesser flamingo (P. minor); cranes, including common crane (Grus grus) and Sarus crane (G. antigone); and storks such as white stork (Ciconia ciconia) and Asian open-bill stork (Anastomus oscitans). The region is also home to the red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus), Indian courser (Cursorius coromandelicus), more than twelve species of lark, and in all, provides habitat to more than 200 bird species.

The region is quite famous for the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, which encompasses some 1,930 square miles (5,000 square kilometers) in the Little Rann of Kutch. About 3,000 individuals of the Indian wild ass species (Equus hemionus khur) live in this sanctuary, running freely at speeds up to 31 miles (50 kilometers) per hour across the grasslands.

Other larger mammals found here seasonally include blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), the nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus), chousingha or four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis), and chinkara or Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii), as well as predators such as striped hyena, Indian wolf, jackal, Indian and white-footed foxes, leopard (Panthera pardus), and caracal or African lynx (Caracal caracal).

Conservation and Threats

In addition to the Wild Ass Sanctuary—which also provides nesting habitat to about 75,000 migratory birds—this biome includes the Chhari Dhand Wetland Conservation Reserve, which protects about 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) on the edge of the Banni Grasslands.

In terms of the human economy, much of this region is relatively unattractive for anything but subsistence farming, grazing, and some fishing. Around twenty Indigenous communities are based here. However, booming industries in logging, farming, local commerce, and international trade in the Indus Delta area to the west, and expansion of the industrial sector in metropolitan India to the east, continue driving development around the fringes of the biome. Commercial salt panning, shrimp farming, and poaching also nibble around the edges of the region. Ecotourism here is a mixed blessing, with its benefits of support for sustainable practices, but its drawbacks from an influx of resource-challenging transient population. New projects such as water diversion schemes and a proposed highway to transect the Rann are further threats. Any or all of these activities potentially undermine the long-evolved balances of this ecosystem.

So, too, are the hazards of global warming. Rising sea levels, altered sprouting and breeding cycles due to average temperature changes, frequent dust storms, and heavier monsoon events are effects that could damage the ability of local flora and fauna to adapt and thrive. These impacts have greatly shortened the salt production season and the quality of the salt in the region has decreased. Droughts and weather changes have caused the cost of necessities for farming crops and animals, like fertilizers and seeds, to increase. These changes have negatively impacted the lives of individuals in the region.

Bibliography

Burtynsky, Edward. Salt Pans: Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Steidl, 2016.

Deshpande, Tanvi. "Climate Hotspot: In Kutch, More Cyclone Warnings, Heatwaves Upend People’s Lives." IndiaSpend, 22 May 2023, www.indiaspend.com/indias-climate-change-hotspots/climate-hotspot-in-kutch-more-cyclone-warnings-heatwaves-upend-peoples-lives-863300. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Geevan, C. P. Ecological-Economic Analysis of Grassland Systems: Resource Dynamics and Management Challenges Kachchh District (Gujarat). Kachchh, Institute of Desert Ecology, 2003.

“Wild Ass Sanctuary.” Gujarat Tourism, . Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Patel, Kasha. "The Rann of Kutch: India's White Desert." SciTechDaily, 18 Apr. 2021, scitechdaily.com/the-rann-of-kutch-indias-white-desert. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.

Puri, G. S., et al. Forest Ecology, Vol. 2. Oxford & IBH Publishing Company, 1989.

Singh, Y. D., and V. Vijay Kumar. Status of Banni Grasslands and Exigency of Restoration. Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, 1998.

Springer, Kate. "Rann of Kutch: Explore India’s Largest Salt Desert." CNN, 8 July 2018, edition.cnn.com/travel/article/india-rann-of-kutch/index.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Ecology of Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Khur) in Little Rann of Kutch. WII, 1993.

Woodruff, C. D. Coasts: Form, Process and Evolution. Cambridge UP, 2002.