Empowering marginalized communities
The indigenous swimming camels of India’s Kutch district and their herders recently played a part in setting an important precedent. These rare camels, known as the Kharai, are only found in India’s Gujarat state, and are dependent on the mangrove islands in the creeks there for grazing. Local communities, in turn, depend on their milk and meat for their livelihoods. When a large chunk of the mangroves was destroyed for salt extraction, female herders were able to use photographic evidence, satellite images and community maps to describe the damage in order to claim rights to the common land and grazing routes, eventually winning protection with a National Green Tribunal.