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Geographical Location: Rajasthan
- Landscape of the Park Ecology of the Park Flora
- Fauna
- Balancing development and Sustainability
- References
Geographical Location: Rajasthan
- Thar Desert and the Aravalli Range runs through the state from southwest to northeast for more than 850 kilometres.
- Mount Abu lies at the southwestern end of the range, separated from the main ranges by the West Banas River.
- The northwestern portion of Rajasthan is generally sandy and dry- receives less than 400 mm of rain in an average year.
The Ghaggar River is an intermittent stream that disappears into the sands of the Thar Desert in the northern corner of the state and is seen as a remnant of the primitive Saraswati river.
In the south lies the hilly tract of Mewar and to the northeast lies a rugged region following the line of the Chambal River. Farther north the country levels out- gives rise to the flat plains of the northeastern Bharatpur district whichare part of an alluvial basin.
Landscape of the Park
- Desert National Park is one of the largest parks of India. Geographically, this park covers an area of 3162 sq. km
- Sparse vegetation- well-diversified desert type of landscape
- Small salt lake bottom, fixed and shifting dunes, and craggy rocks.
Ecology of the Park
- A Desert ecosystem- craggy rocks, intermedial areas, compact salt lake bottoms, and fixed dunes.
- The dunes makeup to almost 20% of the area under this park.
- Located near the Thar Desert, the park re-defines the harsh and fragile desert ecosystem with its plethora of wildlife.
Flora
- Ronj
- Khair
- Rohira
- Dhok
- Khejri
Palm trees - Ber
Aak shrub - Sewan grass
Commiphora wightii - Ammannie
- desertorum Acacia
- spp.
Fauna
Birds: Great Indian Bustard, Falcons, Eagles, Vultures, Bee- Eaters, Shrikes, Larks, Demoiselle Crane, etc.
Reptiles: Russell’s viper, Saw Scaled Viper, Monitor Lizard, Spiny tailed lizard, Saw scaled viper, Common Krait,
Mammals: Camel, Desert Fox, Bengal Fox, Chinkara, Wolf, Desert Cat, Blackbuck, Hedgehog, Nilgai etc.
Balancing Development and Sustainability
- Land in this region developed for wind farms- however, power supply in the area is unreliable.
- The region faces a conflict between preservation of local ecology and culture- pressures from expanding wind farms, over-grazing of livestock, competition of food among stray dogs and wildlife, road kill, and lack of waste management
- For the villagers around the Desert National Park, there is a conflict of interest between daily life and increasing tourism- portions of land cordoned off as protected areas, resulting in a decrease of grazing land available for livestock, disadvantage for herdsmen.
- Tourists visiting this area need to bear in mind the intricacies of the ecosystem and the people dependent on it- eco-friendly and culture-friendly tourism needs to be planned so as to not disrupt the habitat and way of life of the local population.
