Topic 85: Natural Vegetation, Wildlife and

Study Material

Paper Paper II

Unit 3

1. Rajasthan has recorded forest area of 33,014 sq km (9.64% of geographic area), but actual forest cover per ISFR 2023 is only 16,548.21 sq km (4.84%) — among the lowest of large states.
2. Forest type composition: Tropical Thorn Forest ~65%, Tropical Dry Deciduous ~30%, Subtropical Hill ~5% — reflecting arid climate dominance.
3. Khejri (*Prosopis cineraria*, खेजड़ी) is Rajasthan's state tree; Rohida (*Tecomella undulata*, रोहिड़ा) is the state flower; Great Indian Bustard (गोडावण) is the state bird; Chinkara (चिंकारा) is the state animal.
4. Rajasthan has 3 National Parks, 26 Wildlife Sanctuaries, and 3 Tiger Reserves (Ranthambhore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills).
5. Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur) holds dual designation: Ramsar Wetland (1981) + UNESCO World Heritage Site (1985).
6. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur) had 88 tigers as of the 2022 All-India Tiger Census — one of the densest tiger populations per unit area in India (Jim Corbett had 260 tigers but is far larger in area).
7. Desert National Park (Jaisalmer–Barmer, 3,162 sq km) is India's largest national park in mainland India (Hemis NP in Ladakh UT is ~4,400 sq km) and the primary habitat of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.
8. The Bishnoi community's Khejarli massacre (1730) — 363 lives lost defending Khejri trees on the order of Amrita Devi — is the world's first recorded tree-protection martyrdom, inspiring the Chipko movement.
9. Aravalli Biodiversity Corridor links Sariska–Ranthambhore, providing wildlife passage across 800+ km of fragmented habitat across Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
10. Supreme Court (CWC) order (April 2021) directed removal of overhead power lines around GIB habitat and mandated underground cabling to reduce collision deaths.
11. CRESEP project (JICA-funded, ₹1,774.30 crore) covers 19 districts focusing on Great Indian Bustard conservation and Oran (sacred grove, ओरण) conservation of 10,000 hectares in western Rajasthan.
12. Rajasthan Forestry & Biodiversity Development Project (AFD-funded, ₹1,693.91 crore) works across 13 districts, 800 villages over 8 years; ₹139.66 crore spent up to December 2024.
13. Tree plantation 2024-25: 1,18,369.29 hectares planted (147.41% of target); 578.67 lakh seedlings; *Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam* campaign contributed 5.62 crore saplings against a 3-crore target.
14. VFPMC/EDC network: 6,508 Van Forest Protection and Management Committees (वन वन्यजीव प्रबंध समितियाँ) protecting 14.94 lakh hectares; 770 Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) around protected areas.
15. Khejri Bachao Andolan (February 2026): Mass mobilization in Jodhpur, Barmer, and Nagaur against illegal felling for infrastructure projects, recalling the 1730 Bishnoi heritage. / खेजड़ी बचाओ आंदोलन (फरवरी 2026): बुनियादी ढाँचा परियोजनाओं के लिए अवैध कटाई के विरुद्ध जोधपुर, बाड़मेर, नागौर में जन आंदोलन। ---

Key facts

Rajasthan has recorded forest area of 33,014 sq km (9.64% of geographic area), but actual forest cover per ISFR 2023 is only 16,548.21 sq km (4.84%)
Forest type composition: Tropical Thorn Forest ~65%, Tropical Dry Deciduous ~30%, Subtropical Hill ~5% — reflecting arid climate dominance.
Rajasthan has 3 National Parks, 26 Wildlife Sanctuaries, and 3 Tiger Reserves (Ranthambhore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills).
Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur) holds dual designation: Ramsar Wetland (1981) + UNESCO World Heritage Site (1985).
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur) had 88 tigers as of the 2022 All-India Tiger Census

Key Points at a Glance

1
Rajasthan has recorded forest area of 33,014 sq km (9.64% of geographic area), but actual forest cover per ISFR 2023 is only 16,548.21 sq km (4.84%) — among the lowest of large states.
2
Forest type composition: Tropical Thorn Forest ~65%, Tropical Dry Deciduous ~30%, Subtropical Hill ~5% — reflecting arid climate dominance.
3
Khejri (Prosopis cineraria, खेजड़ी) is Rajasthan's state tree; Rohida (Tecomella undulata, रोहिड़ा) is the state flower; Great Indian Bustard (गोडावण) is the state bird; Chinkara (चिंकारा) is the state animal.
4
Rajasthan has 3 National Parks, 26 Wildlife Sanctuaries, and 3 Tiger Reserves (Ranthambhore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills).
5
Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur) holds dual designation: Ramsar Wetland (1981) + UNESCO World Heritage Site (1985).
6
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur) had 88 tigers as of the 2022 All-India Tiger Census — one of the densest tiger populations per unit area in India (Jim Corbett had 260 tigers but is far larger in area).
7
Desert National Park (Jaisalmer–Barmer, 3,162 sq km) is India's largest national park in mainland India (Hemis NP in Ladakh UT is ~4,400 sq km) and the primary habitat of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.
8
The Bishnoi community's Khejarli massacre (1730) — 363 lives lost defending Khejri trees on the order of Amrita Devi — is the world's first recorded tree-protection martyrdom, inspiring the Chipko movement.
9
Aravalli Biodiversity Corridor links Sariska–Ranthambhore, providing wildlife passage across 800+ km of fragmented habitat across Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
10
Supreme Court (CWC) order (April 2021) directed removal of overhead power lines around GIB habitat and mandated underground cabling to reduce collision deaths.
11
CRESEP project (JICA-funded, ₹1,774.30 crore) covers 19 districts focusing on Great Indian Bustard conservation and Oran (sacred grove, ओरण) conservation of 10,000 hectares in western Rajasthan.
12
Rajasthan Forestry & Biodiversity Development Project (AFD-funded, ₹1,693.91 crore) works across 13 districts, 800 villages over 8 years; ₹139.66 crore spent up to December 2024.
13
Tree plantation 2024-25: 1,18,369.29 hectares planted (147.41% of target); 578.67 lakh seedlings; Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign contributed 5.62 crore saplings against a 3-crore target.
14
VFPMC/EDC network: 6,508 Van Forest Protection and Management Committees (वन वन्यजीव प्रबंध समितियाँ) protecting 14.94 lakh hectares; 770 Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) around protected areas.
15
Khejri Bachao Andolan (February 2026): Mass mobilization in Jodhpur, Barmer, and Nagaur against illegal felling for infrastructure projects, recalling the 1730 Bishnoi heritage. / खेजड़ी बचाओ आंदोलन (फरवरी 2026): बुनियादी ढाँचा परियोजनाओं के लिए अवैध कटाई के विरुद्ध जोधपुर, बाड़मेर, नागौर में जन आंदोलन।

What does RPSC expect from Natural Vegetation, Wildlife and Biodiversity of Rajasthan?

RPSC expects this topic to explain how Rajasthan's arid geography shapes vegetation, wildlife habitats, protected areas, community conservation and current biodiversity governance. The RPSC 2026 syllabus for Paper II, Unit 3 places natural vegetation, wildlife, and biodiversity under Part C of Earth Science. The topic requires command over three interconnected domains: vegetation classification (forest types, characteristic species), wildlife governance (protected area network, species-specific programmes), and biodiversity conservation (hotspots, corridors, community practices, current programmes).

Rajasthan presents a paradox for this topic: it is India's largest state by area (3,42,239 sq km) yet has one of the lowest forest-cover percentages among large states. Every answer on this topic must reflect this constraint. Rajasthan's biodiversity exists despite arid conditions, not because of them, and much of it is concentrated in specific ecological pockets: the Aravalli hills, Chambal ravines, eastern plains, wetland pockets such as Keoladeo Ghana and Sambhar, and the Thar grassland-desert system itself.

The topic's PYQ Tier 3 status means it has appeared in 3 of the 5 most recent exams. RPSC has asked both 5-mark recall questions, such as naming forest types, wildlife sanctuaries and the significance of Keoladeo, and 10-mark analytical questions, such as the role of the Bishnoi community in conservation and the wildlife-corridor concept. For 2026, the revised syllabus's emphasis on environment and the current Great Indian Bustard conservation crisis make this a rising-priority topic.

Adjacent topics must be distinguished clearly. Topic #83 explains physiography, the landform basis for vegetation distribution. Topic #84 explains climate, especially the aridity gradient from west to east. Topic #86 explains soils, the edaphic basis for vegetation type. This chapter focuses on biotic cover and conservation governance; abiotic drivers should be used as explanation, not allowed to take over the answer.

An exam-ready introduction should therefore combine three ideas in one frame: Rajasthan is large and dry; its forests and grasslands are ecologically specialised; and conservation depends as much on communities, corridors and protected-area governance as on simple forest-cover expansion.

Sign up free to claim an intro topic

The first gated topic you open stays yours; the rest needs a Study Pack or Complete Course.

PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions

Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis

1 5M What are Orans? Explain their ecological and cultural significance in Rajasthan. 5 marks · 50 words

Model Answer

Orans are sacred community forest groves maintained by traditional communities in western Rajasthan — Bishnoi, Rabari, and others — for generations. Over 25,000 patches covering an estimated 5–10 lakh hectares exist across Rajasthan. They conserve biodiversity, support Sevan grass and GIB habitat, and recharge groundwater. Though legally unprotected, Orans represent India's oldest informal conservation tradition; CRESEP (JICA, ₹1,774 crore) is formally mapping and conserving 10,000 ha.

~50 words • 5 marks