Key facts

  • Rajasthan has 32,869 sq km recorded forest area, but ISFR 2023 reports only 16,548.21 sq km actual forest cover, equal to 4.84% of the state's geograp...
  • Rajasthan's current protected-area list includes 5 tiger reserves: Ranthambhore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills, Ramgarh Vishdhari and Dholpur-Karauli.
  • Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur is both a Ramsar wetland from 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 1985.
  • Desert National Park in Jaisalmer-Barmer covers 3,162 sq km and is the main Rajasthan habitat of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.
  • The Khejarli sacrifice of 1730, led by Amrita Devi Bishnoi, is remembered for 363 people who died defending Khejri trees.

Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    Rajasthan has 32,869 sq km recorded forest area, but ISFR 2023 reports only 16,548.21 sq km actual forest cover, equal to 4.84% of the state's geographic area.

  2. 2

    The main forest types include Tropical Thorn Forest, Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, Subtropical Hill Forest and mixed miscellaneous forests, reflecting the shift from the Thar to the Aravalli and south-eastern belts.

  3. 3

    Khejri is the state tree, Rohida is the state flower, Great Indian Bustard is the state bird, and Chinkara is the state animal.

  4. 4

    Rajasthan's current protected-area list includes 5 tiger reserves: Ranthambhore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills, Ramgarh Vishdhari and Dholpur-Karauli.

  5. 5

    Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur is both a Ramsar wetland from 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 1985.

  6. 6

    Desert National Park in Jaisalmer-Barmer covers 3,162 sq km and is the main Rajasthan habitat of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.

  7. 7

    The Khejarli sacrifice of 1730, led by Amrita Devi Bishnoi, is remembered for 363 people who died defending Khejri trees.

  8. 8

    CRESEP, supported by JICA, covers selected desert and non-desert districts and includes Great Indian Bustard habitat and Oran conservation work.

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Wildlife in Rajasthan's ecological setting

Rajasthan's wildlife must be read with its dry geography. The state is very large, but its actual forest cover is low, so animal habitats are concentrated in special ecological pockets rather than spread evenly. The Thar desert supports open-country fauna such as chinkara, blackbuck, desert fox, raptors and the Great Indian Bustard. The Aravalli and south-eastern dry deciduous forests support tiger, leopard, sloth bear, sambar, chital and many smaller mammals. Wetlands and river belts add a separate wildlife group, including migratory birds, crocodiles, gharials and waterfowl.

Forest-cover figures are high-yield for objective questions. Recorded forest area is 32,869 sq km, or 9.60% of Rajasthan's geographic area, but ISFR 2023 actual forest cover is 16,548.21 sq km, or 4.84%. Tree cover outside forests is also important because farms, roadsides, Orans and community lands carry many trees in Rajasthan's dry landscape.

Core idea: Rajasthan's wildlife is not only forest wildlife; desert grassland, wetlands, riverine stretches and community-protected groves are equally important.

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