Wildlife of
Rājasthān

Primary Threats

• Open natural grasslands and desert scrub-critical for Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, and chinkara-are frequently misclassified as 'wastelands' and converted to intensive agriculture, plantations, or built infrastructure, especially in western districts (e.g., Jaisalmer, Barmer) and parts of Shekhawati and the Aravalli foothills.
• High-density overhead transmission lines and rapid rollout of wind/solar projects in the Thar landscape increase collision and electrocution risk for large birds (especially Great Indian Bustard) and fragment key breeding/foraging areas; roads, fencing, and canals further subdivide habitat and increase disturbance.
• Expansion of irrigated agriculture (including through canal-fed areas) reduces contiguous grassland mosaics, increases pesticide use, and intensifies night-time human activity, all of which can depress bustard/florican breeding success and prey availability.
• Large-scale irrigation and canal networks (notably the Indira Gandhi Canal system) alter desert hydrology and vegetation, promoting woody thickening and changing the open-habitat structure needed by desert specialists; river regulation and sand extraction alter Chambal riverine nesting banks for gharial and turtles.
• Chronic groundwater depletion and recurring drought intensify competition for water between people, livestock, and wildlife; reduced surface water availability in dry seasons concentrates animals near villages, increasing conflict and disease transmission risk.
• Rising temperatures, more intense heat waves, and greater rainfall variability can reduce fodder and prey availability, shrink seasonal wetlands used by birds, and increase the frequency of drought-driven human and livestock pressures in arid districts.
• Leopard conflict is notable in parts of the Aravallis and around Ranthambore/Sariska landscapes; wolf and hyena conflicts occur in open agro-pastoral areas; crop raiding and livestock depredation can drive retaliatory poisoning/trapping and erode local support for conservation.
• While large-scale hunting has declined, illegal poaching persists for antelopes and small game in some landscapes, and retaliatory killing/poisoning of carnivores can occur following livestock losses.
• Illegal trade pressure affects species such as Indian pangolin (scales) and reptiles/turtles from riverine systems; opportunistic collection can impact localized populations, particularly where enforcement capacity is stretched.
• Agrochemicals can reduce insect biomass in farmland-adjacent grasslands (important for florican chicks), while industrial and municipal effluents in some catchments degrade riverine habitats; veterinary drug residues historically contributed to vulture declines.
• Prosopis juliflora (an invasive mesquite) invades grasslands and scrub, forming dense thickets that reduce open-habitat suitability for bustards/floricans and complicate grazing regimes; it also alters fire behavior and native plant regeneration.
• Stone, limestone, gypsum, and other mining in the Aravallis and desert districts causes direct habitat loss, heavy vehicle traffic, dust deposition, and increased human presence; associated road building can further fragment wildlife movement corridors.
• Local fuelwood extraction and lopping in dry deciduous and scrub forests around villages can simplify habitat structure and reduce cover/prey base for wildlife; pressures can intensify in drought years.
• High visitor pressure in flagship reserves (e.g., Ranthambore) and increasing off-road movement, night traffic, and grazing in open habitats can disrupt breeding of ground-nesting birds and increase stress and displacement of wildlife.
• Disease risks include spillover between free-ranging dogs/livestock and wildlife, and historically catastrophic impacts of veterinary NSAIDs on vultures; disease and poisoning events can also affect carnivores and scavengers around villages and dump sites.