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Research on Desert National Park

Desert National Park (DNP) notified as a wildlife sanctuary on 4th of August 1980.  The wildlife sanctuary is composed of  3162 sq. km area of which 1762 sq. km. is falling within Jaisalmer district and 1400 sq. km. is in Barmer district of Rajasthan. The vegetation of major part falls under Thorn Forest type (Champion and Seth 1968). This protected area is situated at the 25° 47' to 26° 46' N and 70° 15' to 70° 45' E near the India-Pakistan border. The wildlife sanctuary also has satellite range in Pokran, Loharki, Ramdeora, Dudsar and connecting landscape.

The DNP falls under zone 3 (Indian desert) and is the only representative of this biogeographic zone (UNESCO) within India. DNP has its unique and diverse flora and fauna including many rare and endangered species. Additionally, the DNP includes sites that signify the evolutionary history of this landscape. The vegetation of major part of DNP falls under Thorn Forest type (Champion and Seth 1968).

The area holds very unique fauna and flora of thar desert landscape; therefore, the proper conservation and protection strategies are needed to be implemented. This study is focused on the biodiversity characterization of DNP with the help of RS & GIS. The study is going to extract information about the biodiversity, health status and habitat dynamics of some selected species of the protected area one by one. Therefor the research will help in better future management and conservation of the area.

Highlights

  • "Landscape biodiversity" refers to the variety and variability of life forms within a specific landscape. Maintaining high levels of landscape biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem resilience, ecological function, and the provision of ecosystem services. Therefore the study will help in:

    • Evaluating the quality and characteristics of different habitats

    • Informing strategies for biodiversity conservation

    • Providing a holistic understanding of the DNP's biodiversity

    • Conservation Planning: Informing management practices and protective measures

  • Ecosystem health refers to the ability to self-organization, self-maintenance, and recovery to stress in temporal scale. Therefore the health status of the DNP is useful for future sustainable management of the area        

  • Species distribution modeling (SDM) is a method used to predict the distribution of species across geographic areas based on environmental conditions and species occurrence data. Therefore, the analysis of habitat of some selected species of DNP will help in identifying critical habitats and potential areas for conservation efforts.

Calotropis gigantea

Laptadenia pyrotechnica

Prosopis cineraria

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