New book presents the rich biodiversity of Thar desert and threats to the landscape

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• Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj, an Indian Forest officer, has documented the landscape and rich biodiversity of the Thar desert in his new book ‘Desert National Park: A Jewel in the Vibrant Thar’.
• In an interview with Mongabay-India, Bhardwaj notes that Thar’s ecology is in danger due to unplanned infrastructure and rapid change in land use pattern is a major challenge.
• Bhardwaj has served as Chief Conservator of Forests in the Thar region. Currently, he is the APCCF and Nodal officer of Forest Conservation Wing of Rajasthan Forest Department.

When one thinks of the Thar desert, what comes to mind is a landscape full of sand. But there is more to Thar, the vast desert expanse located in the northwestern part of India. It is also home to several unique flora and fauna species. Many of these are captured in the book, The National Park: A Jewel in the Vibrant Thar by Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj.

However, the rich biodiversity of the Thar desert is facing many threats, claims the writer who has spent around six years investigating and following and photographing the flora and fauna of the region. Bhardwaj is a 1994 batch Indian Forest Service officer and currently holds the post of Member Secretary in the Rajasthan Pollution Control Board. He has also served in various capacities in different forest divisions of Rajasthan including managing one of the best tiger reserves of the country, Ranthambhore National Park.

In an interview with Mongabay-India, Bhardwaj discusses his experience with the Thar desert and provides a snapshot of its biodiversity through his eyes. Here are some excerpts from the interview along with selected photographs from the book:

Thar ecology is facing great threats, finds a fresh book on Rajasthan desert