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have been born and developed by their apparently harsh
homelands for generations, a steady infl ux of power line and
wind turbine networks had been laid in the Thar. We already
know without any doubt that the intrusions have been at
a steep cost to wildlife. Over the past decade, eight of the
handful of GIBs have been lost to power line collisions in
Rajasthan and Gujarat alone, plus a much larger number of
cranes and other more populous species.
What all this has meant is that once-vast Thar expanses
have been sliced up. The GIB consequently exists in pockets
of remaining habitat. This transformation is being palpably
accelerated, a fact that emerged from the observation of
several volunteers conducting transects in GIB-occupied
areas, where dusty paths that existed as recently as 2016
have been converted into metalled roads for vehicles to
speed on.
How did we get to this point, one wonders? Why are
deserts – intricate and fascinating ecosystems in themselves –
so undervalued?
MARGINALISED ECOSYSTEMS
The reality is that deserts and semi-arid grasslands are
complex ecosystems, but have been marginalised even in
conservation studies and thus are data-defi cient. The lack of
long-term data collection on species trends, vegetation and
habitat disturbances require to be remedied, and programmes
such as the one in which I was engaged are vital to the task
of generating data to understand spatio-temporal changes
in arid and semi-arid landscapes. Such databases are often
taken for granted for forest ecosystems, but they are
desperately needed for desert ecosystems today if we are
to have any chance of impressing upon planners the value of
such ecosystems in a world where climate change is already
throwing survival challenges at all living creatures including
Homo sapiens.
The project which I was fortunate to be a part of, played a
small but crucial role in generating scientifi c data required to
secure endangered species through appropriate management
interventions, particularly since citizen science was a part of
the data collection and interpretation blueprint.
Enabling such interfaces between the state’s Forest
Department, amateur wildlifers, fi eld biologists and students
from across India is a small step, but it is my hope that
through conversations like these, deserts will someday
feature prominently in the national dialogue about the diverse
landscapes and wildlife of the Indian subcontinent.
That said, the truth is that citizen science is still a nascent
concept, which is fortunately growing and which promises
to off er exciting dividends in India. The process positively
helps to build awareness about marginalised ecosystems and
Hamir Singh, a forest guard, introduces the survey team to the fl ora and fauna
of this crucial GIB habitat.critically endangered species. I would also wager that involving
individuals from diverse backgrounds to come together
to understand the fate of a species that nears extinction,
training them in wildlife studies and involving them actively is
a major step in the right direction.
A week spent spotting and noting wildlife sightings with a
forest guard in the grasslands that they strive to protect daily
is an experience beyond compare and will go a long way in
encouraging citizens to lend a voice to conservation.
I think of my time in the Thar as a collection of fl eeting
memories, held together by a thread. Drifting in and out
of a nap after a long, hot day in the fi eld as we drive
back, half-listening to Mukesh, our assigned forest guard,
speak of his fondness for the GIB – of how he earned his
Masters’ degree in History, but feels fulfi lled working for
the country’s wildlife as a forest guard; watching the largest
raptors I had ever seen – stunning King, Cinerous, Egyptian
and Long-billed Vultures, settle comfortably in the distance
on a sand dune under the blazing sun... a distant chinkara
moving slowly through wavy desert thermals; contemplating
how more of the Thar continues to transform into metal
roads, electricity lines and wind turbines impinging on
critical Bustard habitat - wondering if we will be able to
save the ambassador of the grasslands from extinction
before it is too late. ©Mukesh, our assigned forest guard tells our driver of his love for the Great Indian Bustard – of how he earned his Masters’
degree in History, but feels fulfi lled working for the country’s wildlife as a forest guard.
VAISHALI RAWAT