Rajasthan: Forests and wildlife

Rajasthan possesses a diverse range of ecosystems, extending from arid deserts to forested landscapes. The state's forest and wildlife infrastructure is governed by the Rajasthan Forest Act 1953 and the Rajasthan Forest Policy-2023, which aims to increase vegetation cover to 20 per cent of the state's geographical area within the next 20 years.

Forest Cover and Area

According to the India State of Forest Report-2023, the forest cover of Rajasthan is 16,548.21 sq. km, constituting 4.84 per cent of the total geographical area. The tree cover is 10,841.12 sq. km. Consequently, the combined total of forest and tree cover is 27,389.33 sq. km, which is 8 per cent of the state's geographical area. The total recorded forest area in the state is 33,020.32 sq. km, representing 9.65 per cent of the geographical area. Under the provisions of the Rajasthan Forest Act 1953, the forest area has been classified as reserved forest, protected forest, and unclassified forest, which is 36.94, 56.54, and 6.51 per cent of the total forest area respectively.

National Parks and Tiger Reserves

Rajasthan has 3 National Parks (Ranthambore, Mukundra and Keoladeo), 5 Tiger Reserves and 26 Wildlife Sanctuaries. Additionally, there are 39 Conservation Reserves and 4 Biological Parks located at Udaipur, Kota, Jaipur, and Jodhpur.

• Ranthambore National Park: Situated 14 km from Sawai Madhopur at the junction of the Aravallis and Vindhya ranges. It spreads over an area of 392 sq. km.
• Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve: Located 50 km from Kota. It has a core area of 417 sq. km and a buffer zone of 342.82 sq. km. Tigers are often relocated here from Ranthambore.
• Sariska Tiger Reserve: Rajasthan Tourism calls it the first tiger reserve in the world to have successfully relocated tigers. It is 200 km from Delhi and 107 km from Jaipur. Declared a sanctuary in 1955 and a National Park in 1979, its total area is 1,203 sq. km, with 881 sq. km notified as the core area.

Key Wildlife Sanctuaries

The state hosts 26 wildlife sanctuaries, several of which are notable for specific features:

• Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary: Covers 288 sq. km of subtropical forest. It is home to the Indian fox, pangolin, grey jungle fowl, striped hyena, and Indian leopard.
• Sorsan Wildlife Sanctuary: Located 50 km from Kota, it is a 41 sq. km bird sanctuary known as the Sorsan Grasslands.
• Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary: Established in 1988, it is situated in the Vindhyan hill range. It features wetlands and is a site for migratory birds, particularly the Sarus Crane.
• Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary: Spread over the Aravali and Vindhyachal ranges, it is the only forest where teak trees of building value are found. Approximately 50 per cent of the trees are teak.
• Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: A tri-state protected area in UP, MP, and Rajasthan. It was established in 1983 to conserve marsh crocodiles and ghariyals. It is home to the rare, endangered gharial and the Ganges river dolphin.
• Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary: Located 45 km from Bundi and established in 1982, it covers 252 sq. km and serves as a buffer for Ranthambore National Park.

Wetlands and Bird Sanctuaries

Rajasthan offers significant opportunities for bird watching and wetland conservation.

• Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur): A 29 square kilometre man-made wetland with more than 370 recorded bird species; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thousands of migratory waterfowl such as green sandpiper and cranes visit in winter.
• Ramsagar Sanctuary: Situated by Ramsagar Lake, it hosts aquatic species including rare fish, crocodiles, and water snakes. It is a site for cormorants, white-breasted water hens, and jacanas.
• Band Baretha: An old wildlife reserve of the rulers of Bharatpur, currently under the Forest Department. The dam on the Kakund River was started by Maharaj Jaswant Singh in 1866 AD and completed by Maharaj Ram.

Conservation Initiatives and Policies

The Rajasthan Forest Policy-2023 focuses on protecting natural forests, wildlife, and biodiversity to enhance ecological security. Key initiatives include:

• Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam: A tree-plantation campaign launched by the Prime Minister; the state achieved 8.21 crore saplings up to December 2025 (Meri Life portal).
• Mission Hariyalo Rajasthan: In 2025-26 (up to December), more than 11.64 crore saplings were planted against a target of 10 crore.
• Joint Forest Management Program: 2,605 Village Forest Protection and Management Committees have been constituted for forest conservation and eco-development.
• Panch Gaurav Programme: Under the 'One District-One Tree Species' initiative, 1,175 lakh was sanctioned in 2025-26 for selected plant species.
• Butterfly Park: Rajasthan's first Butterfly Park was established in the Udaipur region. It is divided into 5 zones and features 80 species of colorful butterflies out of the 189 species found in Rajasthan.
• Rajasthan CAMPA: Constituted on 14th September, 2018, under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016. National CAMPA transferred 2,676.25 crore to Rajasthan CAMPA till December 2025. The Annual Plan of Operations for 2025-26 is 286.14 crore.
• Botanical Gardens: Being developed in Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Ajmer, modeled after the World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur.