Desert National Park (DNP)

About Desert National Park (DNP):

• It is located in the Thar Desert near the town of Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan.
• It is one of the largest national parks in the country, covering an area of over 3160 sq. km.
• The area falls in the extreme hot and arid region of the very low rainfall zone (<100mm) of the country.
• Topography:
  • The Park forms a vast, sandy, and undulating terrain.
  • The major landform consists of craggy rocks and compact Salt Lake bottoms, inters medial areas, and fixed dunes.
  • Sand dunes form around 20% of the park. 
• There are three main lakes in this sanctuary: Rajbaugh Lake, Malik Talao Lake, and Padam Talao. 
• One of the most interesting features of the DNP is the presence of fossils from the Jurassic Period.
• Vegetation:
  • The vegetation of a major part of the arid region of the Thar falls under the thorn forest type (Champion and Seth 1968).
  • The vegetation is quite sparse with open grassland, thorny bushes, plantations and dunes as the broad habitat types.
• Flora:
  • It consists of dhok, ronj, salai, and palm trees.
  • Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) is commonly found, which is revered and protected by the local communities, especially the 'Bishnois'.
• Fauna:
  • The wildlife of the DNP includes Chinkara, Desert fox, Bengal Fox, Indian Wolf, Desert Cat, Hare, etc. 
  • The endangered Great Indian Bustard is one magnificent bird found in relatively fair numbers.
  • Reptiles are also found in abundance, and they include the spiny –tailed lizard, monitor lizard, saw scaled-viper, Russel viper, and Karit.

Q1: What is the Great Indian Bustard?

It is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent. It is among the heaviest of the flying birds. The species has a current viable population of 100- 150 individuals in India and mainly survives in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan that holds about 100 individuals. It is a large bird with a horizontal body and long, bare legs, giving it an ostrich-like appearance. It is classified as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List.

Source: NDTV