ORAN: A TRADITIONAL SYSTEM FOR CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN INDIAN THAR DESERT

The native people of Thar Desert have a system of traditional natural resource management by maintaining Orans (Sacred grove). These Orans preserve the endemic, endangered and economic important plant species, and thereby play important role in biodiversity conservation. However, most of them are being destroyed due to modernization and mismanagement therefore, appropriate management is required for their protection.