- Rajasthan has 3 National Parks, 27 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 16 Conservation Parks and 4 Tiger Projects in the State and works are being done with greater sensitivity for the protection and promotion of all these.
- The Jhalana area in Jaipur has become a centre of attraction among tourists across the world due to leopards, which has increased employment among local people and tourism in the State. Approximately 15,000 tourists visited Jhalana in 2017-15, while in 2021-22 more than 26,000 tourists visited this place. Besides this, the number of tourists also increased in Jawai Leopard Reserve.
Jaipur gets another leopard reserve at Amagarh after Jhalana leopard reserve. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot dedicating Amagarh Leopard Reserve to people of the State said that this will prove to be a milestone towards the conservation of forest and wildlife.
There are around 16 leopards in this forest area of Amagarh. Besides this other wildlife found here are hyenas, jackals, wild cats, foxes and civet cats in the carnivorous category while in the herbivorous category blue bulls (nilgai), Asian Deer (Sambhur), rabbits etc. The forest area is a tropical, mixed/autumn/monsoon area where the vegetation on the mainly sandy plain area is totlis, kumtha, khejari along with dhonk, salar, goya khair etc on the mountain slopes.
There are around 250 kinds of bird species including local and migratory birds are found here. Local birds include peacocks, partridges, doves, babblers, mynas, parakeets, robins, woodpeckers, bulbuls, shikra etc, whereas the migratory birds include pittas, paradise flycatchers, golden orioles, pied cuckoos, Eurasian cuckoos, orient scops owls, pallid scops owls, northern goshawks, Eurasian sparrowhawks etc which come from various parts of the country and world for breeding and in search of food
The forest department made efforts in the field of wildlife conservation under the Project Leopard, as the result after 2017 the number of leopards is increasing at Jhalana Leopard Reserve. The number of leopards in 2018 was around 20, which currently is around 38 in Jhalana. In the last three years (January 2019 to August 2021) a total of 35 cubs were born. Currently, there are 22 adults, 6 sub-adults and 10 cubs in Jhalana. At least 6 leopards born in Jhalana are roaming in Amagarh. This forest area is being used as a corridor by leopards and other wildlife to go to other jungles. The jungles of Jhalana are spread over 1978 hectares only, which is limited space for leopards therefore sub-adult leopards in search of habitat are moving towards Amagarh and Lalberi forest areas and in future too, they will keep moving to these areas. In this way, the number of leopards will increase.
The Chief Minister said that biodiversity conservation is an important responsibility of all of us. The State Government has taken many historic decisions as per its commitment for the conservation of forests and the environment. Rajasthan has been successful in conserving the forest despite its geographical disparities.
He said that Rajasthan besides its historical heritage and desert has maintained a big place in the form of wildlife tourism. It is a good indication for the State that the number of tigers, leopards and other wildlife is continuously increasing.
