Biodiversity Surveys
Through 2020-2021, a comprehensive study investigating the Status of the Biodiversity of Chadva Rakhal was conducted by the Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE). The main findings of the report, published in March 2021, are as follows:
Chadva Rakhal is a biodiversity hot-spot deserving of conservation status.
The percentage of Kutch’s species diversity found at Chadva Rakhal is: floral species - 26%; avifauna - 60%; herpetofauna - 75%; mammal species - 60%.
Of the 26 mammal species found at Chadva Rakhal, 11 are categorised as Schedule-I species, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
As per the IUCN redlist of threatened species, 2 endangered and 8 vulnerable species are found at Chadva Rakhal.
The area has socio-cultural importance, with thousands of livestock and livelihoods of the Maldhari community having been supported over many decades.
In March 2023, a team from the Auroville Botanical Gardens (ABG) carried out a ‘rapid assessment vegetation survey’ over 2 days, with the view of understanding the restoration potential of the land. Building upon the GUIDE report of 2021, they were able to understand the presence and relative abundance of perennial woody species as well as plant communities based around particular niches on the land, as a means to understanding the key resources towards restoring degraded areas of the rakhal, and identifying the positive attributes and challenges involved.