‘Protect Aravallis legally first, save them from land diversion:’ Vijay Dhasmana

In recent years, we have seen vast tracts of Aravalli land being diverted for human use, including mining. Once these pressures are addressed, active or passive restoration can be undertaken.

To restore the Aravallis to their original glory, priority should be given to legally protecting these landscapes, freeing them of encroachments, and shielding them from mindless infrastructure development, said Vijay Dhasmana, curator of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. Edited excerpts from an interview where the eco-restoration expert discusses why much of the Aravallis is degraded and how it can be nursed back.

Vijay Dhasmana, curator of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park talks about how the Aravallis can be restored.

How do you think degraded Aravallis can be restored ecologically?

Aravalli landscapes are very fragile, yet the forests and grasslands within them are remarkably resilient. Restoration in these areas requires a thorough understanding of the threats they face. The natural trajectory of land restoration follows the path of protection, ecological restoration, and long-term sustenance. In my view, the first priority is to legally protect these landscapes—guarding them against encroachments and diversion of land for uses such as settlements and infrastructure development.

We must take a landscape-level approach to restoring the Aravallis. The integrity of watersheds, forests, grasslands, savannahs, and waterbodies is of immense importance. Equally important is understanding the factors that led to their degradation, such as mining, encroachments, and land diversion for human settlement or commercial purposes. In recent years, we have seen vast tracts of Aravalli land being diverted for human use, including mining. Once these pressures are addressed, active or passive restoration can be undertaken.

To begin, I believe we must create native plant nurseries that grow species strictly native to the Aravallis. Not trees like neem, jamun, or bakain, but species like salar, dhok, dhak, dudhi, camrod, jhinjheri, and bistendu. Our 15 years of experience at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park, where we grew 130 native plant species, has shown that developing dedicated nurseries is the backbone of ecological restoration in these degraded hills.

Once nursery stocks are full, we can plant these saplings in their specific niches across the Aravalli landscape. It is important to note that the Aravallis have many micro-habitats, each with its own unique plant community. Understanding this micro-habitat diversity will ensure the success of any planting effort.

While the focus of the project is on plantations in recorded forest areas, how do we make sure that unrecorded Aravalli stretches are also conserved?

As I mentioned earlier, it’s not enough to just plant trees—the right native species must be planted in the right micro-habitats. For example, species that thrive on rocky cliffs, such as salar, dhok, and dudhi, must be planted there, while base-of-forest species like dhak and kaim must be planted accordingly.

Once the planting is done correctly, protecting these species becomes critical, and that protection will eventually lead to ecological restoration. Unrecorded Aravalli stretches are often either village commons or privately owned. Village communities must be made active partners in this effort and treated as responsible stakeholders. Restoration efforts must be undertaken with their input and perspective in mind.

Private lands offer a similar opportunity. If the land use does not permit commercial or residential development, landowners can be incentivised to grow native forests or savannahs.

What are the likely impacts of taking up plantation works in the Aravallis? These are arid areas, so what precautions would you recommend?

The first step is community participation. The communities dependent on the land must be brought in as stakeholders. With their involvement, comprehensive plans and strategies can be drawn. Once the human element is settled, ecological restoration must follow benchmark-based planting. The mantra for successful plantation is planting the right species in the right micro-habitats. From our benchmark sites—Mangarbani, Tijara, Jhir, and other forests of the Northern Aravallis—we learned which species grow best in which conditions: rocky outcrops, valleys, shade, and so on.

Planting should be done in the early monsoon. Once established, these native species are hardy and will withstand most ecological pressures, excluding grazing and anthropogenic pressures. The saplings will need irrigation around 7–8 times in the first year, before the next monsoon. There will be casualties, but selecting the right species will minimize loss. Our 15 years of experience at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park and now at the Aravalli Nagarvan suggest that over 90% planting success can be achieved.

What is the potential of the Aravallis in terms of biodiversity and wildlife?

The Aravalli landscape harbours rich biodiversity. Given the rainfall and climatic conditions, it supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. Several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are located in the Aravallis.

The Aravallis feature unique ecosystems—forests, savannahs, grasslands, wetlands, and seasonal wetlands—collectively classified as Open Natural Ecosystems. These diverse habitats support an incredible range of life: from microscopic fungal communities like mycorrhizae to insects, amphibians, and large mammals such as tigers, leopards, bears, and hundreds of bird species. This biodiversity is a testament to the ecological richness of the Aravalli region.

What are the threats facing the Aravallis that need to be addressed?

As mentioned, the greatest threat is land diversion—both legal and illegal—for human use. A recent study by the Wildlife Institute of India categorised the forests of the Aravallis as the most degraded in India. Most native plant species have disappeared. Rapid deforestation and unchecked development are destroying this unique landscape, which requires urgent conservation.

Illegal mining, excessive groundwater extraction, deforestation, disappearing wetlands, pollution, and loss of watershed integrity are all major threats. In Gurugram and Faridabad, one of the biggest concerns is the non-recognition of the morphological hills as Aravalli land. There is mounting pressure to include these areas in land use plans for human settlements.

The Aravallis are also culturally and spiritually significant. A study by Kripa Vis documented 1,500 sacred groves (orans) in the Aravallis, many of which are remnant forest pockets. Closer to us, Mangarbani is one such forest that many of us cherish and have worked to protect. Despite their ecological and cultural value, the Aravallis continue to face degradation due to land diversion, mining, excessive groundwater extraction, and encroachments.