India, Dec. 18 -- Once a parched and degraded grassland where blackbucks depended on handouts of food and water to survive, Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in India's Rajasthan is now witnessing a quiet ecological turnaround. Driven by years of patient grassland restoration-led by former forest officer Surat Singh Poonia-the sanctuary has seen invasive species removed, water systems revived and natural habitats reclaimed. Today, rising blackbuck numbers and returning migratory birds signal a revival that is inspiring similar restoration efforts across Rajasthan. Mongabay India correspondent Azera Parveen Rahman reports

It is difficult to imagine Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, which is a thriving grassland today, was once a m...