Maruvan

Maruvan, meaning “Forest of the Desert”, was established in 2018 near Jodhpur, Rajasthan, with the founding purpose of bringing back the lost forests of the desert. It serves as a demonstration site to prove that ecological restoration is possible even in the most challenging landscapes.

We regard water management as an enabling strategy rather than an end in itself. By reviving ponds, channels, and wells, the landscape is hydrated to create the conditions necessary for establishing resilient forests. This approach supports ecological recovery across arid, semi-arid, drought-prone, and other degraded regions.

The initiative focuses on seed collection, nursery development, grassland rejuvenation, and the identification and conservation of threatened flora. Restoration work emphasizes the creation of phyto social communities based on potential natural vegetation, ensuring that habitats regenerate in forms most suited to their ecological context. These efforts are directed towards the restoration of large degraded patches into conscious and co-existential habitats.

Maruvan’s uniqueness lies in its integration of cultural wisdom with ecological science. As a living laboratory for desert restoration, it provides a replicable model for re-establishing forests in drylands and rebalancing the relationship between people, water, and land.