Some of the finest extant grasslands in India are found in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner districts of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. These grasslands harbour major populations of globally threatened species such as the great Indian bustard, Houbara bustard, blackbuck and others. The constant pressure from an increasing human population and developmental activities has caused considerable damage to this unique desert ecosystem. Several important grasslands have been converted to agricultural fields and the pressure to convert more grassland into such uses is mounting. Ecological and socio-economic surveys were carried out in the Thar Desert between 1997 and 2003, funded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-India) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS-India). The aim of the project was to identify and prioritise the most important grasslands in the Thar Desert using five criteria: (a) biological; (b) socio-economic; (c) administrative importance; (d) geographical representation and (e) habitat representation. Based on these five criteria, the following grassland areas were prioritised: Desert National Park, Sultana, Ramgarh, Tal Chhapar, Bap, Diyatra, Bajju and Miyajlar. These grassland areas are considered high priority by government authorities for the long-term conservation of biodiversity.