All desert regions will face climate and environmental issues in years to come. Losing an animal that experts see as one of the best options for future food security in arid zones is not a good choice for rural India. 

These are some of the camel experts, economists and community leaders who support the call for a new vision to save the camel in Rajasthan.

Bibek Debroy  Member, Niti Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India); Professor, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi; economist and author. 

Sanjay Barnela  Eminent documentary filmmaker. Founder of Moving Images (www.movingimages.com); 2014 CMS Vatavaran Prithvi Ratna Award for work in enhancing knowledge on environment, conservation and livelihood issues.

Ashish Kothari  Co-Author, Churning the Earth: The Making of Global India (2012); Coordinator of India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan process; Member of Kalpavriksh.

Vasant Saberwal  Author, Pastoral Politics: Shepherds, Bureaucrats and Conservation in the Western Himalaya (New Delhi, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999) ; Co-author, Democratizing Nature: Politics, Conservation and Development in India (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2006).

Dr Chanda Nimbkar  Head of Animal Husbandry division, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Maharashtra. 

Bernard Faye  Founder of ISOCARD (International Society of Camelid Research and Development); FAO consultant as international camel expert. 

Kuldeep Kothari  Secretary, Rupayan Santhsthan. 

Paul Robbins  Director, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Shri Harjiram Raika, President, Godwar Unt Palak Samiti

Shri Babulal Raika, community leader and panch

Shri Bhom Singh Rathore, President, Jaisalmer Unt Vikas Samiti

Dr Ilse Köhler-Rollefson  Co-founder of the League for Pastoral Peoples (www.lpp.org); Rolex Awards Laureate; Author, Camel Karma (Tranquebar Press 2014).

Devinder Sharma  Food Policy Analyst and columnist.

Images of the Raika and other camel pastoralists of Rajasthan with their camels feature in books, magazines and films.

They inspire people to visit Rajasthan and highlight the value which these authentic cultures hold for tourism. 

We thank the award-winning photographers who have contributed images for this site. All have made friends amongst the camel pastoralists of Rajasthan.