JODHPUR: The Bishnoi community, for whom conservation is religion, joined the scientists researching on the flora and fauna of the desert in a first time ever joint biodiversity brainstorming on the arid lands of the Thar in Rajasthan and Kutch in Gujarat here. A two-day workshop in the Sun City last week marked the coming together of many stake holders of the desert, and also ended the long-standing alienation between the former royal family of the erstwhile Jodhpur State and the conserving Bishnoi community of the western Rajasthan. The event was organized to mark the 280 {+t} {+h} anniversary of Khejrali, the sacrifice made by scores of Bishnoi men and women for protecting the desert's precious Khejri trees in Khejrali village situated 25 kms from here. The initiative was in the backdrop of increasing biotic pressure in the Thar region -- which has struck oil and gas, attracts a large number of foreign and Indian tourists and has started showing the telling impact of the change of land use on its vegetation and wildlife -- to attract the attention of authorities and planners on the fragile eco system of the Indian desert. The sponsors included WWF, Mehrangarh Trust, INTACH, AFRI, Tiger Watch, and Bishnoi Tigers Vanya, Paryavaran Sansthan and Tourism and Wildlife Society of India (TWSI).