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Land-use and land-cover change in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan threatens the persistence of many ecologically and economically important species. The Bishnoi people of Rajasthan have religiously protected a keystone tree species, Prosopis cineraria, locally known as the Khejeri tree, for over five centuries. We conducted the first comparative study that tests the widely held assumption that Bishnoi presence is positively associated with P. cineraria abundance in nineteen villages in rural Rajasthan. We also evaluated the influence of land area type, human and livestock population, and income on measured Khejeri tree abundance. Villages with Bishnoi had significantly more P. cineraria and had significantly higher incomes than villages without Bishnoi despite no significant differences in land area, human population, or livestock population between village classes. We found no direct associations between Khejeri tree abundance and village demographics suggesting P. cineraria abundance is a function of environmental and socio-economic factors. Within this context we discuss the role of Bishnoi protection of Khejeri trees in maintaining important ecosystem functions and supporting human prosperity. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.