Ecotourism Resources of India

The geographical diversity of India makes it home to a wealth of ecosystems which are well protected and preserved. These ecosystems (see Box 1) have become the major resources for ecotourism. Following Box 1
each ecosystem is discussed in some detail.
Box 1: Indian Ecosystems and Resources

• Biosphere Reserves
• Mangroves
• Coral Reefs
• Deserts
• Mountains and Forests
• Flora and Fauna
• Seas, Lakes and Rivers
• Caves

Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected areas, for preservation
of the genetic diversity and the integrity of plants, animals and micro-organism
in representative ecosystems. There are seven such reserves in India at
present (see Box 2).
Box 2: Biosphere Reserves

• Nilgri
•  Nanda Devi
• Nokrek
• Great Nicobar
• Gulf of Mannar
• Manas
• Sunderbans

Mangroves are very specialised forest ecosystems of tropical and
subtropical regions, bordering sheltered sea coasts and estuaries. The major
mangrove areas are listed in Box 3.
Box 3: Major Mangrove Areas

• Northern Adaman and Nicolar islands
• Sunderbans (West Bengal)
• Bhitarkanika and Mahanadi Delta (Orissa)
• Coringa, Godavari Delta and Kristna Estuary (Andhra Pradesh)
• Pichavaram and Point Calimere (Tamil Nadu)
• Goa
• Gulf of Kutch (Gajarat)
• Coonapur (Karnataka)
• Achra/Ratnagiri (Maharashtra)
• Vembanand (Kerala)
Box 4: Coral Reef Ecosystems

• Gulf of Mannar
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Kakshadweep Islands
• Gulf of Kutch

The Great Thar Desert and the little deserts in the North Western Region of the country are distinct ecosystems which have fascinated tourists from all over the world. Ladakh is a cold desert with high, snow-clad mountains, fast rivers, and the people have a distinctive Buddhist culture.The great Himalayas and other mountain ranges in the country, along with the snow-clad slopes, forests and rivers have also become important attractions for eco-tourists. The country has an area of about 752.3 lakh hectares designated as forest land and of this about 406.1 lakh hectares are classified as Reserve Forests and 215.1 lakh hectares as Protected Forests.
India is very rich in biotic as well as abiotic resources. It has about 45 000 species of plants. The country also has a great variety of fauna, numbering a little over 65 000 known species, including 1228 bird, 428 reptile,
372 mammal, 204 amphibian and 2546 fish species. In order to protect and preserve these genetic resources, India has created a number of National Parks and 421 Wildlife Sanctuaries in different parts of the country. Those which have already become popular with tourists are Kaziranga and Manas in Assam; Jim Corbett in Uttar Pradesh; Keoladeo, Ghana, Ranthambore and Sariska in Rajasthan; Kanha and Bandhavgarh in

Madhya Pradesh; Bandipour in Karnataka and Similipal in Orissa.
The Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal brace the sides of the Indian subcontinent, except for the landlocked northern boundary. The land mass of India is crossed by several rivers and dotted by lakes at many places. These water bodies provide attractive opportunities for water sports.