Andaman And Nicobar Islands Launch Birdwatching Initiative To Boost Eco-tourism

Monday, July 28, 2025

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, known for their breathtaking landscapes and divers plants and fauna, are steadily gaining nickname arsenic 1 of nan premier destinations for birdwatching enthusiasts.

On July 26, 2025, nan Islands launched a awesome thrust aimed astatine promoting birdwatching arsenic a cardinal facet of eco-tourism.

In a collaboration pinch nan Avian Club of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, nan management hosted a nationalist speech whose cardinal attraction was connected nan islands’ rich | avian biodiversity and accent was laid connected sustainable recreation practices.

This inaugural highlights nan islands’ committedness to enhancing eco-tourism and educating visitors connected nan value of preserving nan delicate equilibrium of quality successful this unsocial archipelago.

A Haven for Endemic Avian Species

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands boast an awesome array of vertebrate species, making them an basal destination for immoderate passionate birdwatcher. With complete 270 type of birds, including much than 30 endemic species, nan region offers a wealth trove for quality lovers. Species specified arsenic nan Andaman wood pigeon, nan Andaman crake, and nan Andaman serpent eagle are among nan notable residents of nan islands. These species, on pinch nan rarer birds for illustration nan ruddy kingfisher, formation thick-knee, and black-naped tern, create a unsocial birdwatching acquisition that is difficult to replicate anyplace other successful nan world. Many of these birds are either exclusive to nan region aliases are recovered only successful prime parts of Southeast Asia, further expanding nan entreaty of nan islands arsenic a birding hotspot.

Insights from Experts

The lecture, delivered by Arun Singh, a renowned ornithologist and nan President of nan Avian Club, shed ray connected nan increasing liking successful nan region’s birdlife.

Singh noted that nan islands person go progressively celebrated among world birdwatchers and wildlife photographers, pinch nan number of visitors steadily rising since nan COVID-19 pandemic. He pointed retired that nan unsocial and divers vertebrate type recovered connected nan islands person contributed to their position arsenic a caller hotspot for vertebrate tourism.

Singh besides stressed nan value of preserving nan earthy habitats of these type to guarantee that early generations tin proceed to bask nan unthinkable biodiversity of nan region.

Singh’s activity successful vertebrate conservation and eco-tourism has played a important domiciled successful raising consciousness astir nan ecological worth of nan islands. His engagement successful initiatives for illustration this speech exemplifies nan increasing activity to equilibrium tourism pinch biology preservation, an endeavor that is gaining momentum successful nan Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Challenges and Opportunities

Despite nan immense imaginable for birdwatching tourism, respective challenges remain. Singh outlined nan superior threats to nan islands’ vertebrate habitats, including wetland reclamation, onshore conversion for development, and nan preamble of invasive species. These factors person nan imaginable to disrupt nan delicate equilibrium of nan region’s ecosystems, putting nan endemic vertebrate type astatine risk. Furthermore, forbidden hunting, peculiarly pinch airguns, continues to airs a important threat to wildlife successful nan region.

In summation to these biology concerns, location are infrastructural challenges that inhibit nan maturation of birdwatching tourism. Limited entree to cardinal birdwatching sites, poorly developed trails, a shortage of trained guides, and insufficient technological information are important obstacles that must beryllium addressed. To combat these issues, nan management is moving to amended infrastructure and summation organization engagement successful conservation efforts, ensuring that nan islands’ earthy beauty and biodiversity are preserved for early generations.

A Vision for Sustainable Tourism

Tourism Secretary Jyoti Kumari expressed her enthusiasm for nan initiative, emphasizing nan imaginable of birdwatching tourism to lend to nan region’s economical improvement while maintaining a committedness to sustainability. Kumari highlighted nan pristine forests, wetlands, and land ecosystems of nan Andaman and Nicobar Islands arsenic a earthy tie for eco-conscious travelers. She explained that nan inaugural not only focuses connected showcasing nan islands’ avian diverseness but besides seeks to promote responsible recreation practices that minimize biology impact. The management is hopeful that by fostering this niche tourism segment, they tin some diversify nan section system and beforehand conservation done accrued consciousness and organization participation.

Additionally, nan management plans to collaborate pinch section communities, providing training and acquisition programs to amended equip residents pinch nan skills basal to support birdwatching tourism. This attack intends to foster a symbiotic narration betwixt tourism and conservation, ensuring that section communities use straight from nan preservation of their earthy heritage.

Looking Ahead

Looking toward nan future, nan Andaman and Nicobar Islands are poised to go a premier destination for sustainable birdwatching tourism. By focusing connected responsible tourism practices and improving infrastructure, nan management hopes to pull a increasing number of birdwatchers, quality lovers, and eco-tourists. The region’s unsocial biodiversity, coupled pinch nan government’s committedness to biology conservation, makes nan islands an perfect location for those seeking an immersive and eco-friendly recreation experience.

In nan coming years, nan management plans to proceed enhancing nan birdwatching infrastructure by processing trails, providing much trained guides, and improving entree to cardinal birding locations. They besides purpose to behaviour further investigation connected nan islands’ vertebrate populations, which will thief pass conservation strategies and guarantee nan semipermanent sustainability of nan region’s ecosystems.

Conclusion

As nan Andaman and Nicobar Islands move up pinch this initiative, they are not simply gearing themselves up arsenic a apical destination for birdwatching tourism, but are besides mounting a world illustration of really eco-tourism tin thrust some biology conservation and section economical development. With its divers avian population, breathtaking landscapes, and increasing committedness to sustainable practices, nan region is venturing connected its measurement up to becoming a greenish haven for enthusiasts and conservationists alike.