Wild life and Ecotourism of Goa - GOA PCS Exam Notes

Wild life and Ecotourism of Goa

The rocky Western Ghats make it an ideal haven for many species of birds and animals and also provide a corridor for migration.
The Western Ghats called the Sahyadris in Goa extend for a total of 600 kms in Goa of their total length of 3702 kms.
The widest belt of forests along the Western Ghats is in Goa and neighbouring Karnataka state. The coastal areas provide the tropical backdrop.
There are several plants and trees unique to Goa and some introduced by the Portuguese, most famous of which is the green Chillies, which today has become an essential ingredient in the Indian Curry.
Average rainfall is over 500 mm along the Western Ghats and a little less elsewhere. The length of the dry season averages from 5 to 6 months.
For all these reasons, the dominant vegetation is of the moist deciduous type.
Goa is endowed with over 1512 documented species of plants, over 275 genera of birds, over 48 genera of animals and over 60 genera of reptiles.
About 10% of Goa is set aside as wildlife reserve and this area includes four large wildlife sanctuaries.

Plants & Trees in Goa

Goa has more than 3000 different species of flowering plants not counting the hundreds of varieties of grasses, ferns and brackens.
The most famous tree is the coconut palm, which is in abundance everywhere, from the swaying ranges at the coast to the huge plantations in the rural interior.
Cashew nut and mango trees are also seen in large privately owned plantations all over the state and supply a major portion of the export crop that is shipped out of Goa.
Goa has a magnificent range of flowering trees and plants which are seen all over the towns and villages in a bewildering range of colours and sizes.
During the period before the monsoons, most of these are in full bloom, lending Goa a colourful look.
Among the other trees that are found in abundance are the banyan, the peepal, sisso or martel, kharanj and teak.

Animals in Goa

There are almost fifty species of mammals found in Goa.
Among the animals found here are the leopard, monkeys, cheetal or spotted axis deer, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, leopard cat, Indian civet, gaur or Indian bison, sloth bear, Indian porcupine, pangolin, slender loris, wild boar, striped hyena, jackal, wild dog and mongoose.
Goa has four species of bats.
Flying foxes are also present in large numbers.
Most of these are found in the rural interior areas. The Indian giant squirrel, the smaller three-striped squirrel and the five-striped palm squirrel are also found in most areas.
Long-beaked dolphins are quite often seen in the shallow waters of Goa’s more isolated beaches.
Goa has a large reptilian/amphibian population. This includes the ubiquitous common house gecko, a variety of frogs and the quite rare monitor lizard.
Two species of crocodile are mostly found along the banks of a few inland waterways. Twenty-three species of snakes are found in Goa.
Some of the snakes are common blind snake, the Russell sand boa, the Indian python, the Indian wart snake, trinket snake, Indian rat snake, golden tree snake.
Among the few venomous snakes in Goa are the king cobra, the common Indian krait, the coral snake, the Russell’s viper, the saw-scaled viper and the bamboo pit viper.
Freshwater turtles and rare marine turtles which come ashore between October and December to lay their eggs in the sand are also found in Goa.

Birds in Goa

Goa has an abundant birdlife.
There are some very colourful species found in Goa and among these are the stork-billed kingfisher, the breasted kingfisher, the common kingfisher, the grass-green, blue and yellow bee-eaters, the golden oriole, and the Indian roller, Hoopes, purple sunbirds, and several kinds of bulbuls, babblers and Drongos, paradise flycatcher.
The snowy white cattle egret, the large egret and the little egret and herons are most common in the paddy fields along with cows and buffaloes.
The beautiful whitebellied fish eagle, the Brahminy kite and the pariah kite are birds of prey found around towns and fishing villages.
House crows, jackdaws, king vultures and the white-backed vulture are also seen in most areas.
In the state’s forests are found the grey hornbill, the Indian pied hornbill and the magnificent great pied hornbill, the lesser goldenback woodpecker, the Indian great black woodpecker, the red junglefowl.

Goa Wildlife Sanctuaries

S. No.	Name of Wildlife Sanctuary	Year of Notification	Total Area(km²)
1	Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary	1969	7.95
2	Chorao Island (Dr.Salim Ali ) Wildlife Sanctuary (Bird)	1988	1.78
3	Cotigaon Wildlife Sanctuary	1968	85.65
4	Madei Wildlife Sanctuary	1999	208.48
5	Bhagwan Mahavir (Mollem) Wildlife Sanctuary	1967	133
6	Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary	1999	211.05

There are three famous wildlife sanctuaries in Goa which preserves the thick forests and habitats along the slopes of the Western Ghats.

The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary
The Bondla Sanctuary
The Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.

The famous bird sanctuary in Goa is the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is an important bird sanctuary in India.
The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is at walking distance from the ferry ghat. Mandovi River is the nearest river to the island.
Along this river, the western tip of the island is the best place to spot colorful birds and to enjoy the wonderful aspects of the nature. The bird sanctuary is named after India’s famous ornithologist, Sir Salim Ali.
The local and the migratory birds make it an ideal destination for the bird lovers and nature lovers.
Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary consists of mangrove forest plantations and mangrove scrubs along the small stretch of land of Mandovi and Mapusa River, and along the Cumbarjua Canal.
These water bodies are the homeland for various amphibians and crocodiles.
Starting from water fowls to migratory birds, all kinds of birds can be found here.
There are some resident birds and these birds are looked after by the sanctuary, so that they can grow and regenerate in their natural habitat.
The watch tower is the best place from where tourists can have a good view of the birds.
The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary remains open throughout the year and prior permission is needed from the Chief Wild Life Warden of the Forest Department, Panaji.
Dusk and dawn are the best times for bird watching, apart from that nature walks are the best way to spot birds on the tree branches and tree-tops.

Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary

The forlorn village of Molem is the gateway to the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is situated 54 kms from Margao, with its main entrance on NH4A.
This is the largest of Goa’s protected wildlife areas and covers 240 square km, incorporating the 107 square km Molem National Park.
There is an observation platform a few kilometers into the park from where one may catch a glimpse of animals such as jungle cat, gaur, Leopard, Elephant, deer, Malayan giant squirrels and a rich bird life. Accommodation is available at Molem in the GTDC Dhudhsagar Resort.

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

In the foothills of the Western Ghats, 52 kms from Panaji, lies Bondla.
Bondla is the smallest wildlife sanctuaries and the easiest to reach.
This sanctuary covers 80 square km area. For the benefit of tourists expecting to see some animals, there is a botanical garden and a zoo.
Large wild fauna includes gaur, wild boar and sambar. Bondla can be reached from Ponda to Usgao village.

National Park of Goa

S. No.	Name of National Park	Year of Notification	Total Area(km²)
1	Bhagwan Mahavir (Mollem) National Park	1992	107

Ecotourism

Ecotourism, distinguished from other forms of tourism in terms of its minimal impact on the visited areas, is defined as: “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people.” (TIES, 1991)
Ecotourism offers an opportunity to showcase the state’s unique natural and associated cultural heritage to visitors while enhancing the livelihood options for the local people.

Vision of Ecotourism

Ecotourism will promote responsible travel to natural areas and provide opportunities for visitors to experience firsthand, understand and ‘quietly’ enjoy state’s natural and cultural heritage.
This will lead to conservation of nature, sustaining of ecological processes, increased respect for local culture and traditions and tangible improvement in the local economy.

Goal of Ecotourism

To provide recreation and promote understanding about nature and wildlife conservation with income generation and employment opportunity to local people while according priority to bio-diversity conservation, ecosystem functioning and socio-economic development.

Ecotourism Principles:

Ecotourism will be promoted and developed in accordance with the above vision, goal and objectives, based on the following core set of principles:

Principle 1 Nature Area Focus – provide visitors with the opportunity to directly experience nature.
Principle 2 Interpretation – provide opportunities to visitors to experience nature in ways that lead to greater understanding, appreciation and enjoyment.
Principle 3 Environmentally Sustainable Practice – ensure environmentally sustainable practices within carrying capacity of the area.
Principle 4 Promotion of Conservation and Benefits to Local Communities – ensure promotion of conservation and tangible returns to the local communities.
Principle 5 Respect Culture – be sensitive to understand oral local culture
Principle 6 Strategic Marketing for Customer Satisfaction – to market and promote effectively so that realistic customer expectations are achieved.

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