New Delhi May 22: The International Day for Biodiversity celebrated every year on May 22 and International Day for Biodiversity 2017 is being celebrated in Goa today. In his message on the occasion, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
Biodiversity, the variety of all life on earth, is vital to social and economic development, and is indeed fundamental to our survival. Protecting biodiversity and halting its loss is therefore an essential investment for our collective well-being
Biodiversity plays an important role in various economic sectors, including tourism. There are intrinsic linkages between tourism and biodiversity. While on one hand, tourism has the potential to contribute positively to biodiversity, on the other, the stress imposed by tourism activities may accelerate and aggravate its depletion. It is therefore in the interest of all stakeholders to ensure that tourism activities are ecologically sustainable.
As a mega diverse country, receiving an increasing share of international tourism, biodiversity may well be one of our most competitive advantages for tourism considered to be one of the fastest growing industries today.
