Opening up Andamans without harming an already fragile ecosystem

The Andamans Islands' isolation in time and space has made them a unique biodiversity hotspot

Are the Andaman Islands a tropical paradise or an ecological travesty? That’s a trick question, because the truth on the Andamans is complicated. On the one hand is the promise of adventure on its secluded beaches, lush rainforests, mangrove creeks and underwater worlds. But scratch the surface of this surreal landscape and a very different story emerges — of a threatened ecosystem and vested interests champing at the bit to exploit its hidden treasures.

When Ranja Sengupta visited last November, she was surprised, though not at the islands’ famed unspoilt natural beauty. “I thought it would be more developed,” she recalls.