Goa government has entered into an agreement with a project funded by the German government which would study the eco-tourism potential in the state's coastal and marine areas.
"A memorandum of understanding has been executed with MSGIZ, a government of Germany-funded project," Goa Environment Minister Alina Saldanha said at the state government-organised wildlife awareness campaign-2014.
The minister also said that the department has partnered with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in another project on productivity of mangrove eco-system in Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary near here.
The recent wildlife census conducted by the state forest department had thrown up some encouraging findings, she said, refusing to give details. She only added that the findings show that Goa is emerging as a bio-diversity hotspot.
Goa's chief wildlife warden Richard D'Souza said that several species which exist in the western Ghats ranges in Goa are yet to be identified.
"Not only the biodiversity of the Ghats is second to none, so many species which have not been discovered yet exist here. We have recently discovered caecilians (a snake-like amphibian group) which were hitherto unknown," he said.
