Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan today emphasised that there was a need to halt the loss of biodiversity and said the stress imposed by tourism activities may aggravate its depletion.
On the International Day for Biodiversity today, Vardhan who took charge of the environment ministry said there was a need to make tourism activities ecologically sustainable.
Meanwhile, during the national-level celebrations of the IDB held at Dinanath Mangeshkar Auditorium in Goa, state Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said responsible development should be undertaken through effective and scientific pollution control systems.
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Vardhan said, "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," he said.
He said it was therefore "in the interest of all stakeholders to ensure that tourism activities are ecologically sustainable".
Vardhan said as a mega diverse country, receiving an increasing share of international tourism, biodiversity may well be one of its most competitive advantages.
On the IDB whose theme was 'Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism', he asked people to pledge to be mindful and conscious about reducing their biodiversity footprint even while travelling as a tourist.
He said his ministry had undertaken several activities towards spreading the message of sustainable tourism, including an exhibition organised in the ministry through the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH).
Parrikar said there should be community connect and people's participation in biodiversity conservation. He also called for responsible development through effective and scientific pollution control system by citing the example of solid waste disposal of Goa which was a model system for others to emulate.
The chief minister inaugurated an exhibition with exhibits from 12 states, including Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, besides stalls from other bodies.
A two-minute silence was also observed in the memory of former environment minister Anil Madhav Dave who passed away recently.
Additional Secretary Amita Prasad, referring to the intrinsic linkages between biodiversity and tourism, said the country had succeeded in making the crucial paradigm shift from development and environment being seen as two ends of a spectrum, to having development while protecting the environment.
During the event, a newsletter 'Biodiversity Matters' was launched while awards were given away to winners of a photography contest.
In India, nearly 300 million people are dependent on biodiversity for subsistence and livelihoods.
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