Description
Maharashtra is a universe unto itself. Its territory extends across just under 308,000 sq. km., and encompasses some of India’s most diverse and beautiful ecosystems. Sanctuary Asia believes that this natural capital could attract millions of sensitive tourists from around the world in the years ahead. The traditional hospitality for which Maharashtra is justifiably famous, could be key to delivering unique experiences that help usher in an economic and social renewal. Maharashtra’s inventory of assets includes the Konkan’s marine biomes, the ‘water towers’ and evergreen forests of the Sahyadri ranges in the Western Ghats, the grasslands of the Deccan Plateau, Vidarbha’s tiger-stocked Satpuda range and Marathwada’s semi-arid biotope that has gained popularity as the home of the Great Indian Bustard. Since Independence, Maharashtra has taken justifiable pride in being India’s economic powerhouse. But today, formidable challenges, primarily climate change, threaten our water, food, economic and social security. Restoring the natural ecosystems would help mitigate such threats, but this will require statesmanship, and an understanding of the umbilical connection between biodiversity protection, climate change and the quality of human life. It is to document and highlight Maharashtra’s self-interest in protecting such natural life-support systems as forests, coasts, mountains, wetlands, grasslands, rivers and lakes, that Sanctuary Asia has dedicated itself to the Wild Maharashtra mission.
