The wildlife week is celebrated every year from 2nd to 8th October all over the country coinciding with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, with a view to sensitize the people about the importance of Wildlife and inculcate a sense of responsibility on every citizen to protect and conserve the wildlife and its habitats. The celebrations also aims to create awareness among the people about the role of wildlife in maintaining the healthy ecosystems, clean environment for the mankind and to inculcate a culture of tolerance, understanding and compassion for the wildlife.
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are bestowed with internationally acclaimed natural resources encompassing rich and fascinating biodiversity exhibiting high degree of endemism. Realizing the importance of our biodiversity wealth on the overall well being of our territory, the Andaman & Nicobar Administration has taken several effective measures to protect and conserve the unique and unparallel biodiversity of our Islands. The conservation efforts of the Administration are successful mainly due to the support of people of these Islands and their conservational ethos and values. The natural forests of Andaman & Nicobar Islands in general and the marine ecosystems with rich coral and colourful fishes along the sylvine beaches attract lot of tourists to these Islands, thus providing livelihood opportunities to many local people through Tourism and other developmental activities.
On the occasion of Wildlife Week, 2018 celebrations, let us redeem our resolve to protect and conserve our wildlife and its habitats to maintain the ecological security and integrity of our Islands. I would also like to urge general public, especially the children and youth of these Islands, to become the torch bearers in taking forward the critical agenda of conserving and protecting the rich natural heritage of these Islands.
Sd/-
(Admiral D K Joshi)
PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, (Retd.)
Lieutenant Governor
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Vice-Chairman, Islands Development Agency
