Bengaluru: Launching the tourism department’s “Year of the Wild” campaign to promote eco and adventure tourism in the state here on Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah vowed to protect Karnataka’s natural heritage against all challenges.
Welcoming the idea of 2017 being labelled the Year of the Wild, Mr Siddaramaiah said his government was committed to preserving the state’s precious natural wealth.
Minister for IT, BT and Tourism, Priyank Kharge, in his address, however, deplored that most people were passive spectators of the gradual destruction of the earth’s environment and the extinction of species and habitats that they had inherited from their forefathers.
Tourism Secretary, Naveen Raj Singh, explained that 2017 was declared the Year of the Wild not only to protect wildlife , but also promote adventure tourism in the state. “With its unique geographical features, Karnataka provides adventure lovers with every kind of terrain, except snow-clad mountains. We are promoting adventure activities like sky diving in Mysuru and motorcycle tourism in Hampi. All this activity will help tourists discover both their own and Karnataka’s wild side,” he said.
While “The Year of the Wild” campaign is expected to bring more tourists to Karnataka, the state has been a trendsetter in the hospitality space for some years. Long before it became fashionable to go green, the government took a number of steps to embrace the natural world without causing the animals or the environment any harm. In 1980 it established the Kabini River Lodge under the Jungle Lodges and Resorts, which has been a 100 per cent government- owned entity led by top visionaries of the Indian Forest Service, since 1987.
Being home to some of the largest jungle tracts south of the Vindhyas, the state is a dream destination for adventure and nature lovers. From the majestic evergreen forests of the Western Ghats to the scrub jungles of the plains, it has a wide variety of habitats teeming with flora and fauna, some of which are endemic to the region.
