Wildlife/Eco Tourism can simply be defined as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.

India has a significant geographical advantage owing to its rich natural & Eco-tourism resources that includes, but is not limited to, 70.0% of the Himalayas, a 7,000 km of coastline, both hot and cold deserts, a 10th in total area under forest cover and its current rank (6^th) in terms of the number of recognized UNESCO Natural Heritage sites. There are 53 tiger reserves in India which is home to 75.0% of tiger population in the world. The Government of India has taken a sustained initiative for conserving the tiger, which is India’s national animal, by launching the flagship ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973. Owing to its rich biodiversity the Wildlife and eco-tourism sectors are an effective tool for conservation of forests, biodiversity/ wildlife and scenic landscapes. The natural attractions in India are almost unrivalled in the world, ranging from pristine forests, the snow-clad Himalayas, montane grasslands, deserts, rivers and lakes, wetlands and mangroves, beaches, volcanoes and corals, housing tremendous biodiversity. Besides, we have the mega-fauna consisting of iconic species such as tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, wild buffaloes etc. and more than 1,200 recorded species of birds. Wildlife and Eco-tourism is an important source for creating sustainable alternative livelihoods for forest-dependent communities and by generating conservation awareness. Further the sector plays a pivotal role in management of its forests thereby generating a sustainable flow of non-extractive financial benefits of forests for the local communities. Apart from its conservation and economic value, public interest in nature-based rest, relaxation and recreation and Ecotourism led developments is fast increasing. The Ministry of Tourism has also drafted a National Strategy on Sustainable Tourism which focuses on promoting environmental sustainability, protecting biodiversity, promoting economic sustainability and promoting socio-cultural sustainability. The strategy aims to mainstream sustainability into the tourism sector.