Around 1250 sq km of the State’s geographical area of 3702 sq km is comprised of forests that range from evergreen & semi-evergreen vegetation seen in patches along the high altitude to plateau vegetation of deciduous or leaf shedding species confined to low altitudes. Estuarine vegetation comprising of mangroves characterize the estuaries. These forests shelter the biodiversity which manifests itself either as giant Matti (Terminalia crenulata), the State tree or a tiny blood sucking leech to Southern bird wing butterfly or a small green bee-eater to king cobra or the tiger all trudging merrily through the State’s wilderness. 20.04% of the geographical area of State is constituted into Wildlife Protected Areas (WLPAs) spread over 755 sq km that we know as Sanctuaries and National Park. While the stroll or drive through the WLPAs provides chance encounters with wildlife, it is time well spent even amidst the peace and quiet of dense forests. Goa has 6 sanctuaries and 1 national park. The names of sanctuaries are Bhagwan Mahaveer, Madei, Netravali, Cotigao, Bondla and Salim Ali while the name listed first also denotes a national park in the State. The Bison aka Gaur(Bos gaurus) is the State animal while the Ruby throated yellow bulbul(Pycnonotus gularis) has the distinction of being the State bird.

Bird watching tourism or avi-tourism is a niche sector of the nature-based tourism and is an emerging sub-sector of the nature-based tourism industry, where tourists travel motivations are focused around bird watching The birding sector is a booming industry worth approx 1204 billion rupees on bird-related vacation, which shows that this market is not one to be overlooked and a great industry to be involved in. Goa Forest Department has been accredited with the responsibility of developing and promoting the state’s bird sanctuary, wild life sanctuaries and national park, as preferred destinations for bird lovers, photographers, bloggers, nature enthusiasts and tourists. The Forest department plays a proactive role in showcasing its bio- diversity to various stake holders be it the student community, youth, residents of the State or the visitors from outside through Awareness campaigns and eco-tourism. As a step in this direction, the Forest Department is hosting the 7^th  Bird Festival of Goa in the month of January, 2024 .