Backwoods Camp is located in the village of Matkan near Tambdi Surla, famous for its 13th century temple - a National Monument, in Goa's Sanguem taluka.  The camp is just a few kilometres from the border of Goa with the neighbouring state of Karnataka, and a distance of approximately 70km (a travel time of 1hr 45min) from the coast and the capital city, Panjim.

Lying within the forests of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa's largest protected area, and at the foot of the Sahyadri Range of the Western Ghats the Camp is the perfect place from which to explore the avifauna of this ecologically important habitat.

Map of Goa showing protected areas of the state and the location of Backwoods Camp in the Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS

Measuring only 100km x 50km Goa is India's smallest state, yet it is endowed with a biological diversity that belies its size, a reflection of the considerable variety of habitats found within its boundaries.  

Low-lying coastal plains intersected with mangrove-lined waterways and marshy lakes provide sanctuary for a variety of waders and waterfowl, while in contrast the eastern border of the state is largely forested, interspersed with villages and small-scale agriculture, and home to an important selection of regional endemics and forest specialities.

Approximately 755 sq km, almost 20% of Goa's total geographical area and almost 60% of its forest, is protected within a series of sanctuaries as shown on the map above.  Almost all of these are located in the gently undulating terrain of the Sahyadri Range of the Western Ghats.

The Western Ghats are recognised as one of the richest reservoirs of biodiversity in the world, with the exceptional degree of endemism contained within this mountain range a result of its unique situation. As with all mountain regions, the altitudinal gradients exhibited here encourage species diversity.  What makes the Western Ghats remarkable is their favourable location in the tropical zone, with an absence of severe cold that would otherwise impose a limit to this diversity. Furthermore, the ghats are highly fertile, a result generated by the intensity of India’s southwest monsoon of which the Western Ghats bear the brunt. 

Running for almost 1000 miles parallel to the west coast of peninsular India and into Sri Lanka to the south, the ghats yield an astounding array of both flora and fauna.  Along their full extension within India they support an incredible number of endemic species:  1400 plants, 23 mammals, 24 birds, 89 reptiles, and 90 amphibians.  Not to mention numerous unique subspecies.  In acknowledgment of their avifaunal significance the Western Ghats have been classified by Birdlife International as one of the most important ‘Endemic Bird Areas’ in the whole of Asia.

In Goa the ghats decrease in elevation, forming what is termed the ‘Goa gap’, yet this does not diminish their ecological importance and from a biological perspective it is this region of Goa that is most notable.

The entire stretch of the Sahyadri Range of the Western Ghats that falls within Goa's boundaries is protected in a series of adjoining wildlife sanctuaries along the state’s eastern border with the neighbouring state of Karnataka.  Of these the Bhagwan Mahaveer, with an area of 240 sq km (107 sq km of which is also designated as Mollem National Park), is the largest providing some degree of security to a large tract of moist deciduous and evergreen forests in the foothills.