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ISSN 1108-8931 |
International Ecotourism Monthly |
Year 4, Issue 45, Feb. 2003 |
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The
Expert The Expert showcases the knowledge of our Expert Members who volunteer free advice to other Members of ECOCLUB.com on their topic of expertise. (Articles appear in the order ECOCLUB received them) In this issue: |
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by Debjit Dutta, Tourism Consultant, Chief Executive, Bon Voyage House of Tourism, ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism Expert, WB, India The Sub-Himalayan parts of the Northern West Bengal in Eastern India, presents a large range of foothill forests crawling with wildlife teagardens, transparent rivers interspersed with quiet villages and small townships of vibrant culture. Commonly known as "Dooars" this unique 130Km long and 48Km wide narrow corridor of rich bio-diversity is slowly becoming a paradise for Eco-tourists and Wildlife-Nature lovers with a variety of flora, fauna and diverse tribal groups. One under the region of "Koch Dynasty" the word "Dooars" derived from the local word "Duar" or Door because of the numerals no of road connection with the neiboring country of Bhutan. The region also forms a gateway to the Darjeeling, Hills, Sikkim and other states of Eastern India. Famous for its well-known corridor of migration for the Asiatic Elephant and the home of Rhinoceros Unicorns (One Horned Rhino) along with Royal Bengal Tiger, the Dooars comprises of deciduous forests of Himalayan trees and grasslands situated at an attitudinal range of 60Mt to 3200Mt. The entire region is the home to fifty different types of Mammals, three hundred species of Birds, twenty types of Reptiles, thirty different types of Amphibians in its 7 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries commonly known as: 1) Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary (129.04 Sq. Km.), 2) Garumara National Park (80Sq. Km), 3) Naora Valley National Park, 4) Chapramari Wild Life Sanctuary, 5) Jalda Para Wild Life Sanctuary (217 Sq. Km.), 6) Chilapata Reserve Forest and 7) Buxa Tiger Reserve (761 Sq. Km.). The most notable wildlife available in those reserve forests are Rhinoceros Unicorns (One Horned Rhino), Indian Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Sambar Hog deer, Barking deer, Indian Civet, Jungle Cat, Otter, Sloth Beer, Hispid Hare, Lesser cats, Giant squirrel, Chital, Regal Python, Clouded Leopard, wild Buffalos, Hispid hare, Hog badger Red Panda, Himalayan Thar, Tiger, Goral, Himalayan Black Bear, Wild Boar, Wild Dog and Clouded Leopard. Dead-leaf Butterfly and Salamander are the two species, only available in Mahananda wild life sanctuary. The rich and varied avifauna includes the Crested Eagle, Pallas' Fishing Eagle, Redstart, Whistling Thrush, Golden Headed Black, Munia, Thrush, Sunbird, Flycatcher, Minivet, Drongo, Oriole, Woodpecker Finch, Niltava, Yuhina Bengal Florican and the Lesser Pied Hornbill. Python, monitor lizards, crates, cobras, geckos and about eight species of fresh water turtles The whole region of Dooars also presents a bunch of small villages, townships and other attractive destinations for Eco-Tourists and nature lovers such as 1) Purbikhola & Mongpong beside Mahananda WLS, 2) Malbazar, Lataguri, Chalsa, Bindu, Jhalong, Samshing, Murthi around Garumara NP, 3) Lava, Loleygawn, Rishap & Kaffer & Rechela (10,000 Ft) around Neora Valley NP, 4) Madarihut, Totopara (Home to the aboriginals - Totos Tribes, one of the few remaining tribes of its kind in the world) around Jaldapara WLS and 5) Jayanti, Bhutan Ghat, Buxa Fort (Ruins of the Historical Detention Camp used by the British), Rashik Bill (Bird Sanctuary) around the Buxa Tiger Reserve along with Chhchbihar - the Historical heritage town of Dooars. Basis to standard accommodation is available in all the above-mentioned destinations mostly run by the Government and the localities, the only star category resort is available in Garumara. The entire region of Dooars has been well connected by a network of roads and railway lines cutting through the teagardens, forests and criss-crossing the rivers like Teesta, Torsha, Jaldhaka, Kaljini, Raidak and many others. The nearest airport is Bagdogra and the nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri in Siliguri (23 to 200Kms) - the gateway city to the Sikkim, Darjeelling Hills and other popular tourists destinations of the Eastern Himalaya. From 15th September to 14th June, the National Parks, Sanctuaries & Tiger Reserve is open but the best time to visit this region is from October to March. The average rainfall is 3000 mm and the temperature varies between 4/5 º C (Min) in winter and 35/38º C (Max) in summer except in Neora Valley National Park where the climate in much cooler due to its attitudinal position (8000 to 10, 000 Ft.). Till the early Nineties Tea & Timber was the backbone of the socioeconomic structure of "Doors", the area was the prime timber producing in the country until the introduction of the law to ban the felling of trees, as a result of that the Timber industry collapsed with a direct negative impact in the local economy. Thanks to the joint efforts by the Government & some of the privet sectors in the tourism industry, today the concept Eco-tourism is becoming a substitute for a sustainable social and economic development for the local people of "Dooars". by Animon Muhammed, Assistant Professor, College of Forestry, Kerala, India Background Protected Areas have figured prominently in biodiversity conservation in the human dominated landscape of the tropics. Protected Areas are at the forefront of efforts to conserve biological diversity in India. Well-designed and managed Protected Areas can form the pinnacle of nation's efforts to protect biological diversity and also provide opportunities for recreation and tourism. The Fourth World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas in 1992 recognized that the Protected Areas can not exist unless the interest of local communities are protected (McNeely, 1993). The approach of 'guards and gun' is slowly changing to 'care and share'. There are successful stories from Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala where the illegal collectors of Cinnamomum bark turned into true protectors of forests when involved in ecotourism. Forest Protection Committee of tribes of Vazhachal Forest Division helped to reduce pollution created by tourists, at the same time enhanced the annual income by 8.46 lakhs rupees while generating 1090 man days of work (KFWD, 2002). There is a dire necessity for similar models, which decentralize conservation roles and responsibilities. Social security, diversity and stability are foundations for sustainable conservation and management of natural resources, and they rely on increased social equity among all stakeholders as envisaged in the Social Policy Programme of the IUCN. Ecotourism means responsible travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people. It is not simply disposition but is destination management. Scientific studies are sine qua non for planning ecotourism in Protected Areas as done in Thenmala ecotourism project in south Kerala by Sankar (1999), which can be a model for other destination development programmes. In Protected Areas, hardships of indigenous communities can be mitigated by developing forests as recreation spots. This will provide monetary returns to the public exchequer, while protecting bio diverse patches with the support of the local community. Thus the new paradigm elevates cultural and social elements of environment and under this rationale, role of local people in the design of Protected Area is a prerequisite. This is because the Government owns more than 95 percent of forest in India where people do not have many rights. Policing seems to be a failure in several instances. The rules and regulations pertaining to forests and wildlife always alienated people and private sector from using such resources suitably. The main motivation behind ecotourism development is the employment of tourism receipts for protection of resources, which represent as a magnet for tourists and also to provide income by which Conservation International can finance 'debt for nature swaps'. More over, it may justify the USE IT OR LOSE IT policy as envisaged by the IUCN. It shall also be remembered that tourism is the world's largest industry employing 127 million people worldwide and expected to double by the year 2005 (WTTC, 1992). As a developing and resource rich state in India, Kerala can not keep away from the picture of ecotourism. More over national policy of tourism stipulates that tourism should become a unifying force nationally and internationally, fostering better understanding through travel. Relevance of Ecotourism for India and Kerala Currently, India has 88 National Parks and 490 Wildlife Sanctuaries. Update of the Rodgers and Panwar (1990) report by Rodgers et al. (2000) suggested that the Protected Area Network of India be enhanced to 160 National Parks and 698 Wildlife Sanctuaries accounting for 5.69 % of the country's geographical total. But how far expansion of Protected Areas may affect the economy of the state and make negative impact on the livelihoods of the indigenous people has to be studied in detail. It shall be remembered that the country is the home to around 1,027 million people constituting 16.7 % of the world's population in just 2.4 % of the world surface area (GOI, 2002). Major chunk of the population is contained in rural areas and is below poverty line. Hence how far conservation efforts will be successful in the long run with out generating income from Protected Areas and how best we will be able to justify such an extent of reserves in a highly populated country like India are the real concerns. The picturesque state of Kerala forming part of the Western Ghats, contains a strictly Protected Area of 2324 km2 in two National Parks and 12 Wildlife Sanctuaries. (Covers 6% of the total geographical area of the state compared to 5% national standard). About 26.6 % of the total geographic area of the state is under forest(compared to 19.4% for India). Ecotourism is a sustainable management option for all Protected Areas in Kerala. In spite of all this, as of now, there are major lacunae in information pertaining to Western Ghats monsoon forests in Kerala (which is identified as a Hot Spot of Biodiversity) as a popular destination of ecotourism. World Conservation Monitoring Center's Threatened Plants Unit (TPU) catalogued 150 botanical sites as the world's centres of plant diversity (IUCN, 1987). Of the five locations issued for India, the Agastyamalai Hills, Silent Valley and Periyar National Park are from Kerala. In tourist's parlance, Kerala is often described as the "God's Own Country" and experiences high influx of tourists every year. The tourism inflow to Kerala was 50 lakhs during 1997, which was 13% more than the previous year. The tourism traffic to Kerala shows an increasing trend over past few years (GOK, 1999). In the year 2001, 2.09 lakhs of domestic tourists and 50 lakhs of domestic tourists visited Kerala. The annual revenue from tourism industry in Kerala is roughly around 4000 crores at present (Thomas, 2002). The Government plans to increase earning from tourism by 10 percent and create at least 10,000 new employment every year. This will be a boon for a state like Kerala where 67.7% of the population face problem of unemployment whereas literacy rate is about 90%. It is also proposed to increase the population of domestic and foreign tourists by 10 percent and seven percent respectively. A major part of tourists paying visit to Kerala are visiting the Protected Areas. In Periyar Tiger Reserve alone, more than 2,38,047 tourists visited in 1991-92, of which foreign tourists accounted for 8.4 % (Manoharan, 1996). Similar high influx of tourists is observed in Vazhachal forests also (Animon et al. 1997). But still, the available data is alarmingly inadequate to provide a lucid picture of the ecotourism potential of Protected Areas in Kerala. Due to lack of publicity and proper planning, most of our Protected Areas, which would have become ecotourism destinations are unnoticed and ignored by the domestic and international tourists. Hence initiatives to develop ecotourism in Protected Areas are the need of the hour. Simultaneously, we may also think of developing some criteria and indicators of ecotourism and a protocol for its monitoring. Environmental Impact Assessment and Carrying Capacity studies are a must for the success of ecotourism. In Sabarimala, forming part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, pilgrimage tourism has exceeded the carrying capacity and has affected detrimentally the species composition and structure of flora and distribution of fauna (Animon, 2001). Traces of plastics deposited by the pilgrims were commonly detected in the droppings of wildlife (Animon, 2002). The negative impacts of unscientifically planned ecotourism on wildlife and their distribution pattern in Vazhachal Forest Division was reported by Animon (1996). The short-term financial gains outweigh the long-term benefits of conservation. Economic justification is warranted to convince policy makers about economic viability of Protected Areas for making unbiased decisions with respect to developmental projects. Preliminary studies in this aspect have been initiated in Periyar Tiger Reserve (Manoharan, 1996). George (2000) estimated the ecotourism value of Peechi- Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary. Several concepts like green accounting and international pricing are emerging in the field of ecological economics, which may be applied in our Protected Areas also. Need of the hour It is needed to perform zonation in Protected Areas in Kerala for better planning and implementation of different components of ecotourism. Site-specific action plan may be formulated for ecotourism development and thereby enable pumping of "tourism dollars" to alleviate chronic problems like under budgeting and understaffing of Protected Areas. Reliable estimates of carrying capacity shall be worked out and Environment Impact Assessment may be done in all the Protected Areas so as to avoid the ill effects of tourism. Also, total economic valuation of Protected Areas may be attempted in order to justify conservation and to avoid biased decisions with respect to development and to prioritize conservation strategies based on importance. It is also a prerequisite to develop monitoring mechanisms as well as criteria and indicators for sustainable use of Protected Areas through ecotourism. Hence ecotourism has to develop as an academic subject and enough trained manpower in the field is indispensable for development of ecotourism industry in Kerala. Why ecotourism be included in the syllabus of B.Sc.Forestry and M.Sc.Forestry The B.Sc. Forestry graduates of Kerala Agricultural University are directly recruited as Forest Range Officers in the State Forest Department. They are also getting selected to the Indian Forest Service after a test. Since the major chunk of Forests (more than 95%) is owned by the Government and managed by B.Sc. Forestry graduates, it is very essential to train them so as to tap the benefits of ecotourism. The employment opportunities of B.Sc. Forestry graduates are getting narrowed because of reduction of posts in public sector. Absence of investments in forestry sector by private entrepreneurs aggravates the situation. The private sector can be involved in biodiversity projects as the development of forest areas for tourism or in the setting up of nature parks and interpretation centres or in bio-prospecting agreements which may create employment chances for people. However, the current policies of the Government do not encourage investments by private entrepreneurs in forestry. In spite of this, the recently held Global Investor's meet called for proper development of ecotourism in Kerala for which potential investors readily agreed. If private investments are sought for developing ecotourism in Protected Areas, the job opportunities of B.Sc. Forestry graduates will get widened. In order to meet the demand of trained manpower for the private sector, there shall be B.Sc.Forestry graduates with thorough knowledge of ecotourism. Also they will have a leading role in marketing ecotourism. Current National Forest Policy (1988) emphasizes the right of local people living in and around forests. For creating a win-win situation for forest managers and forest dependent rural folk, ecotourism is a good alternative option. It may help managing our forests sustainably whereas providing direct economic benefits to the local people. Through such practices the local people can become partners in conservation of resources. The graduates of College of Forestry who turn as middle level forest managers has to fully utilize the potential of ecotourism for sustainable forest management and hence they shall be properly trained in the right track to meet the goals of ecotourism. They will be able to organize training programmes to prepare the local people for taking up various vocations relating to ecotourism. The only option for using Indian wildlife as per existing Indian wildlife protection act is through ecotourism. At present, there is no institutionalized system or channel through which public can see the forest. The quick visit to a Sanctuary can not be called as ecotourism, but can be termed as mass tourism. So a more focussed strategy is needed which is supply-driven and small group-oriented. Hence all wildlife managers has to be good ecotourism managers also so as to reap the benefits for betterment of the state. Hence the graduates of College of Forestry who are becoming wildlife managers has to be properly equipped with skills by which they can diversify the tourism products in order to facilitate fast growth of ecotourism. The Protected Areas can act as centres to inculcate awareness among public about wildlife conservation. There shall be provision for learning process for a visitor in the ecotourism destination. Well-trained B.Sc. Forestry graduates can act as good extension worker who can arouse interest for conservation among the public. Also they can help them to practice ecotourism codes. The Alumni of College of Forestry also agreed to this view because they are currently facing the problem due to lack of knowledge of ecotourism and its options while implementing the ecotourism projects in their area of Jurisdiction. Hence it is highly needed to mould a young group of foresters with adequate background knowledge of ecotourism for meeting the challenges and potentials of ecotourism in the "Gods own country". Ecotourism research is still in its infancy stage in Kerala. A core team of M.Sc. Forestry Graduates trained in ecotourism may devise management strategies and site specific action plan for ecotourism in all Protected Areas in Kerala through which financial benefits can be accrued for running parks and indigenous communities are benefited, while conserving our biodiversity. Several M.Sc. Forestry students of College of Forestry have started doing research in this line. This may help in formulating strategies for eco-development aiding long-term conservation. This will help to develop all the Protected Areas as ecotourism destinations with properly planned design. It is essential to develop an ecotourism network in the Western Ghats and B.Sc. and M.Sc. Forestry graduates of the Kerala Agricultural University can take a prominent role in this regard so as to evolve a culture of ecotourism in the Western Ghats, which may pave way for the development of the country by generating income and employment. Employment of forests for recreation has not been an important feature of forest management in India. If wide range of resource and visitor management techniques, ecotourism concepts and tools are developed, it may result in development of Kerala as an "ecotourism hub" where the B.Sc. and M.Sc. Forestry graduates will have a leading role to play.
Reply by Expert Member Mr. Stephen Mak, Director, Vision Ecotour Ltd, to an on-line Enquiry: What I basically believe is that the Hong Kong SAR has the resources for ecotourism development, considering that Hong Kong has large areas covered by nature and conservation areas. Recently, the SAR government planned to market its rural areas as ecotourism destinations, focusing on its many existing country and marine parks. However, there are a few concerns: 1. The Image of Hong Kong for a foreign tourist: Hong Kong does not have a strong rural image. For many tourists, coming to Hong Kong means experiencing its urban life, such as shopping and trying different food in Chinese restaurants. A lot of attractions are located in the city and many tourists do not consider visiting the countryside as part of their itinerary. Statistics show that an average tourist only stays in Hong Kong for a merely 2.9 days. Marketing Hong Kong as a "City of Life" only makes the image less "rural." Even when I talk to my foreign friends here in the UK, not many knows about Hong Kong's countryside. The Disneyland that commences in 2005, again, does not show that Hong Kong to be very "eco" either. 2. The authenticity of ecotourism: It may be true that ecotourism has several definitions depending on whether it is in a developed country or a developing country. As far as developing countries are concerned, ecotourism is more about contributing to the improvements of living standards of the rural local population, as supported by Douglas Trent, an ECOCLUB expert, in the previous newsletter. But for ecotourism in developed countries, it is more about the nature experience, given that the standard of living in the countryside is quite high. Clearly, Hong Kong goes for the latter definition. 3. It is very true that the government does take ecotourism as an option for tourism development. The government initiated ecotourism and is managed by government departments. So far, it is quite well managed, and its country park system is quite efficient and well run. Most importantly, Hong Kong has put in tremendous efforts in conservation, given by the effort of the WWF Conservation for Hong Kong. 4. Despite its effort, is ecotourism able to be developed as a priority in Hong Kong, given all its other priority for development? Hong Kong's rapid expansion of new towns is going to create problems to the ecotourism development. Hong Kong is quite small, and the population is continually increasing, partly due to the constant flow of new immigrants from Mainland China. This means that more land is needed to build new towns and infrastructure. A look at Mai Po, sandwiched between the Shenzhen Economic Zone and Tin Shui Wai would show the point: How authentic ecotourism can be if it has to co-exist with large urban areas? A good, recent example is the KCRC rail spur line project near Mai Po. The green organisations protested and successfully persuaded the government to reroute the rail line to minimise environmental damage. As you can see, ecotourism in Hong Kong is under increasing challenges. Therefore, my dissertation emphasises the point that, ecotourism does not have a very clearly defined definition. Hong Kong has "ecotourism" development, but I find it difficult to understand what "ecotourism" means according to the Hong Kong government. Does it simply mean visiting nature or participating in conservation, or enjoying a large-scale rural experience (like that of Costa Rica, for example) or involving in benefiting the lives of the locals (as in developing countries)? For the former two options, I would vote for Hong Kong's success. For the latter two, I would not, given the reasons mentioned above. Even if Hong Kong's ecotourism means simply nature tourism, Hong Kong still needs to focus its marketing image towards a more "nature oriented" direction, so more foreign tourists will know and come to visit its nature.
by Douglas B. Trent, President, EcoTrent Consulting Focus Conservation Fund & Focus Tours Inc, ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism Expert, USA Hello friends, we have a short window of opportunity to preserve 1,900 acres of prime jaguar and hyacinth macaw habitat, for just U$20 an acre, if we move quickly. If not, this will almost certainly be deforested for large-scale cattle operations. You can do the math and see that it means we need $38,000 quickly! The Focus Conservation Fund (FCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been working with local people in the Pantanal Wetlands of Brazil for several years. The Pantanal is the last stronghold for a number of rare and endangered species. Jaguar, ocelot, margay, little spotted cat, jaguarondi, giant river otter, caiman lizard, marsh deer, Brazilian tapir, hyacinth and golden-collared macaws all make their home here. We have a three pronged strategy for preserving the wildlife, its habitat and the Pantaneiro culture that exists here. We raise funds to pay local people to register their land as a reserve; pay for the loss of cattle due to jaguar predation in exchange for not killing the cat; and have created a community-based ecotourism project at the Jaguar Ecological Reserve (JER). This reserve is also a federally-registered, privately held, Pantaneiro owned reserve. We have just learned that the lands immediately adjacent to the reserve are imminently threatened. One has already been sold, and the other two are in harms way. We have the first option to purchase these holdings, but only if we can raise the funds by April 1. The alternative is likely to have a large cattle operation next to the ecotourism lodge, hurting its viability. We are also likely to have illegal hunting pressure on the region's jaguars, as the ranching operation will seek to diminish loss to predation. We have received a U$3,000 matching donation to start this crucial campaign to save irreplaceable habitat. We can access this only if matching funds are received. We are looking for other donors that can put up matching funds, and donations. All donations made in the USA are tax-deductible. |
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