Change is the law of nature and is inevitable as we need to use the scenic beauty of our landscape. let a new form of tourism lead our economic progress and environmental conservation simultaneously

The issues of  creation of durable employment and conservation of environment in the country are critical for sustainable development and march towards becoming a developed nation. The success in these two fronts for any ruling dispensation is necessary for its political survival, particularly in a parliamentary democracy where the voters eagerly wait for fulfilment of election promises. The present Government had promised the creation of one crore jobs for the youth.

The growing  population of the country is reducing the per capita land holding. At the same time, farming (which only contribute to around 16 per cent of the GDP but provides livelihood to more than 60 per cent of the rural labour) is becoming non-profitable due to several factors, including the climactic vagaries, poor implementation of schemes and lopsided agriculture reforms. New technological innovations are imperative, along with the exploration of new policy options to meet the objectives of ushering India into the comity of developed world.

As observed by famous American writer Mark Twain, “India is a fabulous world of splendours and rages, the one country under the sun with an imperishable interest, the one land that all men desire to see.” It is, therefore, no wonder to see that despite poor infrastructure, India is the fourth largest favoured destination for holidays and tourism;  and tourism the second largest foreign exchange earner the country. It is a fact that tourism has been creating 47 per cent of the employment annually.

However, reckless tourism is sending warning signals as its causes damage to the environment and thus adversely impacts the livelihood of the locals and contribute to pollution, degradation and emission. To ward off these evils, the concept of eco-tourism has emerged. Considering the scenic diversified beauty of the country’s landscape, eco-tourism can be a game-changer for both the creation of sustainable employment opportunities as well as conservation of our forests and environmental resources.

Eco-tourism preserves the local natural surroundings, culture and promotes livelihood for the local people. European countries earn more than 75 per cent of their revenue from forests through eco-tourism rather than from cutting down  forests and selling the timber. Diverse ecological and cultural zones eco-tourism has to be made a central part of the developmental planning process. In this regard, in the new paradigm of forest management, the British colonial timber-dominated forest management should give way to people-centric livelihood and conservation based forestry.

This writer has personally been involved in firmly rooting the community based joint forest management as a central point of future management strategies. In this process the second generation reforms process demands that the eco-tourism is made an essential component of forest management programmes. The prime objectives of today’s forest management is to protect existing forests and wildlife, particularly the endangered flora and fauna. It can be done effectively by promoting eco-tourism.

The concept benefits the forest dependent rural poor and tribal people and trains them in livelihood and reduces pressure on the forests — apart from generating revenue for forest conservation and livelihood of the local people. Further, eco-tourism is the most effective way to promote local culture and heritage, and generate much-needed awareness for environmental conservation. It has thus the potential to maintain peace, harmony and understanding in society.

A well orchestrated and strategically evolved eco-tourism can significantly add to the economy at the local, regional and national levels, and set off a chain of employment generation, well-being of the people and ultimately healthy development of rural areas at par with urban areas. However, many policy-makers and foresters treat eco-tourism as a violation of sanctity of forests and thus a violation of the Forest Conservation Act. But most of them are removed from the ground realities and forget that, unless the tenets of forest management are tuned in to the changing times, protection of the remaining forests may be difficult. Some States such as Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have shown that forests can generate revenue both for the State as well as for the rural people.

The latter income has improved their socio-economic conditions and reduced their dependency on fuel wood collection. The jungle lodges situated in the midst of Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka are shining examples of eco-tourism and wealth creation with rural development, and where people and wildlife co-exist in harmony.

According to an estimate by this writer, the recreational value of our five per cent of the geographic area under national parks and sanctuaries, was to the tune of Rs 30,700 crore, based on the prices of 1995. Today, this value is more than Rs 50,000 crore. If we plan properly, about four to five per cent addition in the GDP can be safely made by the eco-tourism and allied activities in the country by providing resources for the States as well as fairly good livelihood for the educated youth as well as poor villagers.

The involvement of the local people through a structured format can generate crores of rupees — as shown by a small eco-tourism park in Dhanolti near Mussoorie in Uttarakhand — and provide livelihood to more than 300 people, as in Satpura National Park in State of Madhya Pradesh.

These few examples can be a basis for making eco-tourism a central theme of forests and rural development. To do this,  Governments should engage economists, naturalists and marketing experts to frame a business model which is environmentally sustainable, economically acceptable to the local population and also generate revenue for the state exchequer.

This writer, in June 2004, while working in the Ministry of Environment and Forests as Inspector General of Forests looking after forest conservation Act implementation, had in consultation with experts and in tune with the legal parameters, prepared a detailed guidelines for the promotion of eco-tourism in the forest areas. But it got derailed due to the opposition of a few officers and the idea was quietly buried thereafter.

These guidelines needs to be revived now as India and its people need eco-tourism as an instrument of furthering forest conservation. Change is the law of nature and change is inevitable as we need to optimally exploit the scenic beauty of our landscape. let eco-tourism lead our economic progress and environmental conservation simultaneously. One hopes the Government of India will take notice of these suggestions.

(The writer is former Director General of Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Chancellor of FRI University, and chairman of Foundation for Integrated Resource Management)