Eco tourism is to bring off-sight tourist spots to lime light, said a member of the Jharkhand’s tiger conservation foundation steering committee, DS Srivastava. Srivastava. He believes that eco tourism can give a boost to wild life tourism.
Speaking to The Pioneer on Sunday, Srivastava said that many tourists coming from Bengal or other parts of the country do not go to see Aksi, a place where a wolf sanctuary is located. Many tourists are unaware of the hot water spring at Tat Ha in Barwadeeh. Even the youths do not know there is a 4 km mountain trekking chance in Barwadeeh, he said.
When reminded that it is only the tiger of the PTR that has been marketed and not the ecology of the place Shrivastava said, “Eco tourism will bring in focus areas/places getting over looked so far.”
Asked what benefit the villagers will have from eco tourism this man has this to say, “In eco-tourism the villagers will be ambassador of tourism”. He said if a tourist reached Aksi his food, comfort and care would be taken up by the villagers. This will start a flow of legal money from the tourists. Srivastava said once money starts reaching the palms of the villagers they will go all out to save tree, river and mountain.
This tiger conservation foundation steering committee member took The Pioneer to Barwadeeh where atop a hill there is a temple. This temple can draw tourists and there is road o the temple. What is needed is locals’ support and co-operation. The villagers can arrange this journey to this temple for which a tourist will be too happy to shell out money to the villagers.
At Barwadeeh there stands a beautiful built multi lakh forest rest house but here no tourist stays but if under eco tourism villagers are roped in who will prepare food for the tourists, keep guard for them at night and take care of their comfort there is no reason this Barwadeeh FRH will be flooded with tourists in this eco tourism.
On being asked what apart from this FRH to show the tourists here Srivastava said, “Trees, grasses, rural setting and lots of bounties of nature thrown carelessly here.”
DFO Core of the PTR Anil Kumar Mishra said eco tourism is the need of the hour but he admits its taking off at a place like here requires a vigorous awareness drive among the villagers.
Mishra said villagers must be first convinced that eco tourism can change their domestic economy for better.
Srivastava showed a climber to this reporter saying “just crush a few leaves of this climber and pour its fluid on the tongue of the victim of snake bite and then you have more than an hour with you this snake bite victim will remain calm till reaching the nearest hospital”.
Under eco tourism a tourist if told of the medicinal value of this climber which goes off un-noticed will make a big difference.