Eco-tourism

 

Eco-tourism 

India is a home to over 350 species of mammals and 1200 species of birds. It has 572 nature-endowed areas. In all India has 89 National Parks and 483 sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under the purview of Project Tiger. The total area of India’s protected wilderness is approximately 140,000 sq. km. This constitutes 4% of the country’s total land area. Each preserved natural habitat for wildlife varies from region to region and offers something unique, be it its flora, fauna, avi-fauna or aqua-fauna. Many of the species they harbour are rare and endangered. Along with preserving wildlife in forests, due attention has also been paid to areas where animals co-exist with humans.

 This is natural also, as diverse climate and landscape supports typical animals in each region. In fact, India’s flora and fauna are as diverse as its cultural fabric and offer many fascinating sights for nature lovers. Given the protection of identified ecosystems, we can see glimpses of the wildlife of India in places like Simplipal, Ranthambhore, Manas, Corbett etc. Every state of the Indian Union has a sanctuary which protects the special animals of the area.

 Woodlands – The forests of the Indian sub-continent, from the Himalaya to the Andamans, range from the tropical, moist evergreens to deciduous trees. In deciduous forests, what is striking is that all the animals and birds are smaller since the temperatures are higher. As we go up the mountains, there is quick change in weather and vegetation and increasing size of all the animals.

Himalayas – The chinkara stag, blackbuck and barking deer wander through evergreen forests of  lofty Himalaya and on the higher slopes we find the bear, which is friendly and easily taught tricks. Racoons and swamp buffaloes are also common here. The eastern Himalaya, being wetter, has exotic flying foxes and the oriental squirrel with three stripes on its back. The famous Indian mongoose also abounds in these forests. The treeless slopes of the northern mountains have moles, hares and the antelope or bharal. In Himalayan forests we also find the much-poached musk deer and the protected blue sheep. In the fir forests, lives the red panda but today is rarely seen. Snow leopard is also spotted in these landscapes.

 Plains – North Bengal and the slopes of the Assam Himalaya along the mighty Brahmaputra are the home of the deer and the water buffalo with swept-back horns. In the denser forests, the elephant and the single horned rhino roam, with the macaque occupying the green rain-forest canopy. In the dense undergrowth, we find the reptiles. The birds too are of a great variety, with teals, sarus cranes, swans nd ducks. The savannahs in the Gangetic plain support many grass eating animals like elephant, sambar deer, wild boar and specially the chital deer which can be seen grazing in herds at Kanha or in the chaurs of the Corbett.

 

Dry Lands - The drier parts of India are an open zoo. The Gir forest of Gujarat is the home of the yellow maned Indian lion. The tiger and panther are also common where there is some vegetation, such as at Sariska and Ranthambhore. Single-humped camels and spotted deer, wild monkeys and flamingos are common in the open grasslands with dry scrub.

 The Deccan Plateau – In the Nilgiris forests and Western Ghats one can see lion-tailed macaque, langur, brown mongoose, civet cat and spiny mouse. The higher slopes have exotic birds. In the deciduous forests extending from Jhansi to Orissa, westward upto Travancore in Kerala to the south and east of Nagpur in Central India, one can easily see elephants and tigers. In the denser forests of the wetter east, near Orissa, you can find lemur, pangolin, sloth bear, elephant, gaur, hyena and porcupine. These forests also have substantial population of cobra and other poisonous snakes. In Chilka Lake there is a wide variety of terms and kingfishers, and in the murky green waters lives the gharial.

In Bandipur and Nagarhole in Karnataka, the tall trees favour monkeys and snakes. The dense undergrowth hides tigers and provides food to elephants.

 Rain forests – Elephants, variety of snakes and exotic birds form the landscape of Arunachal

Pradesh and Mizoram. The Malabar civet cat and the stripe-necked mongoose are typical animals of

the west coast jungles.

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a type of tourism to conserve and improve natural, rural areas. So this is quite different from a typical tour to a place. Instead, this type of tourism includes a keen focus on learning and developing that area and the people residing there. Around 1980, the concept of ecotourism took place officially in the Oxford Dictionary. The word ecotour was included in 1973. However, there’s still confusion about the classification of the proper ecotourists. Generally, it’s based on the sustainability and economic contribution of the place while maintaining its basic identity and natural properties.

Wildlife is one of the most important resources provided by forest ecosystems all around the world. In the tropics alone, hunting is an ubiquitous activity on which 200- 300 million forest-dwelling people are directly dependent for part or all of their livelihood and food. In recent years, the abundance of wildlife has declined in many tropical forest areas as a result of increased commercialization and market integration, increased access to remote forest areas, growing human populations, increasing demand for wild meat from urban centers, more effective hunting technologies, and changes in hunting practices and settlement patterns of forest-dwelling people. The loss of wildlife jeopardizes the nutritional base on which local communities depend and can lead to the collapse of local economies. Moreover, it threatens the ecological integrity of the tropical forests. Given the importance of wildlife resources, the implementation of sustainable management approaches is thus an imperative issue.

Wildlife is also important in tourism. In tropical forests, rare, dangerous or colorful animals represent a major travel motive, even though the significance of forests for recreation, education and experiences is now growing in general. Mid-latitude forest resources in industrialized countries serve as buffer zones from daily urban life, and in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Sweden or New Zealand, they are a central element of the landscapes that attract millions of foreign tourists each year. With increasing demand for outdoor recreation, visitors to natural areas put substantial stress on forest ecosystems. As both tourism and wildlife populations are ultimately dependent on intact forest ecosystems, the importance of maintaining their integrity is clearly rendered prominent. In the light of this, the article analyzes the development of tourism and the situation of wildlife resources from a socio-economic and ecological perspective. Suggestions for the sustainable use and conservation of forests are made. Focus is on the tropical forests, because these face rapid decline, while an increasing number of people continue to be directly dependent on the resources they provide.

Importance of Ecotourism

• Through ecotourism, it’s easier to reach out to the rural settlements and observe their conditions from close quarters. The significance of ecotourism lies in the interaction with the people, understanding their culture, and helping them develop their overall living conditions.
• Conserving the environment is another important application of ecotourism. Various sensitive natural areas require particular attention and effective management. Without the right observation and analysis, it is not possible to initiate the required operation.
• Similarly, for the well-being of the residents in the natural areas, it’s crucial to understand their community culture and lifestyle. That’s how systematic development can be done in all such areas.

·                  Also, ecotourism encourages a better understanding of the environment and the importance of its conservation.

Ecotourism examples in India

India has been widely supporting the concept of ecotourism. A few spots in the country include:

• Honey Hills- Thenmala Eco-tourism, Kerala
• Bandipur National Park, Karnataka
• Sunderbans National Park, West Bengal
• Tribal excursion in Chhattisgarh

 Impact on society

• Ecotourism is spreading a positive impact on society with the notion to observe natural places to develop their overall condition, maintaining their natural essence. Here, travellers are getting an opportunity to know more about sensitive places while travelling. Places like Nepal, Madagascar, and Ecuador are some of the beautiful natural places in improvised countries.
• Even after so many positive sides of ecotourism, there is some negative effect on the environment. The environmentalists want to promote ecotourism to upgrade the rural community and conserve nature. On the contrary, the tourism industry uses ecotourism as a business model to attract tourists.
• As a result, the rural places are getting congested, and the natural beauty is compromised gradually. So, instead of solely developing the area and community culture, it’s becoming a general tourist spot.