International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology, Vol. 3, No.

5, 2011

Ecotourism in India and Sustainable Development

Dr.Munirajappa.M
Associate Professor, Department of History , Bangalore University, Bangalore, Ecotourism is not defined by the distance traveled, but rather how it's accomplished and what is experienced."

Abstract
Ecotourism has emerged as development tool, which aims to protect the natural environment and cultural diversity by attracting the ecotourist and generating the source of revenue for the local people without harming the nature. Eco-tourism both at conceptual and empirical levels is significant in a number of respects. Traditionally it encapsulates scientific, aesthetic, and philosophical approaches which reflect the structure and function of the society. Over the decades numerous changes have been observed both in the content and context of eco-tourism. With globalisation the processes of these changes not only widened and multiplied, but also gained in importance. In recent years, the trends in tourism in India have shown variation in terms of both economic and socio-cultural values. With changing lifestyles, economy and paid vacations, there has been a change in the attitude and perception of people toward travel and tourism. There has been an increase in environmental awareness and pressure of urbanization. Tourism is increasingly becoming theme-specific in India and has attracted new interest from the government and private sector. India accounts for 0.88% of international tourist arrivals and 1.03% of the world tourism revenue. INTRODUCTION: As the earth approaches the next century, communities are increasingly linked through travel, communications, and the consumer culture. Globalization and environmental exploitation has left almost no part of the globe unaffected by human activity. As we invade every last corner of the planet in search of more resources to exploit, one wonders it if is possible to stop time and re-evaluate our actions. Many environmentalists and concerned citizens of the world have turned to indigenous people to reconnect with a more traditional past, and rediscover an authentic and balanced link between human culture and the environment. Ecotourism, which is defined by The Ecotourism Society as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people, is a form of travel that seeks to facilitate this search. But many mistakes have been made, and the history of tourism is fraught with bad examples of colonialistic attitudes, which discount, or even completely overlook, indigenous rights. As author Deborah Ramer McLaren points out in this issue there is a long history of adventurers seeing open land as unexploited land. To this day the outdoor adventure press encourages the "New Age" traveler to find the last unspoiled places on earth and use these as playgrounds without the slightest mention of responsibility to local culture or environment. For these high-octane adrenaline seekers, it is all too easy to ignore that many of the most pristine locations left on earth are part of a traditional land system that has been conserved by indigenous people for centuries. Tourism is undeniably a capitalistic enterprise. In her article on the Ese'eja of Peru who have joined a profit-making joint venture, Amanda Stronza comments that critics of the project feel that traditional societies will be irrevocably changed when integrated into the market economy. Arnaldo Rodrguez points out that the Achuar of Ecuador are being asked to accept a fragmentary and reductionistic approach that

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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology, Vol. 3, No.5, 2011 fails to recognize that the monetary economy is only one aspect of the social and ecological web. Meitamei Ole Dapash of Kenya discusses the tragic disconnect between the political system and the traditional Maasai system -- a disconnect that has driven the Maasai community into a state of confusion. But despite these difficulties, many traditional communities are choosing ecotourism as a form of development. The fact is that Westernized, consumer society, with all of its social mors and monetary requirements, has invaded all but the most isolated traditional groups. Randy Borman gives a touching account of his own memory of the crushing physical, psychological, and spiritual impact of the invasion of the outside world. From the Amazon to Namibia, indigenous people have seen this change transpire in the last century, and their adjustment to the market economy from a sharing culture or a gift economy has been neither gentle nor fair. The global economy makes no exceptions. It forces integration and requires bending to the rules of the dominant political and financial system. While maintaining traditional values is a very clear path for many indigenous people, they are not from another time. Indigenous people want to be seen as real people, and not be excluded and therefore exploited because they cannot interpret the current system and use it for their benefit. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have played an important role in helping to facilitate a softer entry into the market economy. In Namibia, 42 communities joined an NGO initiative to help them organize community-based tourism products and reach the market. The native Ju'/hoansi, part of the famous San, or bushmen culture, are managing their own campsites and interpretive trail system. Young people are joining in and becoming involved as guides, which is helping to reinforce the local culture and will, in all likelihood, lead to a new generation of San cultural interpreters. In Nepal, an NGO is introducing innovative techniques to empower women, already long involved in the trekking economy. These programs have allowed women to emerge from smoky teahouse kitchens and run their own microenterprises, including kerosene depots that help to reduce the use of firewood. In Australia, the government has been unusually proactive, mandating an advanced system of comanagement of protected areas with public lands being returned to Aboriginal owners who are now generating revenues by leasing their lands back to the government, and from managing their own tourism enterprise and guiding public tours. In one area, Aboriginal guides have been a runaway success with park visitors, whose numbers have increased by 10 percent every school holiday period, according to author Mark Sutton, Aboriginal Sites Officer. The community enterprise Sutton writes about, Mutawintji Heritage Tours, received federal funding and, though still struggling, is clearly an enterprise with empowered local owners. Efforts to manage tourism without intermediaries have been less successful, due to a lack of capital and understanding of the international marketplace. The Kuna of Panama, one of the most organized and sophisticated indigenous groups in the world, demands that all development come from Kuna investment, yet according to Judy Bennett's article, Kuna capital does not exist. Many tourism projects are failing, and in the face of child malnutrition and overexploitation of marine resources, the Kuna are facing the unsavory option of obfuscating their involvement with the outside world. Clearly indigenous people need to be in charge of their land and in control of the enterprises that are dependent on their territories. Alison Johnston's article demonstrates the very real threat of removing indigenous people from the decision-making process when decisions are made about their homelands. As tourism continues to expand in the next millennium, it could well result in a whole new series of land seizures that are justified on economic grounds, where rich and powerful entrepreneurs displace indigenous people who have little say in the political system. Defining the tools to prevent exploitation is perhaps the most important contribution any investigator can make. Some of the conclusions that emerge from this set of articles include: Developing guidelines as a tool to gain consensus among tourism entrepreneurs, governments, and indigenous people has helped uncover the fundamental problems with tourism development in Thailand's mountain region

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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology, Vol. 3, No.5, 2011 - Joint ventures between indigenous people and responsible entrepreneurs are making it possible for the Achuar and the Ese'eja of the Amazon region to be genuine partners in the development of tourism enterprises in their territories - NGO initiatives that foster community independence, such as small community matching grants and participatory learning tools, are helping rural populations in Nepal and Namibia enter the market economy with fewer social impacts - In Australia, programs that offer federal funding for small-scale community tourism enterprises comanaged by the government and Aboriginal people have been successful. These projects are only the beginning of a long process that also includes the involvement of indigenous people in high level policy forums that will determine the future of land-use both nationally and internationally. Without the guidance of those who remain in touch with the value and sacredness of natural places, we are likely to see the last remaining wildlands on earth snatched from those who are the best qualified to protect them. The present international borders are political boundaries. Ecosystems existed long before the political boundaries. Political boundaries and landscapes do not limit species and communities of plants and animals. Hence, many countries in the Asian region share common biological and natural resources across their borders. The rationale for Transboundary protected area are very important and consists of maintaining ecology and improving its management, economic opportunity, bringing isolated people together and provide the basis for peace and collaboration reducing hostilities among people and nations. However, it is argued that there are major conflicts between the policies and practices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environment & Forests. As a result, the ecotourism development strategies that have been attempted thus far have been extremely fragmented. In recent years, the trends in tourism in India have shown variation in terms of both economic and sociocultural values. With changing lifestyles, economy and paid vacations, there has been a change in the attitude and perception of people toward travel and tourism. There has been an increase in environmental awareness and pressure of urbanization. Now, urban masses look for new get away locations, where they can get involved in active outdoor recreation. Thus, national parks and sanctuaries have emerged as the favoritedestinations. A decade ago the 500 national parks and other protected areas did not interest the holiday seekers. But, in recent times they have become "hot spots" for vacationers. As a result, the Government of India initiated the 'new ecotourism policy'. In order to generate more foreign revenue, the new policy deviates from its previous principle of 'for conservation only'. The policy, now, aims at increasing tourism by creating more services and facilities for the visitors to the protected areas. Thus, there has been a constant increase in the number of visitors during the 'season' particularly to the parks like Corbett, Ranthambore, Nagarhole, Kaziranga, etc., which have close proximity to metropolitan towns and are important for endangered species like the tiger or the one horn rhino. The visitors to these national parks are usually the youth in 18 to 30 years of age group. They are driven by the motivation to do something "adventurous". This could involve any activity like tiger sighting, wildlife photography, camping. Many times urban visitor gets involved in prohibited and illegal activities. This leads to socio-cultural conflicts between the visitors and the local community and the other stakeholders, human-wildlife interface and other related problems. A new set of issues that have emerged out of such tourism in India is of displacement of local people. This has emerged as a major management issue in some of the parks, but has universal manifestation. Such problems and issues need to be addressed at the policy level. The present scenario of tourism in India calls for designing strategies for visitor's management such as intensive interpretation, environmental awareness programs and active involvement of local people for promoting responsible tourism. Various research techniques like, field survey & PRA, have been used. Many mountain communities around the world have promoted ecotourism to ameliorate problems of environmental degradation and under development. Although there is no agreement on what ecotourism is or should be, it is generally believed that ecotourism in the will foster responsible tourist behavior,

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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology, Vol. 3, No.5, 2011 conservation of important wildlife habitats and ecosystems, appreciation of local cultures and traditional life styles, and provision of sustainable forms of livelihood for people living in remote and communities. Ecotourism should focus on sustainability; diversity; institutional reforms; gender equity; local, regional and global economic integration; local financial incentives; and peace and security. Green tourism In recent years, mountain regions are attracting great attention to Indian tourists in general and foreign tourists in particular. The potential mountain resources for promoting green tourism are enormous in the form of natural and cultural heritage such as biosphere reserves, flora and fauna, lakes and rivers and traditional rural resources. In order to utilize tourism industry market, uncontrolled numbers of tourists and related haphazard infrastructural facilities in the vulnerable mountain regions pose serious environmental implications. The ecological pressures are threatening land, water and wild life resources through direct and indirect environmental impacts together with generation of solid and liquid wastes, so green tourism is emerging as an important task in order to develop new relationship between communities, government agencies and private sectors. The strategy focuses on ecological understanding, environmental protection and ecodevelopment. The major attributes of the green tourism include environmental conservation and education and distribution of income to local people based on strong partnership. Various knowledge systems go a long way for achieving the goals of the green tourism, which creates awareness about the value of environmental resources. Mountains have ecological, recreational, educational and scientific values, which need to be utilized in sustainable way. Various tourist activities and facilities need to be diversified in order to achieve multiple benefits including scientific field excursion, recreation in natural and cultural areas, community festivals and sport tourisms. Green tourism considers tourism development as an integral part of a national and regional development. Effective communication with tourists is a useful tool in managing negative impacts of tourism, as it may change, shape and reinforce attitudes, perceptions, emotions and people's behaviour, and thus, can contribute to sustainable mountain tourism. Th tourists themselves are not the only ones responsible for the negative impacts on the fragile alpine habitat, increasing awareness, knowledge and mindfulness among tourists regarding the environment is necessary and essential, in order to achieve environmentally responsible behaviour. In order to achieve this, providing information alone might not be sufficient. Tourists need to have knowledge about both the impacts of various behaviour and appropriate alternatives. Also, they need to care about the visited place. Tourist behaviour is linked with the persuasive communication principles with a view to creation or reinforcement of tourist environmental sensibility, and decision-making for co-operative behavioural choices conducive to sustainable development. By integrating theories of sustainable tourism, persuasive communication, and promotion for developing effective communication practices with alpine tourists through promotion materials. It is argued that such media, primarily aiming at attracting potential tourists, can at the same time contribute to environment protection by influencing behaviour of a wide range of mountain tourists that are not necessary all environmentally aware. India is crowned by the long sweep of Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world. They stretch from 2500 km from north-west to south-east and between 150 - 400 km from north to south. The forests and meadows are some of the most biologically diverse in India. The isolated communities in these Transboundary parks and reserves are home to large number of people who share a common cultural heritage. However, due to remote mountainous landscape and highaltitude environments, these people are some of the poorest in the world. Reconciling the needs of these local communities while conserving ecosystems has become a major challenge. Tourism sector has developed as a major industry in recent times, and there has been an increasing trend to bring more and more new areas under this reach. The hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani in the Western Ghats, India, have been a popular location since British soldiers visited to escape the heat of the lowland plains. In recent years, the growth of India's consumer class, combined with increasing access to private and public transport, has led

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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology, Vol. 3, No.5, 2011 to damaging new tourist developments. Problems include the clearance of natural vegetation for hotels and facilities, the cutting of trees for fuel wood, increased pressure on water and electricity resources, pollution from vehicles, overcrowding and litter. These are serious concerns, due to the fragility and ecological importance of the forest and scrubland in the region. The character of Mahabaleshwar in particular has also changed, from a tranquil place for relaxing and appreciating nature to a busy commercialized resort. Local authorities and environmental groups have made efforts to control these problems, but these have so far proved ineffective. Few people want to limit the growth of tourism in the region; most local residents, business owners and government planners favour the continued growth of mass tourism. This raises important questions about who should dictate the future pattern of tourism and whether environmental preservation is preferable to local economic growth, even when there are few alternative prospects. CONCLUSION: Tourism is increasingly becoming theme-specific in India and has attracted new interest from the government and private sector. India accounts for 0.37% of international tourist arrivals and 0.66% of the world tourism revenue. Nature based tourism is increasing throughout the world. Most is based in national parks and restricted areas. UNESCO has declared 28% of the worlds largest continuous mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, as a world heritage site in 1987. But having the worlds densest population, it is difficult to protect the flora and fauna unless there are economic benefits to the country as well as to the local people. Nature-oriented tourism can be one means to help achieve sustainability in the reserve forest as well as protecting the important world heritage site. Well-planned tourism could provide economic and political incentives for proper management and for conservation and could bring additional benefit to local communities and regional economies. Such eco-tourism activities have implications for the local communities residing in and around such wetlands. This is in view of the fact that both in China and India wetlands constitute habitats not only for rare species of plants, animals and birds and breeding areas for migratory birds but also extend into man-made habitats of sociological world. With human pressures all around wetlands preservation is also a question of providing sustainable livelihoods where eco-tourism is a good opportunity for community involvement for sourcing their livelihoods and a way for bio-diversity preservation. Chilika is a unique lagoon situated along the east coast of India and a Ramsar site. It is hotspots of biodiversity and shelters a number of endangered species listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species and an avian grandeur for more than one million migratory birds and is a designated Ramsar Site. The highly productive lagoon eco-system with its rich fishery resources sustains the livelihood of more than 0.2 million-fisher folk who live in and around the lagoon. The lagoon had been facing multidimensional ecological and anthropogenic pressure leading to siltation, choking of the seawater inlet channel, fall in salinity level, proliferation of invasive species, and decrease in fish yield, an overall loss of biodiversity and productivity adversely affecting the livelihood of the local community who depend on the lagoon. Due to above reason the lagoon was added to the list the Montreux Record in 1993. Following this, the Chilika Development Authority carried out the restoration of the lagoon based on the principles of wise use and ecosystem approach, with a major emphasis on the community participation with shared decision-making and capacity building. One of the major interventions was the desiltation of the channel connecting the lagoon to the sea and opening of a new mouth to restore the natural flows of water and salinity levels. Chilika lagoon is a striking example of how restoration of the ecological characteristics of a site can result not only in improvement of the lagoon ecosystem but also immensely benefit the community depending on the wetland, whose average annual income increased by more than Rs. 50,000 per annum (US$ 1040 approx.) per family. The restoration of Chilika lagoon derives its uniqueness from the strong participation of local communities, linkage with various national and international institutions, and intensive monitoring and assessment systems.

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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology, Vol. 3, No.5, 2011 Eco-tourism both at conceptual and empirical levels is significant in a number of respects. Traditionally it encapsulates scientific, aesthetic, and philosophical approaches which reflect the structure and function of the society. Over the decades numerous changes have been observed both in the content and context of eco-tourism. With globalisation the processes of these changes not only widened and multiplied, but also gained in importance. It has been realised that the cultural and natural heritages are increasingly threatened by destruction not only due to the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions. It is decided to adopt a general policy, which aims to give the heritage a function in the life of the community, and maintaining it in a sustainable way. In present era of globalization and modernization there is growing concern of indigenous knowledge and the resource management especially in the case of CPR, indigenous people and associated development activities. On the name of developmental projects many irreversible negative impacts has been identified on the environment like species extinction, destruction of natural resources, loss of traditional knowledge of the indigenous tribal people etc. Particularly the Indigenous Peoples are becoming increasingly vulnerable to exploitation on the name of development activities, where traditional wisdom and knowledge and natural resources have been expropriated for business interests. These are serious concern for the survival of present world communities. References 1.Epler Wood, Megan. 1996. Proposal for Conference on Ecotourism and Community Benefits, The Ecotourism Society, North Bennington, VT. 2.Buckley, Ralf, and Pannell, John. 1990. Environmental Impacts of Tourism and Recreation in National Parks and Conservation Reserves. The Journal Tourism Studies 1 (no. 1).CBN (Corbett-Binsar-Nainital) Initiative. 2002. www.corbettbn.com/index.htm 3.Chaudhary, Ashok. 1996. Conservation, Conflict and Struggle: Rajaji National Park. Pages 293-319. 4.Gopal Iyer, K. (Editor) Sustainable Development: Ecological and Sociocultural Dimensions. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi. 5.CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) 1985. The State of Indias Environment: The Second Citizens Report. Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. 6.GOI (Government of India) 1998. Ecotourism in India: Policy and Guidelines. Ministry of Tourism, New Delhi. 7.Gonsalves, D.V. and DSouza, J. 1998. Impact of Tourism industry on ground water in Himalya. Ambio 26: 235-242. 8.Jena, Nalin. 1996. National Parks and Sanctuaries vs Peoples Rights Some Issues of Concern, pages 276- 291, In: Gopal Iyer, K. (Editor) Sustainable Development: Ecological and Socio-cultural Dimensions Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi. 9.Kothari, A., Pande, P., Singh, S. and Variava, D. 1989. Management of National Parks and Sanctuaries in India: A Status Report. Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. 10.The India Year book Govt of India Pub Yojana

Dr. Munirajappa M, Associate Prof. Department of History, Ashok Bhavan, Jnana Bharati Campus Bengaluru University. He is also the Chairman BOE, He has vast Teaching Experience of two decades around 20 Years. He has Writen many Articles on Various Issues, got many Awards at National and State Level

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