NO Conservation in Isolation
"If It Pays It Stays"
Well at some wildlife destinations in Africa as I was reading during the lockdown, the saying goes that if it pays it stays. In extremely poverty-stricken circumstances this holds to be true. Unfortunately, the activity does not appear to be egalitarian to many and yes to some in the bureaucracy as well. This view stands for India as well.
After the hunting season which thankfully was banned in 1972...than tourism was seen as a recreation of elites. Not anymore, the local communities even those bereft take pride in their heritage or their heritance. Those who get their bread from the park and tourism consider conservation as an essential tool for their survival. In absence of the reserve, their livelihood would have been nonexistent. We must understand the overall upliftment of a region benefits even those who are not direct participants in the conservation and recreational activities of PAs.
Even if conservation was in place sans tourism a large community of dwellers with no employment in the department would have turned to wood logging and poaching. This number would have been enough to bring protection and preservation efforts to naught. So would have the empowerment of the locals. There would have been a big dent in local institutions and infrastructure which is somehow empowered due to the tourist arrivals and their activities. Also, a lot of community initiatives have come into the picture due to the tour operators and the hotel industry around the PAs.
In spite of millions invested in saving our endangered ecosystems and species without the empowerment and participation of local communities, the Conservation Projects and Programs would have performed poorly.
Another aspect that warrants attention is the revenue that parks generate from tourism, this supports many activities which enable the participation of locals especially the labor class the poorest working section of society. The revenue generated also mitigates the burden of the State Governments, otherwise, contingency funds would have been a major issue, especially those required for core conservation initiatives. We will also have to add income generation from inbound tourism overall which I believe would be substantial.
Post Pandemic
For the planners, not only the manufacturing sector but tourism as well has to be looked into in the post-pandemic period in India. Albeit manufacturing has been allowed in remote and rural confines this is not the case with wildlife tourism. Most of our PAs are situated in remote confines. I hope this activity is seen as an imperative by the Government else the industry will have to collectively press upon it.
In the opening season (October) if the lockdown in a few states and major towns still prevails, organizing tourist activity in the tiger reserves would require new regulations in place but certainly possible. The major tiger reserves are dependent upon visitors from all over India, and equally impressive numbers from overseas. Hence interstate and International transportation has to be facilitated with new norms...as it will be.
The post-Covid-19 period will not be without blemishes and bottlenecks as the pandemic is not going to go away as a seasonal intrusion as most people still believe. Even if the peak passes off, the pandemic might linger on as local eruptions from time to time or even as a periodic epidemic. So little do we know about this coronavirus? In spite, we should be planning ahead in order to conduct tourism in our tiger reserves with a new paradigm in place.
Extension of Activities
Thankfully the buffer zone has become center of activities and it is paying by organizing safaris. In future the buffer zone forest will experience greater protection and preservation efforts.
There is a possibility of organizing regulated tourism in areas where tourism is not permitted in our PAs at present - however minimal. We should look into this with an open mind.Many among us, unfortunately, consider tiger tourism as destructive in spite of it being in place for decades with no apparent harm. Until we change our perspective we will not be able to fully exploit the tourism potential of our PAs.
The lockdown has brought many safeguards and protective measures in place and the public has learned the etiquette to keep safe. Things will move on...
Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, environmental issues.
He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.
Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his home town in Jabalpur in Summer.
He can be contacted at:
pateluday90@hotmail.com
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