Responsible Tourism and Tigers

Tiger Conservation Our Responsibility

Well, we are responsible for the sad state of tigers in India and the World over. While the conditions in India are improving with the increase in the population of big cats still the animals are nowhere out of danger. Yes, they are still endangered and still critical. Their population can slide down with a single step missed or a wrong foot forward. Such is the precarious status of the magnificent predator all over.  A lot depends upon our attitude towards this animal A Pride of India. A lot depends upon how the policies are shaped by those at the helm. A lot depends upon our sincerity to conserve this amazing creature on Earth and an utmost fascinating one at that. 

The seventies brought back this animal from the brink whence the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Project Tiger were initiated by the Government of India. Butea there are lot many issues still present which create a threat to the species' survival. 

While human activities and our irresponsible nature are responsible for the plight of many life forms. The resultant climate change or global warming is affecting the survival of many life forms globally and mass extinctions have become a reality. Now pandemics have also become a reality and that too in a vicious form as seen in the case of Covid-19 or coronavirus.

Sustainable Tourism

So every responsible step we take we will end up saving many life forms. Tourism is a major economy in India that earns substantial revenue from overseas and local visitors. Thankfully in India, at least tiger tourism is regulated. Yes visit a tiger reserve and you will know. 

But responsibilities have to be on a wider scale encompassing all those involved. This would encompass you and me, tour operators and hoteliers, and the people around the reserves. All elements mentioned above can bring down the extinction rate significantly.

The responsible tourism principles advocate:

• Smaller Carbon Footprints
• Accommodating Locals in Jobs 
• Create New Eco-Friendly Livelihood Options
• Conservation of Natural Resources
• Rewilding 
• Community Initiatives 
• Contribute to Ongoing Community Initiates
• Empowerment of Local Communities
• Local Infrastructure Development Assistance
• Renewable Energy Initiatives   
• Maximize Purchase of Local Produce 
• Encourage Handicrafts Development
• Assist in Modern Dairy Farming 
• Assist in Horticulture 
• Proper Waste Disposal 
• Minimize Use of Energy
• Minimize Use of Natural Resources 
• Assistance to Forest Management 
• Compliance With Protected Area Guidelines
• Compliance With Excursion Rules

In times of restricted entries in the park, smaller properties that leave minimum carbon footprints should be encouraged. Community initiatives and infrastructure development like empowering schools and hospitals, training locals in various disciplines for a sustainable career, and more. All these activities are within the reach of resorts and tour operators with a robust balance sheets.    

Courtyard House Kanha Community School Initiative 

The battle to save the big cat is multi-fronted and holistic, the local communities and the management are in the frontline. As people of India, we too are responsible for our heritage and should act in tandem with green practices in the confines of our homes, neighborhood, and society.

Economy & Conservation 

When the wheels of the economy churn conservation are at their best and nothing churns it better than tourism. Without equity, none will survive including the tigers. Albeit the conservation of species is based on scientific principles in the contemporary World this will lose ground.

Local Labour - Road Works

This archaic perspective of tourism being the antithesis of species conservation is at best myopic and should be done away with.

Our Protected Areas

Take the example of protected areas most of which have now become intact ecosystems and an appreciable increase in the population of different species including the tiger has taken place. This has come about by creating an inviolate space and restricting human activities. An extensive protection mechanism helps ward off poachers, wood loggers, and their heinous acts. 

The contribution to the local economy is in all perspectives phenomenal and has to be seen to be believed. Take the example of  Kanha National Park. In the seventies, during my earlier visit, all the villages lined up along the road to Kanha, and inside were a spectacle of extreme poverty and cut off from the mainstream society....not now. Those who consider the economic upliftment here as minimal need to conduct a proper survey keeping in perspective the era before tourism became popular. The parks are receiving substantial funds due to tourism and that is impressive by all means.

The vision of detractors is poor and steeped in a conservative attitude. Many in the bureaucracy find tourism a nuisance and a hindrance in conservation activities, this is nothing but a colonial stance.

There are many NGOs mostly human rights activists who have little knowledge of how beleaguered ecosystems are repaired and how they function. They are not adept at understanding animal behavior, especially of species which are shy of man. They are well some of them are detractors of tourism and the core area concept reserved for other life forms to breed and survive in peace. They seek human footsteps everywhere. A very human-centric attitude like some of our politicians. 

Regulated tourism is an inseparable aspect of conservation now and the sooner we realize it the better. It accords equity to the tiger and other animals in the minds of people. It encourages local participation in the preservation and protection of their heritage.  Most important it runs the local economies and empowers people belonging to various strata. It helps remote communities join the mainstream society in India and bring them into the nexus of social benefits and related gains.

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Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues. 
He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.
Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his hometown in Jabalpur in Summer.  
He can be contacted at 
pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
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Wildlife Conservation - Why Tourism?

 "Let there be peace in the heavens, the Earth, the atmosphere, the water, the herbs, the vegetation, among the divine beings and in Brahman, the absolute reality. Let everything be at peace and in peace. Only then will we find peace."   - Atharvana Veda

 To many, this form of tourism seems more of a tamasha than an appreciable recreation. No doubt people come here for a holiday and fun. And the prospect of seeing the tiger excites one and all. Even seasoned naturalists like us revel in each and every sighting of wild animals, the tiger being the most cherished.  

Well, the crux of dismay among some, especially a few nongovernment organizations is the sense of exclusion that protected areas create and it is further compounded by a lack of understanding of this delicate web of nature. Some see human rights everywhere. This attitude is also prevalent among a few indolent staff of the conservation units as well who often have to bear managing the burden of tourism as it appears to them. The truth is that all forms of life have inherited the earth equally and they too need inviolate space. Hence almost eighty percent of the protected areas are not open for tourism.  

Just to ban this activity, massive movement of State machinery took place, not to minus the cost and efforts put up by the industry to preserve their precious investment and businesses. The effort to ban tourism may appear futile to people like us who are in favor, but then this whole exercise did result in redefining the activity. This was good for all, the conservation effort, staff, local employees, and of course the industry. Thousands of jobs and income sources were saved by the Honorable Court's decision.   

With the increase in the cost of safaris in the park, the concept appears to be more elitist in nature. But this line of thinking has descended from the shikar days since hunting was the prerogative of the upper class, the royals, and later whosoever powerful with mighty weapons of destruction.

With the legislation in force...fresh from the hunting era the privileged became tourists and photographers. But the prerogative was limited in scope in Independent India. As the industry expanded, the common man entered the arena, without guns but with a camera and a humble profile. The revelation dawned upon the public that they too could enjoy this sport albeit in a non-destructive manner.  

Bengal Tiger - Kanha National Park

This is what brought about a paradigm shift in the way wild animals were perceived. From vermin, they overnight turned into precious jewels of nature. Nature films and photographers also added to the positive change in attitude among the people at the helm and the common man. This changed attitude of the masses accorded further impetus to the nascent conservation efforts of that era. Augmented scientific research furthered preservation.    

Sloth Bear

We should not forget to pay tribute to our PM at that time Smt. Indira Gandhi. Her commitment to preserving dwindling strands of our heritage brought about rich dividends. So it was said, and truly, that tiger conservation was the saving grace of the wilderness as a whole. Habitats were preserved, ecosystems improved, and endangered species on brink of extinction gained ground. Swamp Deer at Kanha National Park is a fine example.

Hard Ground Swamp Deer

Not only did the industry gain from tourism, but the local communities also gained much more. The empowerment through training, skill development, and of course employment augured a better standard of living and access to education.   

Common Kingfisher

The hordes of tourists wiser by experience and hence knowledgeable become sentinels of nature. This brought about a change, initially by pressure but later by a sense of duty towards our environment among the wildlife managers. The recreation had a profound effect on the political setup and industrialists as well - nearly. 

Controlled tourism also garners a lot of funds, crucial for the maintenance and conservation of our precious resources and heritage wealth. By all means, a healthy activity has created equity for all that is wild in India.      

Images by Dinesh Makhija of Motel Chandan at Kanha.