“We have no choice. I mean, it will lead to our own extinction if we lose 50 per cent of biodiversity on Earth in the next 50 to 100 years.”
This is a quote shared by Andrew Pask, an epigeneticist at the University of Melbourne, on attempts to ‘de-extinct’ the thylacine, also known as Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). According to him, in the face of the rapidly advancing biodiversity crisis, fresh approaches such as bringing extinct animals back to life are needed.
Seen in this light, the North East Region of India (NER) is endowed with immense biodiversity as well as being one of the most culturally diverse areas of the world. The region which is home to hundreds of different tribes and communities is spread across the Eastern Himalaya, the lower plains of the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries as well as the lower hills of Meghalaya.
Geographically it is a paradise which has evolved over millennia and is now divided into the eight North East (NE) states of India. Little wonder that it is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots of the world. It contributes to more than a third of India’s own biodiversity resources.
The history of the NE states and its peoples is replete with traditional stories passed down orally over centuries to its inhabitants. The language and the folklore not only make it diverse and rich in culture but also ensure that the way people lived and survived over the centuries gives a diverse and rich flavour to the different cuisines in the North-East.
This is the kaleidoscope of many-faceted cultures found in this area which is home to some of the highest mountain peaks, like the Kanchenjunga to the plains of Assam regularly flooded by one of the world’s longest and mightiest river systems which starts at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet. Thus, the NER is home to a diverse population of people who have, over the centuries, migrated from all over the world.
This richness of diversity leads us to understand why the NER is one of the best places to build ecotourism products which will enhance the Ecosystem services (ESS). The cultural context is even more important as it ensures a harmonious build up to the end of this century.
ESS are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. In this context, ecosystems can be defined as – communities or groups of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a specific environment – such as agro, forest, grassland and aquatic. They provide four broad categories of services namely provisioning e.g. food and water, regulating e.g. control of climate and disease, supporting e.g. nutrient cycles and production of oxygen and cultural e.g. spiritual and recreational benefits.
In this essay we are exploring how Ecotourism and ESS are one and the same thing. Ecotourism is a way to help the local community sustain themselves in the modern world whilst still maintaining a sustainable ESS. The value of the community and provisioning of ESS is most important.
A special feature of our ESS is to ensure that water availability is maintained for everyone. Sunita Narain describes this as follows:
“This decade we can put all that we have learnt into practice to turn around the water story of India, as in this decade we will see the revenge of nature as climate change impacts grow. We need to scale up our work to invest in local water systems to capture every drop of rain so that we can build local resilience against drought. We also need to do this in our cities – the lakes and ponds are the sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain-flood and to make sure it does not turn into wasted water. Then we need to protect our forest and green spaces as this is how groundwater will get recharged. In times of water stress, we must make sure that wastewater – sewage – is not only treated but also recycled and reused. It is here that the water bodies we protect in our cities – the same ponds and tanks that we use to divert and harvest rainwater – could be used to channelise the treated sewage and in turn recharge groundwater. Only this approach can make us water-secure.”
This is the challenge we are confronted with but can Ecotourism fulfil its promise?Ecotourism involves conservation, communities and interpretation. It seeks to provide effective economic incentives for conserving and enhancing bio-cultural diversity and heritage. At the same time, it is an effective tool for empowering local communities around the world by enhancing local capacities and increasing employment opportunities thereby reducing poverty by mitigating climate change impacts on communities for sustainable development.
These dynamics are illustrated in the Eco-tourism Plan for Hima Malai Sohmat, East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. This plan is initiated under the global development cooperation project ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Agragrian Landscapes’ implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and funded under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Government of Germany.
Malai Sohmat is home to unique natural beauty with water bodies, caves, cliffs, rushing streams and waterfalls but more importantly is home to the western Hoolock Gibbon which is a primate from the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. The species is found in Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya, classified as endangered by the Under International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is among the most endangered primates in the world.
As Andrew Pask’s quote has shown at the beginning, it is vitally important that we take special care of our habitat, wildlife and other biodiversity aspects to keep Hima Malai Sohmat biologically alive. Essentially, the ecosystem services that have supported and nourished the people of Hima Malai Sohmat for millennia need to be nurtured and not further exploited
The complete report on the Ecotourism Plan supported by GIZ India and coordinated by the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) describes the design concepts for a successful ecotourism plan and is based on how to conserve and simultaneously generate income for a village. This is a sustainable approach that once adopted will pave the way for further resilience in the communities.
Ideally ecotourism can thrive when tourists and the local host community behave socially responsible and emotionally care for the preservation of the environment and the local culture. However, the planning and practice of ecotourism is replete with challenges.
An increase in the number of tourists can hamper the freedom of cultural expression within the local community and threaten their indigenous culture. In many cases travel agencies and tourist tours are controlled from outside with the locals only engaged as tour guides, making them feel objectified and encouraging stereotypes.
Despite all efforts to minimise environmental impacts, tourist flows affect nature, especially in newly developed, untouched areas. The best protected forest trails are still bound to be littered with plastic waste by tourists unless a strict control is kept on waste material getting in and out of the area. Tourists can scare off prey and disturb a predator’s hunting patterns, or push birds and animals to relocate to more undisturbed areas. In addition, animals may get habituated to human presence and start feeding on waste left by the tourists leading to human wildlife conflicts.
The increase in demand for food and water can stress the ecosystem of the area. Plant life and soil also gets impacted. There are limits to how many tourists one can accommodate in any ecotourism destination. Therefore the importance of conducting capacity studies remains a vital aspect for monitoring impacts on ecotourism. The mode of travel also impacts the environment, for example through fossil fuel and noise pollution. The Tsomgo Lake and Nathula Pass, two very popular tourist destinations in Sikkim, witnesses over 1,000 vehicles a day climbing up to the snow-covered heights (3,750 and 4,300 metres), during peak season. The negative effects of diesel exhaust on increased melting of the surrounding glaciers still need to be studied.
The provisioning of ecotourism services such as accommodation through home-stays and lodges, local food and ethnic cuisine, nature and interpretation guiding services, the production of traditional handicrafts and souvenirs, requires the community to come together cohesively, strongly supported by the Government and NGOs. This requires constant capacity building accompanied by financial, marketing and policy support. Most of these initiatives work on project basis and once the project is over the community is left to fend for themselves. Unless a strong and unified community, with built in resilience for sustainability, has been set up, not many ecotourism service providers can survive. In this context the role of ecotourism entrepreneurs is highly valuable and important.
A study of successful ecotourism entrepreneurs has shown that those who have understood their customers and have good marketing skills, are successful in securing an expanding number of clients across the country with many repeat visits, sometimes just by word of mouth.
Ecotourism is intrinsically meant to bring economic benefits to local communities. As the popularity of a destination increases, market forces kick in and somewhere the balance between a sustainable source of income and what is manageable, gets upset. Accommodations start to mushroom, competitive pricing pushes down rates, standards and services are lowered along with the visitor satisfaction and in the bargain the guiding principles of ecotourism are thrown to the winds. Home-stays in some parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling are a case in point. The ecotourism’s success can also lead to its downfall.
Despite all the aforesaid challenges, eco-tourism is still the best bet for highly biodiverse areas like the North East Region of India. However, design and more importantly mentoring and handholding of communities and entrepreneurs is a crucial prerequisite. Constant monitoring and evaluation for adherence to the guiding principles of ecotourism by all stakeholders enables course correction. If successful, the ecosystem services will continue to flourish with possible regeneration in degraded landscapes.
About the authors: Prem Das Rai is the President of Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) while Rajendra P. Gurung is CEO of the Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are personal and do not represent GIZ as an organisation)
