ECOLOGICAL IDIOSYNCRASY: A CASE OF COMMUNITY BASED ECOTOURISM IN THE HIMALAYAS

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ECOLOGICAL IDIOSYNCRASY: A CASE OF COMMUNITY BASED ECOTOURISM IN THE

HIMALAYAS

Dhiraj Pathak

, Gaurav Bathla

, Shashi K Tiwari

1

Assistant Professor and HOD, Faculty of Hospitality, GNA University, Phagwara (India)

2

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Hospitality, GNA University, Phagwara (India)

3

Associate Professor, Faculty of Hospitality, GNA University, Phagwara (India)

I INTRODUCTION

Community-based ecotourism is a form of ecotourism that emphasizes the development of local communities and allows for local residents to have substantial control over, and involvement in; its development and management, and a major proportion of the benefits remain within the community. Community-based ecotourism should foster sustainable use and collective responsibility, but it also embraces individual initiatives within the community.

With this form of ecotourism, local residents share the environment and their way of life with visitors, while increasing local income and building local economies. By sharing activities such as festivals, homestays, and the production of artisan goods, community-based ecotourism allows communities to participate in the modern global economy while cultivating a sustainable source of income and maintaining their way of life. A successful model of community-based ecotourism works with existing community initiatives, utilizes community leaders, and seeks to employ local residents so that income generated from ecotourism stays in the community and maximizes local economic benefits.

Although ecotourism often promises community members improved livelihoods and a source of employment, irresponsible ecotourism practices can exhaust natural resources and exploit local communities. It is essential that approaches to community-based ecotourism projects be a part of a larger community development strategy and carefully planned with community members to ensure that desired outcomes are consistent with the community’s culture and heritage. In many ways, participants are not employees, but managers. Community-based ecotourism initiatives decrease poverty not only by increasing income but also by providing residents of rural communities with the tools and knowledge necessary for long-term critical thinking and decision-making. Ecotourism is no panacea;

community-based ecotourism and responsible ecotourism should be part of wider sustainable development strategies.

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II PRINCIPLES FOR COMMUNITY BASED ECOTOURISM

Identity: Respect and preserve all the characteristics of the environment, help residents reclaim historical practices, revitalize productive activities, highlight the ethnic background of the population, and highlight the unique aspects of the locality, such as topography, climate, architecture, cuisine and handicrafts.

Roots and Customs: Highlight local cultural practices so that communities share their cultures and traditions with tourists with authenticity. Invaluable educational opportunities such as homestays and town-hall-style round of talks are encouraged so that tourists and local community members can mutually share cultural aspects such as food, music, folklore, and goods. Both visitor and community cultures will always be treated with appreciation and respect.

Ecological Consciousness and Harmony: Seek to conserve natural ecosystems and cultures by being a part of a larger development plan. All plans have a low impact on the local environment while highlighting the unique aspects of the locality, such as topography, climate, and architecture. The conservation of nature and rigorous concern with the environment influence the development of infrastructure for community-based ecotourism activities (i.e. building houses, roads, showers, etc.).

Local Control: Local control of the community-based ecotourism industry. Local leadership leads plans and encourages clear and transparent decision-making. Community members actively make decisions on strategies and acceptable levels of ecotourism based upon the community’s culture, heritage and vision. Strategies also equip local communities with the tools and knowledge necessary for decision-making, and to build effective structures to enable the community to influence, manage and benefit fromecotourism development and practice.

Sustainable Economic Development: Stimulate the local economy by generating income through the sustainable use of natural resources. All plans seek to ensure that the local population has an equitable share in benefits.

The present study attempts to identify the opportunities for Community Based Eco Ecotourism (CBET) the district of New Tehri.

III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Structured questionnaire based on five pointLikert Scale was used to collect the data for the present study.

The questionnaire was prepared to understand the views of the host community regarding community

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based ecotourism and its impact in the area. The respondents were 150 local populations of New Tehri town and nearby villages. Convenient sampling was used for the data collection.

IV REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Community Based Ecotourism (CBET) focusses on the local environment and culture, appears as astraightforward solution that has the potential to alleviate poverty and environmental stress. CBET encompasses the desire to encourage empowerment, gender equity, capacity building, education and strengthening of cultural identity and traditions (Moscardo,2008). Wide range of academic research have been done on the various aspects of CBET by various researchers like Taylor(1995), Little (1994), Aramberry (2001), Hall(2000),Timothy(1999), Davis,D, Allen,J, Cosenja, A, (1988), Bagri, S.C.(2004), Gupta(2006),Bansal (2006), Murphy, P,(1985), Moscardo, G,(1998), Stronza, A, (1999), Denman,R,(2001), etc. Many researchers like Maikhuri,R.K., & Nautiyal S.(2000), Bagri S.C.

&Mishra J.M.(2004b),Kandari O.P., and Gusain, O.P., (2001), Gupta, S.K.,(2002), KaurJ.,(1985) etc., have worked on various aspects of ecotourism in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand Himalaya.

V THE AREA UNDER INVESTIGATION

Tehri Garhwal district lies between the latitudes of 30°.3’N and 30°53’N and 77°56’E and 79°04’Elongitude. The region is mountainous. RiverBhagirathi divides the district roughly into two.Bhilangana, Alaknanda, Ganga and Yamunarivers border it on the east and west. The districtsbordering Tehri Garhwal are Uttarkashi in the north,Garhwal in the south, Rudraprayag in the east andDehradun in the west.

Figure 1. The Study Area

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VI TOURISM RESOURCES OF THE STUDY AREA

Tehri has lot of options for ecotourism, and quite a few religious places as well. Most visited places in Tehri are Devi Kunjapuri and Chandrabadni temple, while trekking routes toMahasarTaal, Sahstratal and Khatling glacierare very popular amongst domestic and foreigntourists. Some of the areas in Tehri region which have huge development potential are PanwaliKantha, BhelbagiBugyal and KhaitParvat. Theseplaces can be developed in near future and willcomplement the development of Tehri Lake and itssurroundings. The Tehri Lake and surrounding areais ideal for development of ecotourism and adventurerelated activities. Tehri Lake has the potential ofbecoming a world- class ecotourism destination withworld-class water adventure sports activities

Table 1. Tourism Resources of the Study Area

Resource Altitude(m) Distances from Distances via Road (km)

Kanatal 2590 Kaddukhal 9.0

Chandrabadni 2756 Devprayag 1.5

Kunjapuri 1645 Narendra Nagar 0.2

Panwali Kantha

3963 Ghuttu 15

Khatling Glacier

3717 Ghuttu 45

Sahastra Tal 4572 Ghuttu 32

KhaitParvat 3030 Ghansali,

Ghonti

8.5

Surkanda Devi 2757 Dhanaulti 1.5

Maithiyana Devi 2500 Tilwara, Bhardar 9.0

Tehri Garhwal has a predominant forest cover of over 60%. Only 15.1%of Land is under non-agricultural use in addition to 1% of barren and non-cultivable land.

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Table 2. Land Use in the Study Area

Land Use Area (Ha Percentage

Forest Area 322051 62.2

Land Under Cultivation 88461 17.1

Cultivable Barren Land 5681 1.1

Total Fallow Land 15707 3.0

Barren and Non-Cultivable Land

5844 1.1

Land Under Non-agriculture Use

78366 15.1

Land Under Gardens, Bushes, Groves etc.

Pasture and Other

1372 0.3

Grazing Land 539 0.1

Total 518021 100

Source: Department of Forest, Tehri Garhwal

VII DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

As per 2011 census Tehri Garhwal district had a population of 618,931. The population density ofthe district is 169 per sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was only 2.35% ascompared to the decade 1991- 2001 when it was16.25%. This change in therate of growth in the last decade can be attributed to reorganization of the district boundaries whenJakholi block was included in Rudraprayag district, and partially to the construction of the TehriDam and the accompanying resettlement andrehabilitation measures. An analysis of the census data of Uttarakhand from 1971 to 2011 and the dataof Tehri Garhwal shows that Tehri Garhwal has a largely rural population with an urban population share of only 11.3 % (as per Census 2011). It has a literacy rate of 75.1%. The district has a sex ratioof 1078 females (for every 1000 males).

TOPOGRAPHY

Tehri Garhwal district comprises two broadphysiographic divisions viz. Central HimalayanZone (north of the Main Central Thrust) exposed inthe north eastern part and Lesser Himalayan Zone (south of the Main Central Thrust) in

259 | P a g e the rest of thearea. The physiography of the district is characterizedby high mountain peaks, deep gorges and valleys.The major part of the area is inaccessible due toextremely rugged topography and dense forestcover.The altitude varies from 369 m to 6672 m. Theregional trend of major ridges is NNW-SSE, whichis usually parallel to the strike of the country rocks.However, E-W, NW-SE and N-S trending ridgesare also observed which are mainly structurallycontrolled.

CLIMATE

The climate of Tehri Garhwal district varies fromcold temperate, tropical to sub-tropical. The climatevariation within the district is considerable, withthe northern and north western parts of the districtexperiencing sub-zero temperature during thewinter. While the central and southern parts arecomparatively warm and humid. In the southernpart of the district, at Narendranagar and west ofNew Tehri (e.g. Chamba, Dhanolti and SurkandaDevi), the weather is very cold in winter andpleasant in summer. Snowfall is common during the winter in these areas. Other parts of the districtexperience dry, hot summer and cold winter.Temperature in the district varies seasonally.December, January and February are the coldestmonths with subzero temperatures of about - 2C°.Whereas April, May, June and July are hot months when maximum temperature rises to about 36 C° .

Table 3. Average Maximum and Minimum temperature of the Study Area (2016)

Month Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Maximum

0

C

20 22 26 34 36 36 34 30 26 25 24 22

Minimum

0

C

-2 -1 11 20 23 24 24 25 22 16 10 0

TOURIST VISITATION IN TEHRI GARHWAL

The tourist arrival figures for Tehri Garhwal from the year 2007 to the year 2016 are presentedbelow in Table 4 .The data reveals that in the year 2013 due to floodsthere was a drastic decrease in Tourist Arrivalsin Tehri Garhwal District. Removing this, the data shows a relatively stable growth rate.

An analysis of the data reveals thefollowing:

 Total Tourist visits have increased by almost17.1% in the period 2007-2015

 The foreign and domestic tourist visits haveincreased by almost similar rates

 Tehri Garhwal district has around 3.8% share ofthe tourists that visit Uttarakhand

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 The share of foreign tourists is on an average1.5% of the total number of tourists. This is morethan 3 times the state average

Table 4. Tourist Arrivals in the Study Area

Year Domestic

Tourist Visits

Foreign Tourist Visits

Total

2007 851237 14389 865626

2008 867869 14793 882662

2009 871827 15329 887156

2010 898505 16103 914608

2011 912909 20533 933442

2012 964380 15899 980279

2013 482865 13504 496369

2014 924541 13542 938083

2015 998451 15243 1013694

2016 989914 17425 1007339

Source: District Tourist Office, New Tehri

VIII ECOTOURISM RESOURCES OF THE STUDY AREA

Table 5.Ecotourism Resources of the Study Area

Scenic Beauty

Beautiful view of the Surkunda, Kedarnath, and Badrinathpeaks.Tropical dry deciduous forests, Sal forests, Chir forests, Oak, Deodar, Fir and Spruce forests, Alpine pastures, Trees like Chir, Oaks, Conifers, Sal, Deodar, Haldu, Yew, Cypress, Rhododendron, Birch, Horse-Chestnut, Cycamore, Willow and Alder are present. A large variety of medicinal herbs, shrubs and bushes like Brahmi andshwagandha are in abundance.Fruits like Cornel, Figs, Kaiphal, Mulberry, Kingora, Raspberry, Blackberry, Currants, Medlars, Gooseberries, Hazelnuts, Apples, Pears, Cherries, Apricots, Plums, Peaches, Oranges, Limes, Bananas, Pomegranates and Walnuts.

Near By Places

Dhanaulti : a small hamlet in the shade of Cider and Rhododendron forests and a peaceful destination, a short

261 | P a g e distance from Mussoorie - the famed hill station is dubbed as the queen of hills

Kanatal lake: a forgotten lake, revived after years of neglect, is fast emerging as a place of great tourist attraction - a mere 35 kms from from Tehri

Chandrabadni: located at a great height and devoted to Sati - the consort of Lord Shiva, this temple is a major Siddhapeeth , as this was one of the four spots where Lord Shiva accidently dropped Sati's body parts

Surkhanda Devi Temple: one of the four Siddhapeeths, it is believed that this was another place where parts from the charred body of Sati fell - marking the location of the Siddhapeeth at Surkhanda

SemMukhem: Revered in both the districts of Pauri Garhwal, and Tehri, the priests (Pujaris) from this are well known around the country, for their skill in Astrology. The SemMukhem Temple is a Naag Raja temple devoted to the Cobra - a symbol of Lord Shiva Khatling Glacier:An oft visited glacier, the trek to Khatling can be graded as moderate, but on continuing onwards to Kedarnath, the trek increases in difficulty.

Other natural marvels seen near the Khatling glacier are Vasukital, Masar Tal, and Sahsratal lakes

Temples The Buda Kedar Temple is situated in the Buda Kedar village at a distance of 60 km by road from New-Tehri.

It is located at the confluence of rivers Bal Ganga and Dharam Ganga. According to a legend, Duryodhana meditated, after the Kurukshetra war, in the same place

where the temple is built.

The Surkanda Devi Temple is situated near the village of Kaddukhal, about 33 km away by road from the town of New-Tehri. It lies at an elevation of 3030 m above sea level. It is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and is situated on the Sukhanda Peak.

IX RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Questionnaire was structured to identify the perceptions of local population about ecoecotourismdevelopment and its impacts on the community. The first section of the questionnaire wasrelated to the general demographic profile of the respondents. The male to female percentage was 75% and 25% respectively, 57% belonged to the age group of 20-35 years,31% to the age group of 35-50 and 12% of the respondents were of the age group 50-60years. As regard to educational qualifications 3% of the respondents were illiterate, 27% were high school pass, 22% were intermediate, 18% were graduates and 30% were Post graduate. The occupational profile of the sample population was 32%of the respondents were lodge/guest house operators, 3% were guides/porters, 22% wereeatery operators, 23% were government servants and 20% were farmers or house wives.

262 | P a g e In response to the first statement 89% respondents agreed that the Community based ecotourismis the right option for the area, while merely 6% disagreed with the statement. 64% respondents felt that community based ecotourism can bring prosperity to the hostcommunity. 55% respondents believed that Community based ecotourism increases the awareness towardssocio-cultural and environmental conservation while 65%agreed that CBET compliments the traditional livelihood practices. When asked if Community Based Ecotourism improves the living standard of local people merely 19% respondents agreed and 32% strongly disagree with the statement. 37% respondents believed that CBET will provide opportunities to learn and earn, 53% felt that community based ecotourism provides opportunity for social and cultural amalgamation among guests and hosts. 60% of the respondents agreed that CBET helps in promoting local culture and environment among the tourists.When asked about the impact of ecotourism on socio cultural framework of the host community 78% of the respondents agreed and merely 7% disagreed. 56% of the respondents were of the opinion that CBET will put pressure on the natural resources of the area. 67% of the respondents agreed that careful planning of CBET will reduce negative impacts of ecotourism. 81% were of the opinion that local population should be involved in the planning process. 68% denied that the construction of the dam has brought in benefits for the local population. 77% disagree with the statement, “Do you think you will get the right share of CBET development”. 60% were not happy with the functioning of the department of ecotourism, government of Uttarakhand

The following table explains the respondents’ views onEcotourism Development and its consequences on community.

Table 6: Respondents’ views on Ecotourism Development and its consequences on the Community

Concern Strongly

Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Community Based Ecotourism is the right choice for the area

63(42) 71(47) 8(5) 5(4) 3(2)

BET brings prosperity to the community

59(39) 37(25) 12(8) 22(14) 20(14)

CBETcreates awareness towards socio- cultural & environmental conservation

39(26) 43(29) 17(11) 32(21) 19(15)

Tourist activities will increases employment

opportunities for host community

49(33) 52(35) 11(7) 18(12) 20(13)

263 | P a g e CBET will enhance the infrastructural

facilities

33(22) 41(27) 27(18) 30(20) 19(13)

CBETwill improve the livelihood standard of the

local people

11(8) 17(11) 33(22) 41(27) 48(32)

CBET provides the opportunities to the host population to learn and earn

24(15) 33(22) 28(19) 22(15) 43(29)

CBET provides opportunity socio-cultural amalgamation among

guests and hosts

47(31) 33(22) 23(15) 27(18) 20(14)

CBET helps in the promoting local culture and environment among the tourists

52(35) 37(25) 12(8) 21(14) 28(18)

Do you feel that ecotourism has an impact on the socio cultural framework of the hostscommunity

63(42) 54(36) 12(8) 11(7) 10(7)

CBET will put a pressure on the natural resources

52(35) 31(21) 12(8) 33(22) 22(14)

Ecotourism development disheartens locals

from traditional livelihood practices

66(44) 39(26) 17(11) 20(13) 8(6)

CBET compliments the traditional livelihood

practices

63(42) 34(23) 17(11) 14(9) 22(15)

Price of commodities will rise due to CBET 44(29) 51(34) 37(25) 12(8) 6(4) Careful planning of CBET can reduce the

negative

impacts of Ecotourism

73(49) 27(18) 18(12) 13(9) 19(12)

Should local host population be involved in the planning process

83(55) 39(26) 12(8) 16(11) 0

Do you think you will get the right share of CBET development

17(11) 11(7) 7(5) 83(55) 32(22)

Do you think that the construction of Dam has brought in benefits for the local population

8(5) 7(5) 33(22) 9(6) 93(62)

Are you happy with the functioning of the department of tourism, government of Uttarakhand in promoting the place as a tourist destination

7(5) 19(13) 34(22) 46(30) 44(30)

X CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Situated in lap of the Himalayas New Tehri is an ideal destination for those who want to seek solitude and pleasure admist natural settings. The place is ideal for nature lovers, adventurers and trekkers.

It was interesting to note that most of the respondents were aware about ecotourism and ecotourism development and they took a lesson form the disaster of 2013 which washed away a major portion of Uttarakhand and eventually

264 | P a g e a big chunk of tourism. Community based ecotourism was chosen as the right form of tourism by the majority of the respondents and they were aware about CBET. However, the respondents were not at all happy with the functioning of the government and department of tourism.

The following pointsneeds to be considered for development of Community Based Ecotourism Development:

 Local host population should be made a stake holder in the planning process.

 Right share of CBET development should be given to the local population

 Local NGOs should be given the charge to create awareness about CBET

 Proper sinage should be displayed about the natural and cultural aspects of the area

 Local population should be trained as guides, translators etc.

 Family home-stays should be promoted

 Locally produced items and local cuisine should be promoted as souvenirs

 Effective marketing strategy

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