Irresponsible Tourism leaves negative impact on Wildlife

-Manu K

The eco tourists at a beech, a nesting grounds of the Green Sea Turtle during the annual aribada or the 'Return for egg-laying' season

Eco-tourism can be just as damaging as honest hedonistic holiday-making.

-Anita Pleumarom

Eco-tourism, in the nineties was perceived as a harmless eco friendly activity and was provided with huge subsidies to develop it into an industry. It is still presented as sustainable, nature-based and environmentally friendly activity. In these days however it is a subject of considerable controversy. With lack of proper guidelines for tour operators and absence of any monitoring mechanisms in countries like India the business is sprawling. 

A Selfie enthusiast walking right upon arriving Sea Turtles.

‘Eco-tourism’ is the tourism industry's fastest growing subsector; with an estimated world-wide annual growth of 16%. Governments as well as the corporations promote eco-tourism, with claims of environment upkeep and economic benefits to the local communities.  It was campaigned that if the livelihood of the local communities are elevated they take custody of the forests or the species in it. But there are well-founded concerns that it lacks adequate scientific foundations, and is not viable as a solution to the world's social and environmental problems. One of the classical examples is that of the world famous Bharathpur Bird Sanctuary. In the eighties and nineties the birds as well as the industry thrived. Every house around the lake –sanctuary flourished as a Home stay facility. Like the name of the guest house the dishes and ice creams on the menu card were after one or the other bird. A crane’s cottage had rooms called barbet, bulbul and a sparrow while the menu card listed sandpipers delight or a shoveller’s scoop for deserts. Every rickshaw puller was a ‘bird specialist’ and could name a hundred birds.

 

The mad rush and the unruly behavior of the tourists made many turtles return back without laying, for which the Costa-Rican Government has ordered and enquiry.

But 2004 was a fateful year for Bharatpur; there was a periodic drought like in 1972 and 1979. As a mitigating measure the state government of Rajasthan prioritized the demand of farmers over the birds.  The Central Government tried to intercede, but the then Chief Minister Ms. Vasundhara Raje refused to relent. As though to appease farmers belonging to a particular community, she issued an order to divert water from the Ajan Bund away from the Bharatpur marshes and into the sugarcane fields surrounding the park. It unleashed a catastrophic consequence for this 250 year-old, man-made wetland. Both animals and birds died. In the whole episode the eco tourism operators never raised a voice. Even before the industry collapsed they had bolted towards Agra and Mathura.

Eco-tourism is an eco-facade

Many eco-tourism claims concerning its benefits are exaggerated, or owe more to labeling and marketing than genuine sustainability. Not only are such projects repeatedly planned and carried out without local consent and support, but they often threaten local cultures, economies, and natural resource bases. Critics regard eco-tourism as an `eco-facade': a tactic concealing the mainstream tourism industry's consumptive and exploitative practices by simply calling it ‘green’. 

Where is the privacy for Tigers or its prey? Modern communication gadgets help tour operators identify and communicate among themselves to assemble such crowds to witness Large cats.

Of particular concern is the side stepping of crucial questions in the promotion of eco-tourism, regarding the global economy and widening gap between rich and poor, particularly in Third World countries. Significant social and political issues such as the uneven distribution of resources, inequalities in political representation and power, and the growth of unsustainable consumption patterns are marginalized or ignored.

A typical example could be found in the islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Most of the investors on the islands are non residents from the distant states of West Bengal and Tamilnadu and simply out match the scale of operation of the local community deceiving the consideration of the carrying capacity of the site. While a middle man luring us to go to his destination for a stint of scuba diving, was out rightly mentioning the low costs of the other because it is operation since twenty years and his was a recent opening. He clearly explained how disturbed waters would be devoid of coral life. When questioned about hoe just was it to open up more and more beaches for such activities he admitted that he had no option for survival!

 

Responsible Safari Operators not common men.........

Environmentally risky

Eco-tourism may sound benign, but one of its most serious impacts is the expropriation of virgin' territories - national parks, wildlife parks and other wilderness areas - which are packaged for eco-tourists as the green option. Eco-tourism is highly consumer-centered, catering mostly to affluent urbanized societies. In order to rope in the new middle-class `alternate lifestyle' seekers low end eco tourisms are thought off. However, most destinations are advertised as heaven on Earth, `untouched' places, `off the beaten track' and once in a life time experience.

Operators are always looking for newer destinations and try to provide the best of urban comforts to their clients. As the Industry grows big it ties up with all other lobbies to harvest profits and wouldn’t bother to remember their moral code.  Now it is the turn of Kudremukh Wildlife Sanctuary which recently lost its berth as a Tiger reserve. The pristine landscape of these shoal forests were plagued by the unfortunate consequences of mining industry for thirty years between the seventies and the late nineties. Initiatives of the concerned citizens brought in a Supreme Court order of closure of all mining operations in the area since 2000. The Kudhremukh Iron Ore Company limited (KIOCL), however dragged the case and held on till 2005 asking for pull back time and claiming its responsibility of fixing the topsoil in the mined area. It is said that the company changed its bye-laws and had applied for permits to undertake tourism operations in the left behind infrastructure. Today it is read that the company has transferred some its residential complexes to Alva’s Kudremukh Nisargadhama which intends to construct luxury health resorts to undertake eco-tourism. The forest department has served notices on both the companies as it is a violation of the Eco sensitive zone and the Kudhremukh National park also of the Supreme Court and the Wilderness Tourism Policy (WTP) 2004. However the cultural bastions of Dakshina Kannada are grieving that the building are too worn-out and full of weeds and no tourist can come in the immediate future. While they say their only intention is to enhance the forest cover, they are forced to carryout some basic repair works of the buildings. Only time can tell how they justify their stands about violations and good intentions and concern of Nature and Wildlife. 

 

An un attended School crowd left aloof by the school teachers or a Nature Camp organisers amidst WIld boar.

Mega-resorts, including luxury hotels, condominiums, shopping centers and golf course, are increasingly established in nature reserves in the name of eco-tourism - in many cases protested as `eco-terrorism'.  What begins as Nature friendly gradually turns out people friendly, deceiving the natural local elements of every order. Flourishing eco tourism projects in many places across the globe are with completely artificial landscapes and exotic plants, tending to irretrievably wipe out native plant and wildlife species – some times the entire eco-systems.

No local benefits

Diverse local social and economic activities are replaced by an eco-tourism monoculture. Contrary to claims, local people do not necessarily benefit from eco-tourism. Tourism-related employment is greatly overrated: locals are usually left with low-paying service jobs such as tour guides, porters, and food and souvenir vendors. In addition, they are not assured of year-round employment: workers may be laid off during the off-season. Most money, as with conventional tourism, is made by foreign airlines, tourism operators, and developers who repatriate profit to their own economically more advanced countries.

 

Eco tourism in the Andamans; People thronging for a boat ride at Radhanagar Beach.

Eco-tourism's claim that it preserves and enhances local cultures but it is highly insincere. Ethnic groups are viewed as a major asset in attracting visitors; an `exotic' backdrop to natural scenery and wildlife. The simultaneous romanticism and devastation of indigenous cultures is one of eco- tourism's ironies.

Just beyond the tree line of islands is the garbage dump, well below the high-tide mark at the famous Elephant Island in the Andamans.

 Given a lack of success stories, and sufficient evidence of serious adverse effects, the current huge investments in eco-tourism are misplaced and irresponsible. Research, education, and information for tourists are an absolute need of the hour. Unfortunately there is no third party doing such work.  Every government has stood up to pump in money into the industry, provide a red carpet to foreign investors, and loosen the laws of the land and provide huge subsidies for ventures. Countering of eco-tourism's demeaning of local cultures and the local ecosystems and unjust sharing of profits must become something of a serious matter of the Governments. To accomplish this target, there has to be a civic engagement not as an option but as the central element of the charter.