Goa: ‘Eco-tourism can incentivise preservation of nature’

PANAJI: Conservation will work only if there is an incentive, said environmental activist Parag Rangnekar while speaking on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a tool towards environmental conservation on Wednesday.
“If communities see value in conserving natural resources or if there is direct dependency, then conservation works. In such a scenario, incentivising conservation becomes important,” he said.
Eco-tourism is one such aspect that has amazing potential wherein there is incentive to preserve natural resources and get paid for it. Rangnekar said that this has great scope, especially in a place like Goa.
He further said that CSR concerns ecology as well and that corporates could possibly carry out biodiversity assessments of the area their project is in and enhance the ecology there.
Rangnekar urged students to step out of the bubble of classrooms and engage in conversation with the grassroots to understand issues better.
“College students who are studying business graduation or MBA must be made to understand how CSR functions by dedicating visits to the field. By talking to people, they can understand the village scenario and judge the mood of the village,” he said.
He also stressed on having clear data and need assessment of the communities concerned. He cited the example of a pharmaceutical company in Madkai wherein they visited the residence of the workers of the industrial estate and realised that they were living in poor conditions in cramped rooms without toilet facilities.
“It is mandatory for corporates to have a CSR policy which is in the public domain. NGOs can play a role in informing the locals of the area about the CSR policy,” he said.