The Union environment ministry is set to issue in a month guidelines that will open up wildlife rich forest areas across the country to ecotourism, a move that officials say targets positioning India as a global destination for such travel.
The “Guidelines on Ecotourism in Forest and Wildlife Areas, 2021”, aimed at promoting better understanding of nature and wildlife conservation while generating income and opportunities for local communities, are likely to be issued “in a month or so”, according to officials familiar with the matter who did not wish to be identified.
Projects under it will include promotion of low-impact nature tourism, promotion of traditional ecological knowledge and heritage values of India’s wilderness, partnerships among various stakeholders etc., to realise India’s “potential as a global ecotourism destination”.
On March 8, the government published minutes of the 61st meeting of the standing committee of the national board for wildlife held on February 18 over the matter. “They (the guidelines) will be implemented in an ‘ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable manner’,” according to the minutes.
The National Board for Wildlife’s standing committee has deferred the decision to approve the guidelines as the forest conservation division of the ministry felt the need to examine if they reconcile with the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. A number of tweaks are being made to the Act to make way for the plan, officials said.
HT reported on March 11 that the environment ministry’s forest advisory committee (FAC) in February eased norms for ecotourism projects by allowing them to build “non-permanent” structures in protected areas without permission from the central government.
“We have already made required changes in the handbook to categorise ecotourism as a forestry activity. Now, the guidelines will specify exactly what we mean by low-impact tourism and how it should be implemented. They should be out in a month or so,” said a senior official from the ministry’s forest conservation division.
Another senior official confirmed that wildlife safaris will be included in the draft guidelines covering ecotourism.
“They (Centre) can do these ecotourism activities outside the national parks. Why do they need to set up inside? Even with eco-tourism pressures outside parks look at the condition of places like the Corbett Tiger Reserve… Already linear projects are wreaking havoc in protected areas. Tourism even with tents leaves a huge footprint,” said Ritwick Dutta, environmental lawyer.
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