@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.

2010

Facilitating Ecotourism in Forest Areas and Protected Areas of Madhya

Pradesh
Suhas Kumar

Tourism as a service sector is the largest industry contributing 6.23% of the national GDP; its
share in employment generation in the country is 8.78%. This industry generated earnings
around US $ 100 billion in the year 2008 that is expected to go up to US $ 275.5 billion by 2018
at a rate of 9.4% per annum. Overall increase in tourist arrival is likely to increase by over 22%
per annum up till 2010. The domestic tourists movement saw 562 million Indians visiting
various domestic destinations.(Ministry of tourism, Govt. of India, Market Research Division,
2009),

Though the overall picture is pink India still sits in the luggage compartment of the tourism
Volvo bus. Despite India's unique assemblage of natural and cultural attributes, which provides it
potential advantage as a world destination for spiritual, cultural and ecotourism destination,
India's share in global tourism has been suboptimal. In 2007, India's share in the total global
tourist arrival was only 5.08 million , just about 0.56 % and its share in the global tourism
receipt was around 1.25%- Us $ 10729 m. (UNWTO, Tourism Trends, October, 2007 and June
2008). But in recent times this poor performance in cashing in the lucrative tourism business
seems to have led to a desperate attempt to out do others, often without appropriate planning and
safeguards to protect environment, wildlife and host communities from the vagaries of lopsided
tourism development. The need is to tread with care.

Tourism market has grown into several sectors and sub sectors and there is an array of types of
tourism catering to tourists with various inclinations and requirements. Some of the types are –
Adventure Tourism, Nature tourism, Nature based tourism, Wildlife tourism, Green tourism,
Pilgrimage tourism, Rural tourism, Community based tourism, Cultural tourism, Heritage
tourism, Medical tourism, Health tourism, and Herbal tourism and so on. Besides the activity
based and motivation based nomenclature there is another set of terms that are used frequently to
describe the conceptual and experiential phenomena that has grown, ostensibly, as a reaction
against unacceptable mass tourism, these terms are – alternative tourism, sustainable tourism,
responsible tourism, ethical tourism, ecotourism and so on.

Alternative tourism is a generic term covering a range of tourism strategies such as appropriate,
eco-, soft, responsible, controlled, small-scale, cottage and green tourism (Weaver, 1991). These
are forms of tourism advocating an approach opposite to mass tourism (that has been crticised
for its overwhelming nature, its capacity to create serious ecological, environmental and social
adverse impacts and also for the fact that little money that is spent within the destination-
actually stays and generates more income. Mass tourism is symbolised by hotels and mega
resorts built using non-local material and that does not rely on local products. The marketing
strategy of mass tourism is based on high volume attracting as many tourists as possible often
over seasonal period of time. Such development that brings in high densities of people from
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

outside often leads to displacement of local people from subsistence-style livelihoods to one that
is subservience based (Fennel, 2008)

The scope of ecotourism, besides the core element of protecting and enhancing the resources on
which it depends, is twofold - sensitizing people for nature conservation and to improve the
economic status of people living in and around forest areas. Ecotourism may be and should be
very effectively used as one of the tools of joint forest management through which the key
stakeholders –the local people- may benefit without damaging the natural resources and in fact,
after sometime, could become motivated enough to support conservation of these resources.

Madhya Pradesh has abundant natural and associated cultural and historical assets ranging from
biodiversity rich forests and wetlands, enchanting green as well as arid landscapes endowed with
spectacular rivers, a great variety of terrains, climatic zones and ethnic cultures supported by a
range of architectural monuments. Moreover, geologically and anthropologically it is the oldest
part of India. Madhya Pradesh offers some of the most accessible haven for the charismatic and
critically endangered Royal Bengal tiger. There is. Madhya Pradesh has got about 370 important
tourist destinations including 14 major tourist destinations and three world heritage sites
(cultural) - Khajuraho, Sanchi and Bhimbetka which make the state a desired destination for
nature and culture oriented tourists. All of the above factors make ecotourism a very critical
component of tourism in Madhya Pradesh.

However, the mechanism to incorporate ecotourism as an objective of forest management and as

a tool for sustainable development of forest dependent people is not very clear as yet at any level.
The need of the hour, therefore, is to put into place mechanisms – both legal as well as strategic
so that ecotourism is implemented in its truest form benefiting all stakeholders and the natural
resources that sustain it.

Issues concerning ecotourism in Madhya Pradesh are two pronged – first how to develop
ecotourism in natural areas of the state at locations not known to the tour operator and the
business world and second how at famous natural destinations such as tiger reserves the age old
free for all high impact mass tourism could be reconciled within the framework of ‘Ecotourism’.

Even in the first case another dilemma haunts the planners – should ecotourism at poorly
publicized locations develop as ‘high value low impact’ ecotourism and if yes how could this be
achieved in a democratic country as it could only be attained by adopting a policy of exclusion
of those citizens who can't afford the high price, or should it develop as a small scale, locally
managed venture for local and regional tourists and then, who is going to be the target clients-
foreigners or domestic tourists? Another big question is – will the tourist come to see forests
depleted by resource use and strewn with cattle dung? And also - do we have spectacular scenic
locations or star species in all such new locations that may be used to attract investors and
clients? These are the questions that must be answered clearly and precisely or else the chances
are that we may fall into the same old vicious trap of resource and culture degrading mass
tourism.
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

Most of the international and Indian investors probably will not be attracted to any location other
than a protected area or their surrounds – most of them are still making a beeline for a piece of
land just outside famous tiger reserves. Tourism happening in tiger reserves in M.P. continues to
be ‘Tiger Tourism’ and such tourism is hardly helping the tiger, its habitats, and the visitors (in
terms of creation of awareness) and the local people who every day pay the price for tiger’s
conservation. Thus the policy makers and planners have two sets of questions to handle – i. how
to develop new natural areas on the principles of ecotourism and ii. how to discipline the
ongoing berserk tourism development in and around tiger reserves that it achieves the basic
characteristics of ecotourism.

The ecotourism development in remote and fragile areas must progress in a systematic and
sustainable manner so that while the negative impacts on environment, ecology, wildlife, local
economy and local society emanating from tourism related development and visitor use are
minimized and managed and the benefits are shared directly with the local communities by way
of direct and indirect supply of products and services by them to the tourism business.

In the following paragraphs I will try to summarize the issues concerning planning and
development of ecotourism in managed forests and protected areas and suggest some measures
that may lead to achieving the goals of ecotourism and of the Ecotourism Board of the State of
Madhya Pradesh

A. Territorial Forests

i. Traditionally, forest department has the mandate to scientifically manage the forests
under their charge - this includes protection and enhancement of forest resources, and
sustainable production of timber and other forest produce. The revised National
Forest Policy,1988 elucidates certain principles that gives new dimensions to the
original mandate of forest department - it lays down that forest management must
ensure maintenance of ecological balance and environmental security:

2.2 The principal aim of Forest Policy must be to ensure environmental stability and
maintenance of ecological balance including atmospheric equilibrium, which is vital for
sustenance of all life forms, human, animal and plant. The derivation of direct economic
benefit must be subordinated to this principal aim.(National ForestPolicy,1988)”.

The Policy also emphasizes:

1.1.1. No forest should be permitted to be worked without the Government

having approved the management plan, which should be in keeping with
the National Forest Policy.

Earlier, foresters carried out the management of forests without much interaction with
the other departments or the forest dependent communities. But, since last two
decades there has been a marked openness in the forest departments all over the
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

country. Joint forest management, implemented with the participation of forest

dependent communities, is an example of such shift in the attitude and approach of
the forest department towards forest resource management.

Despite this openness within the Forest management, ecotourism development - a

less-consumptive enterprise which is capable of producing direct benefits to forest
dependent communities and augment local economies - was never included as one of
the forest management objectives; even today (at least in Madhya Pradesh) working-
plans of managed forests do not contain any prescriptions for tourism development
and its management. The National Forest Policy, 1988 is also silent about
tourism/ecotourism in forest areas; this may be due to the high impact tourism
practiced during the late eighties that militated against the core principle of
sustainable management, besides, the concept of sustainable tourism and ecotourism
came into vogue only in the early nineties. The report of the National Forest
Commission, 2006, lists 'tourism, as one of the threats to forests and wildlife
conservation because of its inherent potential to create adverse impacts as well
as the tendency of the Government to give preference to tourism
against the conservation imperatives. Yet, the Commission
advocates implementation of Ecotourism in Forests and protected
areas:

"Tourism, which was earlier thought to be adversary to

conservation goals, is now recognized not only to be compatible but
facilitative to the same. The average tourist is now better informed
about the environmental impact of his travel and behavior. Such
awareness is expected to persuade people to pay more and
generate a fund stream to finance conservation as well as the
development of local communities. Ecotourism, as it is called, is the
mantra of the new age travel industry.
As ecotourism has mostly to do with nature and wilderness, the
Forest Department becomes a key actor in the activity centred on
ecotourism. The Department’s capacity needs to be augmented,
infrastructure raised and mechanisms of inter-department and
inter-sectoral collaboration worked out"
(NFCReport,2006)

Over the years, ‘Ecotourism’ has gained popularity worldwide and is now seen as a
tool for sustainable development. Forester have begun to consider ecotourism as a
less-consumptive, low-impact product of forest management with a high potential to
augment revenue from forests and enhance livelihood opportunity for people residing
in remote forested regions.

ii. This concept is gaining ground with the forest department of Madhya Pradesh, too but
there are many hurdles and constraints in its implementation. Tourism development
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

requires infrastructure not only for accessing the resource but also at or around that
resource. The forest laws are stringent and require mandatory impact assessment and
clearance for all non-forestry infrastructure development on forest lands. At present
getting tourism project cleared under the Forest Conservation Act is not easy.

The working plans do not include ecotourism as an objective of management.

Besides, there is hardly any management system in place for monitoring and
managing impacts of tourism development and visitors’ activities. Without, its
mention as an object of management in the working plans; tourism cannot be
implemented in a legal and planned manner. The latest judicial pronouncements
based on the existing legal framework do not permit arbitrary use of forest areas -
everything that involves use of forest land must emanate from prescriptions contained
in Working Plans approved by the state and the central government. Once tourism
becomes a declared and recognised objective of forest management and accepted as a
legitimate product of forests it would be easier to argue for its acceptance as a
forestry activity.

iii. The second important aspect would be to declare a state policy on Ecotourism -
detailing its objective clearly and precisely, the kind of infrastructure that may be
permitted on forest lands, location criteria - where such development may be
permitted and where it should not - based on location's value as dispersal areas and
corridor for wild animal- habitat of endemic and rare plant and animals, physical
characteristics such as proneness to erosion and so on. Beside the policy also must lay
down clearly the roles and responsibilities of forest department and other government
agencies, mechanism for involvement with the local people and the modalities of
benefit sharing with them, procedure for promoting private capital and modalities of a
tripartite agreement among the local people (local institutions like Gram Sabha or
JFMC), the forest department and other private or government agency/NGOs. Unless
an explicit policy framework is enunciated possibility of government of India’s
support to consider ecotourism as part of management objectives of forest working
plans may remain a distant dream.

iv. Private operators who have already begun using certain forest areas for tourism
activities- such as forest treks, rock climbing, river rafting, jungle camping, etc. face a
lot of problems while seeking permission from DFOs. This is largely due to absence
of any well laid out policy and procedure for allowing tourism activities within
territorial forests and for monitoring and mitigating impacts.

Protected Areas

i. Wildlife tourism in PAs in Madhya Pradesh operates within the legal and
policy frame works contained in: a. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
(amended, 2002), b. Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Protection Rules,1974, C.
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

National Wildlife Action Plan, D. Guidelines for Wildlife Tourism issued by

Directorate of Project Tiger, GoI,1984.

ii. According to the policy (National Wildlife Action Plan 2002-16), the
guidelines for tourism development in PAs, are as follows:

a. Regulated and low impact tourism

b. In case of conflict between tourism and conservation interests of a PA ,
the paradigm for decision must be that tourism exits for the PA and not
PAs for tourism
c. Tourism demands must be subservient to and in consonance with
conservation interests of the PA.
d. While revenues earned from tourism can help the management of the
PA, maximization of income must never become the main goal of
tourism.
e. The main aim of tourism in PA should be to impart education and
inculcate respect for nature among visitors.
f. Tourism (ecotourism) in PAs must involve and benefit local communities
and the first benefits of tourism activities should flow to local people.
g. Strict energy and water conservation and waste disposal guidelines
must be laid down and implemented for existing and new tourist
facilities

iii. Tourism in PAs, therefore, is seen as a low-key activity and should remain
that way as long as appropriate management infrastructure, detailed tourism
management plan, a set of sound monitoring protocols and a contingent of
skilled personnel are not in place.

iv. With the increase in popularity of Ecotourism worldwide, PA managers are

becoming slightly more open to promoting this form of tourism because
ecotourism advocates small scale, less impacting, conservation friendly
tourism and emphasizes on educating visitors and ensuring the flow of
benefits to the local communities. All the three elements of ecotourism –
conservation of resources and creating awareness to inculcate in visitors
respect for the earth resources and ensuring benefits to local people – naturally
fit within the management goals of protected areas.

v. Yet, it is also true that PA managers continue to worry about ecotourism

turning into high impact mass tourism. Large scale development – like luxury
resorts, hotels and dhabas may proliferate along the periphery, pressures from
various strong lobbies may mount to open up interior fragile areas for building
eateries and campsites. Any un-planned development, even outside the
boundary of PAs, results in depletion of ground water along with other local
civic resources as well as peripheral forests (which are depleted over time by
illegal extraction of fuel wood for cooking and heating water during winter),
deterioration of corridor functions of buffer forest areas, pollution of water
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

courses that flow into PAs or the villages and erosion of the very sense of
wilderness that visitors long to experience.

vi. Unplanned development of tourism always results in attrition

of the resources, adversely impacts wildlife habitats and
finally leads to dissatisfaction of visitors and earns a bad
name for the protected area and the government. Increasing
and unrestricted use of local resources such as land, ground
water and firewood has both social repercussions and adverse
ecological impacts. Escalation of prices of land and
commodities owing to tourism growth in a region may bring
about serious hardships to local people, for example the lack
of adequate sanitation facilities in many East African parks
results in the disposal of campsite sewage in rivers,
contaminating the wildlife, livestock, and people who draw
drinking water from it. The same situation exists around
several protected areas in India. The irresponsible dumping of
kitchen waste transforms wild animals into scavengers.

vii. The fear that tourism development can be counterproductive to the very goal
of PA management becomes manifest and more pronounced as most PAs do
not have a sound visitor management plan and professional expertise to
manage, monitor and minimize impacts arising from tourism development and
activities of the visitors. In highly visited PAs in MP, tourism largely remains
an arbitrary and unplanned activity. In the present scenario the protection staff
of PA is deployed for nine months for managing tourism activities besides
performing their primary duty of protection. Capacity building for managing
tourism has never been a priority in PAs.

viii. It is well known that when management systems are absent even a small
number of tourists could cause serious adverse impacts to the physical
infrastructure, wild animals and ecology. In my opinion carrying capacity of
any natural area is directly linked with capacity of the organization to manage
adverse impacts. A well-managed area can accommodate more visitors with
fewer impacts than a poorly managed area.

Though, today Ecotourism is considered the most rapidly expanding

sectors of the travel industry. And it is being promoted by many as a
way to achieve environmental conservation objectives and as a tool for
sustainable development of remotely situated host communities, yet
little effort is visible in the protected areas towards involving and
benefiting forest dependent local people who are not well disposed
towards protected area owing to resource use conflicts.
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

Tourism Management capacity in most PA is sub optimal. Protection

staff gets diverted to tourism management. As tourism management
requires different skills, the quality of output by forest functionaries
does not always lead to visitor satisfaction. Though the management
plans exist, there is hardly any detailed planning for visitor
management and visitor use of the area. Tiger reserves are adhering
to 'vehicle carrying capacities' calculated for each tiger reserve using a
set of guidelines and a methodology based on (Cifuentes, M., 1992)
and suggested by the National Tiger conservation Authority but this
methodology suffers from subjectivity and appears to be flawed to the
extent that it is amenable to easy modifications by practitioners at will.

Carrying capacity is often misapplied to set visitor numbers without

considering how these numbers meet management objectives. Setting
number limits may be useful only if the number so determined is
adhered to under pressure also for these numbers may be used as a
tool to limit impacts as an extension of 'precautionary principles'.
Carrying capacity numbers over emphasise the importance of amount
of use and fail to consider other potential underlying causes of impact.
The real question that a manager must ask is - what are the visible and
what are the likely negative impacts of tourism on ecology,
environment and local society and how these impacts are to be
minimized or managed to achieve the desired ecological,
environmental and social goals that the tiger reserves seek to achieve.
At present, these questions are seldom asked and answered. In
nutshell the mandate of practicing ecotourism in the tiger reserves is
going on in an ad hoc manner. Outside, in the buffer, the hydra headed
mass tourism threatens to engulf the very resources on which tourism
depends.

Obviously, much needs to be done to promote compatible and sustainable tourism

development in forests and PAs in Madhya Pradesh. The plus point is that there is
positive atmosphere for taking the first step towards it.

I have following suggestions that may help us to make a beginning:

1. Ecotourism development and management in Forest areas

i. First step will be to draft a policy on ecotourism based on the globally

accepted principles but with an eye on the local, regional and national ground
conditions. This means taking notice of the prevalent forest, wildlife,
environment protection, local self government laws, culture and traditions of
people in remote forested area, capacity of the forest department to manage,
roles and responsibilities of all stake holders and clear and precise description
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

of mechanisms and modalities of participation and benefit sharing among

stakeholders.

ii. Second step includes preparation of site specific plans for ecotourism. Starting
with each forest division listing their sites that have potential resources for
tourism. These sites should be mapped showing areas and points of interests
and the present use levels and exiting impacts and possible future impacts on
the flora, fauna, physical and biological attributes should be determined,
nearest tourism hub, regional transportation system, possible impacts (both
positive and negative) on local communities be identified. Based on the above
information, if it is found that the proposed area has enough attributes that
could attract visitors, a divisional ecotourism plan should be prepared and got
approved as a part of the working plan of the division.

iii. If the sites are already tourist attractions, then an evaluation of the kind of
activities preferred by visitors, impacts of such activities on the physical and
biological attributes must be done. This assessment should also incorporate
the efforts made to manage visitor-use of the area. And if management input is
absent at present, suggestions for establishing a management system may
improve things drastically. Information on possible source of visitors, possible
profile and expectations of the visitors, capacity to pay and the present
capacity of the organization to manage tourism will help in the preparation of
a development plan for potential areas that are not yet visited by tourists. A
code of conduct for visitors, tour operators, and forest personnel should be
developed for each such site. In areas where impacts are less likely and the
area does not fall within ecologically sensitive sites, infrastructure
development standards should be developed. Such sites should also be
mapped.

iv. Information brochures/booklets should be prepared to guide and help the

visitors and for private entrepreneurs who wish to develop tourism in that
forest division. This brochure should contain details of sites, permitted
activities, process involved to seek permits, who to approach for permits or
further guidance, etc.

2. Ecotourism development and management in National Parks and

Sanctuaries

Despite the policies that advocate implementation of sustainability

principles of Ecotourism for managing tourism in protected areas the
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

rapid commercialization has raised serious concerns. The Instructions

issued by Member Secretary, NTCA to all CWLWs and Field directors of
tiger reserves shows the gravity of the situation:

"......It shall be appreciated that our tiger reserves are smaller in size and
are important natal areas/repositories of endangered gene pools
harbouring the remaining source pool of the tiger, co-predators and prey
animals. Under no circumstances we can afford to become competing
destinations for large size safari parks of other countries for fostering
tourism, at the cost of the critical tiger habitats as explained/ identified/
established under Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972,
involving relocation of villages from such areas, at a great cost, to provide
the desired inviolate space for tigers...." (NTCA Instructions on regulation
of tourist visitation in tiger reserves dated -14 Dec,2007)

To ensure that the above principles are implemented on the

ground :

• Revisit and revise protected area's tourism management plans to

make them more action oriented over prescribed time frames to
achieve objectives and less like a set of policy guidelines, which seems
to be the case at present.
• Provide a separate contingent of contractual skilled workforce to
manage tourism.
• Develop appropriate mechanism to monitor populations, habitat
conditions and adverse impacts of tourism development and visitor
activities within core and buffer.
• Develop mechanism, provide skills and mobilize finances for
empowering EDCs to take up joint community based ecotourism
ventures in the buffer.
• Develop mechanism and provide financial resources and skill
development inputs to non- PA forest managers in securing corridors,
protecting tiger and its prey base within their respective territorial
jurisdictions.
• Develop standards for building design, energy conservation, water
harvesting, recycling of grey water, appropriate disposal of solid and
green waste, reducing emissions for hotels, resorts and eateries within
and outside PAs. Bring in legal instruments to enforce sustainability in
ongoing the unplanned and unhealthy mass tourism growth in the
immediate vicinity of protected areas.
• Start new activities for tourists (trekking, camping, boating, rafting and
so on) only after identifying suitable areas. Suitability may be
determined by looking at the likelihood of disturbance or threat to wild
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

animals, habitat degradation, visitor safety aspects and existing

managerial capacity. And for each new activity determine carrying
capacity.
• Strengthen protected area interpretation programme by improving the
capabilities of personal interpretive services like - guiding and
information services.
• Enlarge the scope of Park Interpretation programme by starting
outreach services for local people, especially village children and offer
them opportunity to view the protected area from a new perspective.
• Use tourism in PA as a supplemental tool for sustainable development
of local communities by giving local people direct stakes in tourism
enterprises and by giving Ecodevelopment committee a share of
earnings from tourism as some of tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh are
doing by transferring a portion of Development fund (Vikas Nidhi of
PAs created from Tourism related fees).
• Include small scale infrastructure development for ecotourism as one
of the forestry activity in the FCA and prescribe criteria standards for
location, design and environmental safeguards.

Required Legislative Changes

1. Amend the Wildlife (P) Act, 1972 and FCA, 1980 to regulate land
use in buffer areas of tiger reserves and make EIA mandatory for all
resource degrading, commercial infrastructure projects (Mining,
quarrying, polluting industries, hotels, resorts and any other such
venture that prima facie are capable of disrupting local ecology and
local environments). The State government must identify, map and
notify such areas that are critical for tiger metapopulations to continue
and flourish.
2. Amend Environment Protection Act, Panchayati Raj Act and Sarai
Act to enforce ban on commercial constructions in critical wildlife
dispersal areas and corridors, and also to set standards for building
design, alternative energy use, regulating ground water use, emissions
levels, recycling of grey water, disposal of solid and green waste by
exiting as well as new hotels and dhabas (eateries) built in the buffer.
The same should be made applicable to establishments owned by the
Governments or Panchyati Raj Institutions.
3. Amend the Panchayat Raj Act to empower gram Sabha to
enforce an environmental cess on the Hotels and resorts that are using
local resources such as agricultural land, ground water and forests
without paying back anything to the original guardians.
4. States need to enact rules- under whichever act they may deem
fit - to ensure that the hotels, resorts, eateries, whether private or
owned by government, purchase all their grocery, grains, pulses, dairy
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

and meat products, building material from local markets and only in
case where the demand exceeds the supply they may approach distant
markets.
5. Amend the Wildlife (P) Act to enforce a conservation cess on
Hoteliers /resort/ eatery owners that make profit on a resource (Forests
and wildlife) managed by taxpayers money. This cess should be shared
with local people whose land, water and forest resources are being
used/misused by private businesses.
6. Legal provisions should be made in appropriate Act, in all private
or government led ecotourism project, to ensure a tripartite agreement
among private sector, local people and the government agency to
ensure employment too local people, and benefit sharing among
partners.

i. A detailed ecotourism plan must be in place with clearly demarcated tourism

zone/s.

ii. Sites where visitors are permitted should be mapped. For each site activities
that are allowed or banned should be listed and notified. Dos and don’ts for
each site must be clearly spelled out.

iii. Based on considerations such as sensitivity of sites (special and unique

habitats such as cave, dens, overhangs, cliffs, mesic sites, riparian areas-river
and streams, wetlands) to visitor use impacts, disturbance to endangered
species and their habitats, suitable sites where visitors can pitch tents should
be identified. Camping-behaviour guidelines must be developed. A campsites
impact monitoring mechanism should be developed and staff should be
trained in collection and analysis of such data.

iv. No hotel, lodges, and eateries should be allowed within a PA unless a

thorough impact assessment procedure has been followed and permission is
obtained according to law. (under section 33 of WL(P) Act, the National
Board for Wildlife is empowered to approve sound project proposals).

v. Activities – such as jungle treks, bird watching, nature trail, river rafting, rock
climbing, boating, canoeing, wildlife viewing from vehicles and watch towers
may be permitted within a PA but with due care - such activities must be
planned and monitored carefully to avoid negative impacts on flora, fauna and
habitats.

vi. Visits to a PA have potential for accidents; therefore, listing possible threats to
visitors at each site and for each activity may help plan a set of visitor safety
protocols that may include safety guidelines for visitors, staff and tour
@Suhas Kumar, 25.5.2010

operators. Visitors and tour operators must have an easy access to such
information before commencement of their excursion. The PA tourism
management plan should have a visitor- safety, and search and rescue plan
also.

vii. Energy and water conservation and waste disposal guidelines must be laid
down and implemented for both existing and upcoming tourist facilities within
and outside the protected areas.

viii. A building design guidelines will facilitate development of aesthetically

appealing and environmentally appropriate tourist facilities.

Most of the steps listed above are also applicable to tourism development in Forests
outside protected areas.