INITIATIVES
Religious Sentiments for Conservation
- Participatory Plantation: Pilgrims are encouraged to plant trees in degraded areas through initiatives like the Badrivan project run by GBPIHED, Uttarakhand.
- Eco-Cultural Landscapes: Projects such as Demazong in Sikkim and the Apatani landscape in Arunachal Pradesh showcase how ecological stewardship can coexist with cultural traditions.
- Sacred Groves: Tribal communities—such as the Khasis, Garos, and Jaintias in Meghalaya—protect sacred forest areas through customary law and deeply rooted environmental beliefs.
Ladakh Himalayan Homestays – Transforming Local Mindsets Towards Snow Leopards
The Himalayan Homestays program (launched in 2002 by the Snow Leopard Conservancy–India Trust) empowers local families in Ladakh to host tourists, linking livelihood opportunities with snow leopard conservation.
- Over 130 families trained.
- 10–15 % of homestay income goes to a village conservation fund supporting tree planting, waste management, and wildlife protection.
- Notable awards and recognition, including Responsible Tourism and Global Vision honors.
This initiative shifted local attitudes, transforming snow leopards from perceived threats into community assets. Ladakh now harbors 68% of India’s snow leopard population—about 477 cats.
Highlights of Sikkim's Ecotourism Policy
Sikkim brands itself as “the Ultimate Tourist Destination” and implements a strict ecotourism regime:
- Entry permits and environmental fees for wildlife areas.
- Time-bound stay rules in ecologically sensitive zones
- Promotion of village tourism, wildlife, cultural and adventure tourism, managed via community-level tourism institutions
- Emphasis on local crafts, cuisine, festivals, and training programs for tourism services.
Adventure Tourism
- The IHR holds significant potential for ecotourism combined with adventure—exemplified by community-led initiatives in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area and Uttarakhand’s Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
Tourism + Art and Culture
- Projects like Northeast India’s Rural Business Hubs link tourism with artisanal handloom, handicrafts, agricultural products, and herbal goods—spurring economic benefits and cultural exchange with tourists.
Regulated Entry
- Uttarakhand has restricted access to Gangotri (origin of the Ganga River) to 150 pilgrims per day, setting a precedent for regulated Himalayan pilgrimage.
Recommendations / Solutions
Regulating Tourism and Pilgrimage to Sensitive Areas
- Enforce infrastructure standards (roads, lodging, waste disposal) at pilgrimage sites
- Develop “economy class” pilgrim-friendly facilities appropriate to local context
- Inventory and assess vulnerabilities of cultural, historical, and sacred sites
- Impose vehicle and access restrictions beyond designated zones
- Provide adequate waste-management systems at all pilgrimage destinations
Promoting Ecotourism and Regulating Commercial Tourism
- Identify ecotourism zones: villages, parks, sanctuaries
- Involve youth and women in tourism services
- Restrict vehicles and visitors daily/group at sensitive regions
- Integrate local crafts, foods, and culture into tourist experiences
- Mandate best practices for trekking and low-impact lodgings (e.g., bamboo/log huts)
Recommendations / Solutions for Related Segments
Rejuvenation of Springs and Degraded Sites
- Map spring recharge zones geologically; monitor through nuclear water prospecting
- Engineer and vegetatively reinforce recharge areas (trenches, check-dams, mulching, bunds)
- Incentivize community ownership and maintenance of spring conservation efforts
Rain Water Harvesting
- Mandatory rooftop rainwater systems in all new urban/rural construction
- Urban buildings must avoid drawing groundwater meant for villagers
- Rural systems should include percolation tanks and protected spring recharge zones
- Utilize collected rainwater to clean drainage systems and recharge aquifers—ensuring slope stability
Ecologically Safer Roads
- Mandate Environmental Impact Assessments for roads over 5 km in sensitive zones
- Implement slope stabilization via bio-engineering and cross-drainage
- Manage construction debris responsibly; embed techniques like bioremediation
- Ban unmanaged stone quarrying—only allowed with rehabilitation plans
- Ensure roads have functional drainage; avoid fault and slide-prone zones in alignment
- Prefer ridge alignments; practice vegetation-sensitive clearing
- Repurpose construction debris for local development