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Saturday, May 22, 2010
An additional source of income for Koraput populace :
Eco-Tour activities
K. C. Panigrahy
The term eco-tourism was coined by Hector Ceballos - Lascurain in 1983, and was initially used to describe nature-based travel to relatively undisturbed areas with an emphasis on education. The concept has, however, developed to a scientifically based approach to the planning, management and development of sustainable tourism products and activities.
It is an enlightening, participatory travel experience to environments, both natural and cultural, that ensures the sustainable use, at an appropriate level of environmental resources and, whilst producing viable economic opportunities for the host communities, and makes the use of these resources through conservation, beneficial to all tourism role players. It is not a marketing ploy, nor it is scenic or nature-based travel.
It is an approach that creates a variety of quality tourism products that are :
(a) environmentally / ecologically sustainable;
(b) economically viable; and
(c) socially and psycologically acceptable, i.e., friendly to ethnic groups.
The result of this is reflected in :
(a) an integrated and holistic approach to product development;
(b) capacity building in host communities;
(c) a sense and uniqueness of place; and
(d) commitment to the greening of the tourism industry.
So far the tourism package(s) for Koraput are designed mainly by the Governmental agencies, who seem to have adopted an adhoc measure mainly designed in a traditional way to engage the government officials of their Tourism Corporation. There seem no serious effort is being made to evaluate and redesign the tourism activities, adopted since about three to four decades in Koraput region. The present activities under the garb of ‘eco-tourism’ are already experiencing the devastation of over-visitation (deGroot, 1983). Two such cases may be cited, i.e. (a) ‘Gupteswar shrine’ and (b) Newly developed ‘Deomali Parbat’ which are our prime spots and we have to market Koraput’s tourism products mainly citing above two. Thus, it needs careful designing in consultation with; not only tourism experts; but also the anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, management experts etc., as the ‘eco-tour’ activities are very sensitive particularly in a Scheduled Area like Koraput.
The agencies now responsible to carry on tourism activities in Koraput region may put forth contrary arguments citing textbook ‘tourism’ theories, but the above said two great sites are now doomed. Government experts are now planning to intervene further in constructing lodges, hotel, bars, etc., at the ‘Deomali’ high peak with the NALCO peripheri development grant. Some times back Forest Department received Lakhs of grant for development of eco-tour activities, but spent without perusing the guidelines of the WETS (World Eco-Tourism Society), in constructing so-called view towers at ‘Deomali. These are not at all‘eco-tourism’ activities. In this context Rajendra Kishor Panda, former Member, Board of Revenue, Orissa, commented :
“Exposure to ‘tourism’ has several implications, positive and negative, especially in areas where ethnicity of populace and virginity of Nature’s bounty are vital factors of cultural cohesion” (2001)
In this context World Eco-Tourism Society has rightly put the following suggestions for future community-based eco-tourism planning. Government agencies ment for tour activities ought to be aware of the Preliminary rules of eco-tour management.
1. Village Level : Any plan that includes use of local resources must be planned and implemented at the village level, even if the project has a wider scope.
2. Local integration : Genuine ecotourism must integrate local people as equal partners into the design, implementation, and every other aspect of projects that use lands and resources that are part of their subsistence patterns (Boo, 1990b). The local partners must also benefit from the recognised partnership between conservation and community development.
3. Boad-based, legal, local empowerment :Local peoples must become educated advocates for conservation, empowered to manage and administer long-term efforts as conscientious stewards of precious wild resources. Projects must be broad-based with wide involvement rather than based on elite village factions or individuals. Legal organisations must be established to run parks or tourism programmes. Thus there must be a strong educational component.
4. Use existing resources : Among the resources to be used are local human skills, labour and materials which should be made available through local people and the park centres. Tour leaders and planners should use local staff or local guides and encourage purchases of materials from local people.
5. Appropriate Scale : Design and development should be on a scale appropriate to local lifestyles, social structure, cultural world view, subsistence patterns, and community organisations. Ecotourism should be only considered a supplementary industry and an emphasis should be places on maintaining the existing agricultural, fishing or other rural industries.
6. Sustainability : Work for long-term sustainability and perpetuity of conservation efforts shuld continue. Donor agencies and funding organisations must become aware of the need for long-term commitment of resources to assist community development and conservation. In any village oriented conservation project, financial support must be obtained for immediate village run tourism facilities.
7. Local needs and conservation are primary : Tourist needs must be made secondary to the preservation of natural areas and their resources, including local people. Tourism projects must be designed to attract those ecotravellers who recognise their role as preservationists and who are willing to provide economic incentives for protection of these resources. Such tourists will be willing to forego the luxury, convenience, and costly amenities of the mass tourist trade to experience the authentic natural and cultural experiences that are becoming rare. Ecotourists should be informed rather than entertained, educated rather than diverted. Tourists and tour groups must be gently controlled according to the needs of the natural resources and the needs and wishes of local people. Tour group leaders in strategic positions have an obligation to educate clients.
8. Professionals must contribute : Biologists, anthropologists, and other on-site researchers should tailor some of their study to include hands-on work to involve local people in the responsibility and benefits of conservation.
9. Conservation is a viable development strategy : National governments must be encouraged to set policies for preserving wildlands and waste land as viable development strategies and for reforming land tenure systems so that local rural people can own land without a concomitant obligation to clear, graze, or cultivate their parcels in entirety.
10. Government Support : Governments as well as national conservation groups must actively support local people in ecotourism. This includes financial support, legal support and the creation of a bridge between local-level organisation and federal government systems.
11. Conscientious tour operators and investors : Tour operators who offer “ecotourism” destinations must work through the local communities and local tourism structures. Tour leaders must be thoroughly versed in local life and ecology and must incorporate educational components in their work. They should encourage visitors to purchase materials from sanctuaries and let visitors know how they can support and contribute to conservation of any site they visit. Foreign investors should be encouraged to invest in community-based ecotourism projects as equal partners with local communities or local investors. As an example, a foreign investor who shows an interest in taking on a village as his partner can be introduced to various villages, with the goal of developing and selling it, eventually to a village co-operative.
The agencies responsible for introduction and execution of tourism activities in Korpaut region must remember that: “Eco-tourism in its purest sense, is an industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local eco-systems. One must remember that it is responsible tourism that is both ecologically and culturally sensitive.”
One has also to note, while designing tourism activities for an area, that tourism is not a unitary activity, but a multidisciplinary function. In fact, in a way, there is “Nothing called Tourism as such” as there is no tree which bears ‘garland of flowers’. Several activities, taken togather, constitute Tourism like a bunch of flowers stitched together makes a garland (Biranchi Mishra : 2003).
Koraput populace needs eco-tour activities to add extra income to their present activities of Dongar agriculture and gathering of minor forest produces for their livelihood. Sustainable eco-tour activities along with their traditional agro-forestry will certainly add extra income to take care of the populace.
The above guidelines may be taken as basic, and we may have to re-design our eco-tour activities for Koraput region as discussed bellow. These are only suggestions and while designing, one has to keep in view the culture of that particular area and its impact on the populace. We have also to note that - Culture and tourism both are two sides of the same coin. Let us summorise all the activities undertaken now by the government agencies which can be put as bellow:
(a) There is a tourist office at the district headquarters of Koraput since long with an officer and other officers at different locations.
(b) There are Pantha Nibasas one at Gupteswar and other at Sunabeda.
(c) To attract tourists, numbers of hoardings are being erracted at different places inside Koraput region and outside our state also.
(d) In addition to errecting hoardings at different places, government also publishes colourful pamphlets, booklets for distribution and advertises in news papers, magazines, and launch colourful websites with an intent to attract the tourists to Koraput.
(e) Festivals, Melas are also being organised at different places by the Government / agencies spending huge state resources said to be to attract tourists.
These are some of activities of the Government with the intent to advance tourism activities in Koraput region. At times government also organise ‘Tour-guide’ trainings also with the intent to part skills to the local youth by which they can be self-employed. All the above strategies are seem to be only text book theories and the ground realities are not taken to account. Those strategies may not be suitable to tribal area i.e. a Scheduled Area.
A trend analysis of the above activities, tasks, events undertaken by the government and their agencies may be presented as bellow from a Pragmatic point of view.
(i) After receiving the tour-guide training where would the unemployed youth be expecting their prospective clintle and how the clintle tourist be able to reach him-at which place ? Is there any organisation in Koraput region who will appoint or assign tasks to them ? What is the gestation period for which the guide will wait with hungry stomach for the arival of so called tourists ? Many such fundamental questions arise. It seems that there was no forward linkage while designing the tour-guide training courses suitable to the Koraput youth.
(ii) Next comes the present propoganda exercises undertaken by the government / agencies for promotion of tourism activities in Koraput region. If a group of tourist arive in the region and as per the present scheme of propoganda, can they be able to contact the collector or the Tourist officer to arrange or extend necessary help for their forward activities ? Can the Collector or the Tourist Officer be able to attend such requests ? Is there any suitable mechanism with the Collector or Tourist Officer to handle such requests from the Prospective tourists ? If not, why these festivals, melas, advertisements, websites, hoardings etc. ? At whose Cost ? The propoganda strategies now undertaken by the agencies may be taken up suitably after creation of human resources at the strategic spots of Koraput region. The stake holders of the prospective eco-tour activities are to be identified first and also suitable eco-tour packages are to be designed in consultation with the sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, management guru’s along with tourism specialists. The packages should to culture friendly by which the stake holders can accept and practicise to host the prospective tourists to Koraput region. After designing the modules, the stake holders are to be trained properly who can be able to take care of the tourists in extending hospitality. The present mechanism of posting one or two government officials having no power to take suitable decission to suit the ground realities can not promote tour-activities anywhere and the present tokenism is only a waste of public fund.
(iii) In this connection, another question crops up. It is said by the government agencies that the swarm of tourists, both inland and foreign, now flocking to Koraput region are for the publicity campaign carried on so far by the government agencies. It is a half truth. The crux or essence or root of the problems are placed before us by the tourists both from foreign and inland with whom we come across and interact at the Tribal Museum of Koraput. It is also a fact that majority comes to Koraput not because of tour operators persuation or for the publicity of the government agencies. But, because of the writings of Verrir Elwin’s and for the Oxford University Press Publications which has raised the Bondo and Saura highlanders to sky-high in hilighting their peculier culture which, infact, attracts many foreign tourists to Orissa, Particularly to Koraput region as explained by the credible tour operators of Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam. Now there is no dearth of literature in European languages on Koraput and its ethenic groups. They have more indepth studies than our government agencies.
(iv) Another million dollar question is who are gaining from the tourism activities now carried on in the Koraput soil ? The benificiaries are not the real Koraput populace. Of course they are being engaged by the hoteliers, tour operators as Kulies, table cleaning boys or as forth grade servents (the term is coined in the government offices) because outsiders can not be imported or inducted as they may be costlier.
With this scenerio of tourism activities now carried on in Koraput soil, it is essential and desirable, as early as possible, to redesign the tour or eco-tour activities in consultation with multi-disciplinary academicians/experts who can be able to design proper modules which can be placed before the stack holders of the population of the area/spot to enable them to ponder and accept a module which they feel culture friendly to their village / area.. As discussed earlier, eco-tourism is the right type of activities which can take care of the Koraput populace in adding extra income to ther Dongar (Agro-forestry) cultivation as well as their cultural and biological diversity. Since these activities are on their own homeland, the cultural heritage will be protected and promoted instead of imposing imported culture as being practicised in the case of conventional tourism. Now it is a known fact that the agricultural activities (Dongar Cultivation) only can no longer be dependable or sustainable to provide economic sustainability. Designing appropriate eco-tour packages for Koraput region needs multi-disciplinary consultation as this is a Scheduled Area and a fragil region.
Director,
Koraput – 764020,
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