Ecology-and-Environment for 4th Semester

It was Miller (1968) who first mentioned the term ET and Ceballos- Lascurain (1987) appears tobe the first worker to offer a formal definition for the same. ET developed ‘within the womb ofEnvironmental movement in the 1970s and 1980s (Honey, 1999). Growing Environmentalconcern coupled with an emerging dissatisfaction with ill- planned mass tourism led to increaseddemand for more authentic nature based experiences of an alternative nature. By mid 1980s, ETwas identified as a means of achieving the twin goals of Biodiversity conservation andsustainable development in a number of countries.The concept of sustainable tourism should not be confused with ET. According to WTO, alltourism activities, be they geared to holidays, business, conferences, congresses or fairs, health,adventure or ET itself, must be sustainable. This means that the planning and development oftourism infrastructure, its subsequent operation and also its marketing should focus onenvironmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability criteria, so as to ensure that neitherthe natural environment nor the socio-cultural fabric of the host communities will be impaired bythe arrival/activities of tourists; on the contrary, enterprises, as well as the communities in whichthey operate, should benefit from tourism, both economically and culturally.Tourism is the largest industry in the world according to figures on employment andexpenditures. Over 800 million people, the equivalent of roughly 12% of the world's population,travel internationally each year — with many more travelling within their countries of residence.Airlines, the hotel and restaurant business, and outdoor equipment manufacturers and vendorsare among the supplier industries that are highly dependent on a successful tourism sector.Tourism furthermore relies on and provides income to national infrastructures such as airports,rail systems, road networks, electric power systems, agricultural production, and water supplysystems. On a more personal dimension, travelling provides individuals with the opportunity toescape temporarily from the humdrum of every-day life, to experience the novel or unknownand, possibly, to make a long-time ‘dream come true’. ‘Discovering the world’ arguably figuresamongst the top life goals for many people in developed countries. Consequently, the tourismsector as a whole seems to be fairly resilient to disruptions from economic downturns, politicalcrises, extreme weather events, or even natural disasters (UNWTO press release of 24 January2006).The fastest growing element of tourism is ‘nature-based’ tourism, often involving excursions tonational parks and wilderness areas, to developing countries where a large portion of the world'sbiodiversity is concentrated (Olson et al. 2001: 936; WWF 2001; Christ et al. 2003: 5). It mayalso include an ‘adventure tourism’ element that may carry physical risks. More and more peopleare living an urban life and the amenities and conveniences that come with globalisationincreasingly lead to a near complete disconnect from nature: the living creatures behind the neatslices of fish and meat that we consume or behind the clothes that keep us warm are no longervisible to us; the seasonality of fruit and vegetables virtually has ceased to exist; and the furniturein our homes is impossible to picture as the trees from which it came. Yet at the same time wemay have more intimate insight into the mystery of a giant sequoia, the hibernating habits of agrizzly bear or the hatching behaviour of a hummingbird than our rural ancestors could everhope to have had - insights that are brought to us in breathtaking close-up pictures via the manymedia channels that cater daily to our information needs. For many people, ‘getting back in 44

touch with nature’ thus provides the ultimately different holiday experience. Indeed, from snow-covered mountains to earth-coloured savannas teeming with exotic wildlife, lush rain forests,vast desert landscapes and pristine coastal strips offering spectacular bird and marine life, theopportunities for immersing oneself in nature seem countless.9.7. Describe ecotourism and adventure tourism.Ecotourism is now defined as \"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment,sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education\" (TIES,2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.Principles of EcotourismEcotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means thatthose who implement, participate in and market ecotourism activities should adopt the followingecotourism principles:  Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.  Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.  Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.  Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.  Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.  Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climates.  Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.  Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.Adventure travel appears to have developed out of the broader, wider growth of traditional outdoorand wilderness recreation during the 20th century. Unlike other forms of recreation, adventure traveloffers a unique opportunity in. which participants become more experienced and pursue extendedscales of \"adventurous endeavors.Adventure travel is travel to new and exciting places with an intention to seek, to explore a newexperience or the expectation to find, adventure. It can be as simple as hitch-hiking across acountryside you have never visited before. It can be rock- climbing or para-gliding that need specialequipment's. It appears to require an element of uncertainty, or perceived risk or controlled dangerassociated with personal threat in that the travelers are not following a fixed schedule and are free tospeed up, slow, or halt their travel, and often take spur-of-the-moment side trips in a naturalenvironment or exotic outdoor setting.A planned and guided group tour probably cannot really be considered adventure travel. But it couldhave the same itinerary, without the uncertainty. To the participants, it would still seem likeadventure travel. The growth of adventure travel has been accompanied by an enormous variety andavailability of adventure travel products in international travel and tourism. 45

9.8. Describe ecotourism and trekking.Ecotourism is now defined as \"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment,sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education\" (TIES,2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.Principles of EcotourismEcotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means thatthose who implement, participate in and market ecotourism activities should adopt the followingecotourism principles:  Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.  Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.  Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.  Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.  Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.  Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climates.  Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.  Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.Trekking is combination of hiking and walking activity in which people take multi-days trips inrural, un development area. In another words, Trekking is making a journey/trip on foot,especially to hike through mountainous areas often for multiple days and along lovely mountainsvillages and enjoying nature and/or close contact with people in remote mountain villages wherelifestyle sometimes is unchanged since many generations. Trekking is also done in riskymountain areas so it will help to gain more adventurous build up capacity to the trekkers’.Trekker will get knowledge that is more adventurous with the real life scenario in mountain areasor in remote area. In case of Nepal, Nepal has many places where people can easily do trek for 3days up to 3 months. To be a trekker they must have to there things that are Budget, Holiday,willing to do adventure. Trekking will not done free by the Trekking company so that they mostpay the expenses during their trekking trip and They must have a holiday for such trip and lastone is trekker must be capable to do a trek and he/she have to willing do adventure work. 46

Unit 10: Future Pattern of Ecotourism in Nepal10.1 Discuss the existing pattern of ecotourism in Nepal.Ecotourism is very burning issue and one of the fastest growing sectors in current world tourismindustry. Especially in many developing countries like Nepal are trying to use ecotourism as atool to achieve sustainable development. The paper mainly considers current opportunities ofecotourism in Nepal where tourism is one of the fastest expanding industries which has beenleaving various negative impacts in different areas. It is aiming to study about the current state ofecotourism in Nepal. The paper also attempt to give critical analysis of ecotourism impacts andchallenges in the case of Nepal and point out some recommendations for better practice ofecotourism. The paper tries to answer the following question: Is ecotourism opportunity orchallenge in Nepal? How is ecotourism practised in the country? Can ecotourism be a beneficialtool for sustainable development of the country? How can ecotourism be very effective means ofdevelopment and conservation?Nepal has abundance of opportunities of ecotourism industry. But its effective practice andimplementation is not promising due to lack of commitment of governmental policy andplanning strategy with combination of integrated conservation and development. Thus to runecotourism project properly, principles and theories of ecotourism must be considered a majorbase while make its policy and planning. Policy must be integrative, collaborative andcomprehensive to achieve real outcome of ecotourism by realizing importance of environmental,social and economic imperatives.Principal Tourist Activities in NepalNepal is a playground• for tourists with different activities which are described briefly bellow:Rural Tourism: Nepal is a rural village based country where majority of people are residing inremote, very remote villages with various ethnicities where tourists can get a real sense of theunique life style and culture. Also village tourism supports different significant activities such asforestation, transformation of agriculture, conservation, income generation, exchange of cultureand knowledge etc. (NTB, 2008).Mountain Climbing: Nepal is famous for its unique mountain landscape which is the reasonthat many tourists to visit Nepal. Out of 1792 mountain peaks, as many as 1310 are above 6000metre high, but only 326 peaks are open for climbing (TAAN, 2008).Trekking: Nepal also possesses wonderful trekking destinations with beautiful scenic vistas thatattract tourists more and convince them to stay more days.Visiting Religious and Cultural Sites: Nepal has many important religious and cultural siteswith historic and artistic significance particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism.UNESCO has listed ten cultural and religious sites of Nepal as World Heritage Sites (NTB,2008). 47

Rafting: In Nepal, there are numerous rivers, among which some are very fast flowing riverswhich are excellent for rafting purposes. Through rafting tourists can also explore the natural andcultural beauty of the country.Bungee Jumping: Nepal has many thrilling Bungee jumping sites that provide tourists withgreat adventurous experiences with fun in life. Bhote Koshi site is the main site for theseactivities.Besides these, there are so many other activities, such as rock climbing, mountain biking, junglesafaris, paragliding, hot air ballooning, mountain flights, visiting museums, shopping indigenousproducts, meditation, etc. These activities are more or less related with ecotourism in the form ofnature, wildlife and culture based tourism. However the proper management of all activities isalways remain major consideration for effective practice of ecotourism in Nepal.Besides various benefits of tourism, tourism also has severe adverse effects such as unwantedpressure on natural resources, environmental pollution, loss of natural habitats and deteriorationof natural vista, depletion of water resources, cultural erosion, and increases use of drugs andgrowth of criminal activities. So tourism needs to be developed while embracing the twin goalsof local development and environmental conservation. In this point, ecotourism could be a tool tocurb or check the adverse effects of the mass tourism. The tourism industry in Nepal alsoeventually has adopted the principles of ecotourism as its key issues in developing responsibleand advantageous tourism in the country10.2 Describe the future direction of ecotourism in Nepal.Tourism in Nepal is gradually heading towards mass tourism. So it seems the right time toimplement the principles of ecotourism in the growing field of tourism so that it can help toconserve natural ecosystems and promote local culture while protecting generation old culturaland religious heritages by curbing the fast growth of tourism. Ecotourism could providemaximum benefits for local communities with environmental conservation through maximuminvolvement of all stakeholders of the tourism industry to aware the need of ecotourism as aresponsible tourism to promote balance development in the country.It is no doubt that proper use of ecotourism can be very beneficial in various aspects. Nepal isblessed with various resources for attracting tourists in different ways. These resources need tobe utilized properly, and ecotourism can be the best vehicle to deliver socio-economicenhancement of remote and rural areas and also to safeguard the environment of hostcommunity.Nepal has long experienced the need of ecotourism since there has been an increased flow oftourists and its adverse impacts started to be felt different fields. So Nepal aims to developecotourism as a key vehicle supported by different national and international agencies focusingin environmental conservation and poverty alleviation. There are various national andinternational organizations such a Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation(DNPWC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation(KMTNC) mainly involved in developing ecotourism and other international agencies like 48

World conservation Union/ International Union for Conservation of Nature and NaturalResources (IUCN), and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD)have also been persistently supporting the development of ecotourism in Nepal (Carlsson, 2001and Thapa, 2002).Nepal enacted the Natural Park and Wildlife Conservation Act in 1973. DNPWC is an importantagency, working with a network of 9 National Parks, 3 Wild life reserves, 3 conservation areasand one hunting reserve together with 11 buffer zones around National parks occupying a totalarea of 28,999 km2 or 19.70 percent of the total land of the country (DNPWC, 2008).It is hard to say exactly when ecotourism had started. But it is generally believed that theimportance and necessity of ecotourism was realized significantly with the enactment of theNational Park and Wildlife Conservation Act in 1973 and establishment of various naturalProtected Areas in the hope of conservation of ecosystem and development in community andother sector in an integrated way. Furthermore the establishment of the Department of NationalParks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), coordinating the networks of all protected areaswith various ecotourism programmes, excels more for the promotion of ecotourism in Nepal.Later other many significant efforts such as establishment of Annapurna Conservation AreaProject in 1986 and special focus on ecotourism in Ninth Five Year Plan (1997- 2002) also pavedthe way to flourish ecotourism in the Nepalese tourism industry. ACAP is one of the mostsuccessful ecotourism projects in South Asian region that support nature based ecotourism withother various conservation and development programmes efficiently (Thapa, 2004). TheIndustrial Enterprises Act, 1992 and Environmental Protection Act, 1996 also help to awarepeople about environmental protection and eco-friendly activities. Now ecotourism gets heightedevery single tourism activities. However to achieve its objective implementation, in the contextof Nepalese tourism industry, much more has to be done in days to come.Pattern of Ecotourism in NepalAnnapurna Conservation Area ProjectThis project is established in 1986 covering vast area of almost five district of westerndevelopment region of the country. The project, supported by many national and internationalorganizations, is well-known for its outstanding model for natural resource conservation andcommunity development (MoCTCA, 2002). Its principal objectives are:  Sustainable resource management  Maximum participation of local people  Promoting alternative energy to minimize the negative impacts of tourism  Poverty alleviation  Integrated agriculture and livestock development  Environmental awareness for both host and guest communities.  Agro- forestry and community development  Heritage conservation with control tourism  Self-sustaining tourism 49

Ghalegaon Sikles Ecotourism Project (GSEP):It is also one of the successful ecotourism projects of the country, established in 1992, designedby KMTNC and ACAP, and funded by Asian Development Bank for tourism infrastructuredevelopment. The main aim of the project is to contribute conservation of natural resources andlocal community development through responsible tourism. The project has been doing varioussignificant tasks in the field of nature conservation such as foot trail construction, forest zoning,river training, sustainable forest harvesting, promoting alternative energy device from solar,micro hydro projects and fuel efficient ovens .The project also actively involves with other various activities like sustainable infrastructuredevelopment, school education, community toilets and drinking water programmes, varioustrainings related with tourism, vegetable production and leadership training. It also focuses oncapacity building of locals with maximum participation for promoting local cultures andenvironmental preservation. According to MoCTCA (2002), the project also support for variousresearch works for identifying important and rare flora and fauna and non-timber forest items,socio-economic survey, and biodiversity conservation research with for utilization revenuescollected from entry fee from the touristsKanchenjunga Community Based Ecotourism Project:The project initiated its major plan since 1998 with 84 tourists. However it facing overcrowdwith trekkers whom leave out much garbage and rubbish. Thus the project has major duty tomanage wastes and conserve natural environment with the help of maximum involvement oflocals. In the area, there two major projects, the Kanchenjunga conservation project and Tourismfor Rural Poverty Alleviation programme which are working together for sustainabledevelopment of infrastructure, nature and culture conservation, ecotourism development, agro-forestry, and capacity building for local people .Manaslu Nature Based Ecotourism Project:The project was established 1999 with special purpose of conservation and communitydevelopment. The area is now being managed by KMTNC to develop the area as AnnapurnaConservation Area Project model to manage the area effectively for the promotion responsibletourism to provide the maximum benefit to local people through their genuine involvement . Toconserve the area and develop ecotourism in the park, there is a project named Tourism for RuralPoverty Alleviation Programme which is working for environmental conservation, participationof local people, supporting local economy, development of infrastructures, and supportingdisadvantaged gender, ethnic groups .Upper Mustang Biodiversity Conservation Project:It is established in 2000 with key aim of preserving biodiversity and cultural heritages throughsustainable tourism management. The project also basically focuses on capacity building of localfor their active participation in planning, management, and monitoring of the project which canenhance the lifestyle of local people and conservation of local environment . The project was 50

supported by ACAP in various aspects to gain the required success of the projects. The keyachievements of the project are:  Training for local people to enhance their skill in plantation, wildlife management, survey techniques and biodiversity database arrangement  Conducting awareness about importance of ecosystem and cultural heritages and cleanliness  Training for various aspects related with responsible tourism for generating income  Encourage both tourist and locals to respect local environment and culture.  Maximum local involvement of local peopleTourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Program (TRPAP):The project is funded by great international organizations such as UNDP, DFID, and SNVkeeping major goal of alleviating poverty in Nepal through sustainable tourism developmentpolicy. Project major focus on basically disadvantageous and underprivileged men and women,lower castes, and marginalized ethnic groups. The programme also emphasizes for maximumparticipation of grassroots for decision making in policy making so that they can get maximumbenefit. The programme is always aiming to design such remarkable tourism model in varioustouristic areas to promote sustainable development by enhancing local economy throughpromoting various ecotourism activities such as tour guide, local products, home – stay, cottageindustry etc. the project has been successful in its objective in various tourism sites like Pokhara,Chitwan National Park where local people are more active in their income generation.Simikot, Humla Development Package:The project mainly emphasizes on conserving Buddhist cultural and religious heritages andnatural resources of north- western region of the country which comprises trekking route to Mt.Kailash and Mansarovar Lake a centre of pilgrimage. The package is getting financial supportfrom Netherland Development Organization (SNV) and local networks in Humla to run varioussignificant works such as paving the trails, management of waste, sanitation and drainage,improving different lodges and religious heritages. And it also conducts skill developmenttraining to village guides, porters, local lodge owners to increase the involvement of locals .Others: There are so many other ecotourism projects which are effectively though various wayto support ecotourism directly or indirectly. They are Makalu BarunDevelopment Package, Tansen Development Package, Dolpa Development Package, ThePartnership for Quality Tourism Project etc. are other more ecotourism projects work invarious natural and tourism sites for promoting ecotourism effectively.10.3 Explain the vision for ecotourism in Nepal.The main vision is to promote eco tourism in Nepal to sustain and promote Nepal tourismindustry in an environment friendly way which always respects the eco systems. 51

 Promote new and remote village as tourism destination.  Educating local community and all stakeholders to operate there daily activities in environment friendly way .  Helping marginalized people of vulnerable area through tourism activities.  Promoting conservation area of Nepal through responsible tourism activities10.4 Describe ecotourism and its policy.1. Development of ecotourism action plan for important destinations:Ecotourism policy should be the guiding principle for promotion of ecotourism and immediatesteps should be taken for development of ecotourism action plan for important destinationswithin the country2. Infrastructure Development: Development of infrastructure, improvement of facilities, andtourist circuits within the Protected Areas should be the function of the Wildlife Wing of ForestDepartment in accordance with the rules and regulation for protected areas. While implementingthe policy and developing and operating ecotourism at ecotourism destinations, the prevailingActs and Rules shall be adhered to.3. Eco-tourists facilitation: The facilitation of the ecotourists, tour packages, route management/ development and movement needs to be carried out by some outside agency in coordinationwith the Protected Area manager or DFO concerned.4. Ecotourism Principles: Ecotourism will be promoted and developed in accordance with thevision, goal and objectives, based on the following core set of principles:Principle 1 Nature Area Focus - provide visitors with the opportunity to directly experiencenature.Principle 2 Interpretation - provide opportunities to visitors to experience nature in ways thatlead to greater understanding, appreciation and enjoyment.Principle 3 Environmentally Sustainable Practice – ensure environmentally sustainable practiceswithin carrying capacity of the area.Principle 4 Promotion of Conservation and Benefits to Local Communities – ensure promotionof conservation and tangible returns to the local communities.Principle 5 Respect Culture - be sensitive to understand oral local culturePrinciple 6 Strategic Marketing for Customer Satisfaction - to market and promote effectively sothat realistic customer expectations are achieved.10.5 Describe ecotourism and its strategies.Country's Ninth Plan's, Policy and Implementation strategies include promotion of Eco-tourism.Programmes such as development of model tourist villages, development of new trekking areascomes under these strategies. Whereas, the forthcoming tenth plan is focussed to review tourismpolicies, assessments of net contribution to economy from tourism, review of institutionalperformance, Nepal's tourism policy, regulation and institutional arrangements. It will also focusto develop tourism infrastructure in remote areas which will ultimately help to develop domestictourism in Nepal . 52

His Majesty's Government of Nepal, is always supportive not only on policy level but it providesgrant assistance for the environment protection activities. Under Ministry of Culture, Tourismand Civil Aviation there is an Eco-tourism project in Rolwaling Region with the Austrianassistance. Eco-Himal an Austrian NGO is implementing the project. With the AsianDevelopment Bank's assistance second Tourism Development Project is going on. Under thisproject an Eco-tourism development activity in Manasalu region is in implementation. Hismajesty's government realizing increasing stress on the natural environment has introduced alegislation that requires tourism service providers to compile Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) report to be submitted mandatory. This is to keep an eye on the environmentaldegradation, if any, transpiring in these areas.Private institutions regularly conduct training courses on Eco-tourism. Their policy is to protectand make environment clean. Apart from these the NGOs involved in tourism promotion havegreat commitment to conserve environment.It is believed that through Eco tourism development employment generation and wealthdistribution can be possible. Nepal will use its experiences in developing sustainable tourism,associated with mountain trekking, where Eco-tourism is an appropriate development strategyfor poverty alleviation and conservation. 53

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