Community Involvement And Sustainable Tourism

Environmental problems facing the world today are of such magnitude that urgent action needs to be taken at the highest levels to counter this degradation. It is not just enough for governments or organisations to work toward sustainable development. Every individual, every neighbourhood and every community has to come forward and contribute in every manner possible to get any closer to the goal.

Gour Kanjilal

While governments around the world are looking towards renewable energy sources as a solution, it is also important that local community based sustainability programmes be implemented. Every community needs to understand and analyse the possible methods that could be used to reduce its burden on the earth’s natural resources and ensure that it develops sustainability solutions that are rooted in its surroundings.

Disregard of local needs is the source of conflict. Therefore, the answer is to involve locals to control decision making, get grassroots support for what is generally perceived as elitist concern and offer the promise of making conservation relevant to the lives of a wider public. The adage ‘think globally act locally’ is nowhere as apt as in environmental issues.

Conservation decisions may be crucial at a global level but are doomed to fail if they ignore local concerns. We have seen how the Narmada Dam Project had local communities up in arms against it. The local community must be reassured that displaced people will get economic stability on completion of the project and it will have a positive effect on local economies. Linking the initiatives to social and economic security of the people is a must. If the objective is genuinely reduction in human suffering, it will be possible to get grassroots support and involvement in decision making.

The ecosystem and human activities are interlinked – the degradation of any may endanger economic progress and the environment. This awareness is to be built up as it is the backbone of environmental sanity. We should not overuse or misuse our natural resources.

Kerala is an example of a state where successful programmes have been implemented. Conservation efforts have been linked with tourism there. This has provided jobs to over 4,000 boatmen, fuelled local boat production and income. Once inhabitants enjoy a better quality of life, they have greater vested interest in preserving the natural beauty and biodiversity. Also, inKerala, the revival of India's traditional centuries-old Ayurvedic treatments have led to jobs for thousands of villagers who are taking good care of the forests from where they collect basic ingredients for the herbal medicines. Nature conservation is thus proving an effective route to socio-economic development with the involvement of local people.

Women, the back-bone of local communities, can be invaluable in conservation efforts provided they are given proper education. They must be integrated in nature conservation and community development, especially in areas around tourist centres in the deep interiors. Women in villages can be involved in handicrafts-related activities, folk dances for entertainment of tourists, village paintings (on walls of the typical resorts of the place), even to work as local guides. By organising non-formal education and alternative income generating activities, there will be less pressure on natural resources. Involving local communities intimately in planning and activities that benefit both them and the environment has proved successful in wildlife sanctuaries/national parks is perhaps the only way to sustain both. Poaching has been drastically reduced and local people are acting as guards to save wildlife. When they are given a stake in their own futures, they will take responsibility and do what needs to be done, taking appropriate steps that would be impossible if imposed by some regulatory authority.

Conservation must be promoted in the language that is understandable. The local community must be constantly reminded that natural resources, once gone, are lost for ever. We should not destroy the very things that sustain our existence. Conservation is essential if our world is to have a future. We must present to our future generations the gifts we have received from the creator. Both nature and human beings can co-exist and indeed it is impossible to separate one from the other.

The author is the Regional Director (Western & Central India) Indiatourism (Mumbai)