Leading the eco-trail

There is little room and glory left in trying to introduce India's proverbial, and not merely its demographic, beach destination. Bhisham Mansukhani reports on how the state is pursuing eco-tourism to woo more tourists

Goa spans over 3,702 square kilometres, lining India's west coast and housing mellow people and an innate holiday culture. Realising that eco-tourism is imperative, both for the ecological sustenance of the destination as well as for presenting Goa in a unique manner to demanding international tourists, the state tourism board has been aggressively pursuing its cause. This has lent a completely new flavour to a destination, otherwise renowned as India's premium beach retreat.

Sunny side up

For Goa though, eco-tourism is just a synonym for the very essence of the destination, be it sun, sand or surf. Perhaps, what's changed is the ambit of eco-tourism which hitherto was a complacently narrow one, embracing the beaches. It's been one long and hedonistic party stretching back to the 60s but the hippies have gotten haircuts and sand stretches have gotten dirty, crowded and familiar. The state suffered a fall of around 20 per cent in inbound tourist numbers post September 11. Taking quick cognition of a stagnant theme as well as statistics, the state looked to coin a new idea and a new mantra, 'Go Goa - 365 days of the year'.

Eco-tourism is an indispensable element of this new approach. The emphasis now, according to Goa's ministry of tourism is on eco-tourism with wildlife, backwater and the hinterland taking precedence over the beaches. Eco-tourism has received special attention by way of budgetary provisions and projects for the development of interior green-spots like waterfalls, sanctuaries and lakes. Projects for the development of Nanda Lake at Curchorem, Alorna Fort and Harvalem waterfalls, which have significant tourist value have already been taken up. Infrastructure development for adventure tourism along the coast as well as equally magnificent interior hilly areas are also in the pipeline. So the introspection for an eco-tourism driven Goan revival is quite literal. A concerted effort to promote unconventional tourism products like backwaters, heritage houses and a host of other innovative products have been packaged and designed to lure the tourists.

The state government itself is keen on ecological reform. Vigorous campaigning by the Plastic Free Goa Campaign led to a law that enforced a ban on thin plastic bags in Goa and plastic bags below 100 microns are no longer handed out by shopkeepers. Instead, customers are charged for them in the hope that they will either re-use them or use alternatives such as baskets. It is hoped that the move will help combat the proliferation of plastic bags that litter the beaches on India's west coast. A solution still needs to be found for the problem of the millions of plastic water bottles disposed by tourists. It is however not without it's dilemmas. For instance, the proposal of the Ministry of Environment and Forests that all areas within a radius of ten kilometres from the boundaries of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks be notified as eco-fragile zones under the Environment Protection Act 1986, has adverse implications for Goa because it would virtually remove most of the available land from the purview of development. What is required here is an appreciation of the fact that Goa has been able to sustain its forest cover which now stands at 38 per cent.

The eco-initiatives

The state's tourism department does not have too much to worry about as far as its eco-tourism resources are concerned. However, Goa is steeped in biological diversity. Apart from the marine ecosystem of the coastal waters of the Arabian sea, Goa is home to a genetic diversity of several cash crops such as mango, cashew, pepper, coconut, arecanut and other tropical vegetation. The Carambolim Lake, the Mandovi and Zuari rivers and the coastal estuaries sustain a wide variety of aquatic flora and fauna. There are mangrove forests and paddy fields with the accompanying biodiversity. Nature has endowed Goa with scenic beauty, geographical diversity and a unique wealth of flora and fauna. The state is rich in faunal species, including an abundant bird life. The white bellied sea eagle, osprey, spoonbill, sandpiper, redshark, seagull, etc are among the major birds found here. Also found are the crow pheasant, brahminy kite, sunbird, bulbul, babbler and a variety of butterflies and moths. The coastal areas of the state with the rocky, muddy and sandy shores provide a fascinating variety of marine organisms including corals, molluscs, echinoderms and fishes.

However, rapid industrialisation, tourism and resource overuse have had an adverse impact on the environment of Goa. Industrial effluent, mining, agro-chemicals, domestic waste, etc have polluted the air and water. The state is suffering from the problem of heavy metals and the urban air is seriously polluted leading to smog-type conditions in early mornings and an increase in respiratory problems. Goa's biodiversity was vanishing, which is why eco-tourism has become the developmental paradigm of a reformed tourism industry.

The International Eco-tourism Society (TIES) defines eco-tourism as a responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and sustain the well-being of local people. There is still vast ambiguity stigmatised to this phrase and therein lies the danger. It has allowed the tourism industry access into hitherto untouched areas around the world without having to compromise its raison d'être, profit. Destruction of sand dunes and an erosion prone coast is what is left of Goa today.

In 1996, the National Committee on Tourism, Planning Commission of India observed that the natural charm of coastal areas and marine area is being adversely affected by massive tourist development. Goa can be cited as an example. The beach resort facilities are spread all along the coastline of Goa. They undermine the natural sand dunes eco-systems of the coastal areas. The uncontrolled spurt in construction activity provoked by tourist influx in Goa, particularly the extraction of sand dunes for development works, has led to continual erosion of coastal areas by the relentless sea.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests lays strong emphasis on people's participation to conserve the environment. Special programmes like social forestry, eco-clubs, eco-task force, Paryavaran Vahinis (Environment Brigades), etc have been initiated. Eco-task forces of ex-servicemen is a joint venture of the ministry of environment and forests, ministry of defence and the concerned state governments to undertake ecological restoration work in selected environmentally degraded areas, particularly in unapproachable and hostile terrain.

As in many other parts of the country, developmental activities and human pressure, including tourism, have had an adverse impact on the environment of Goa. The two main rivers Mandovi and Zuari, which drain 69 per cent of the state area now harbour on their banks 50 per cent of the population and a large number of industries.