Community based Ecotourism- A case

study in Bhopal Division.Bhopal(MP)

L.Krishnamoorthy I.F.S.

Conservator of Forests, Bhopal Division, Forest Sports Complex, 74

Bunglows, Bhopal-462003 Madhya Pradesh

Email: kichump@rediffmail.com

Abstract

Community Based Ecotourism has been perceived as one such tool to

ensure the participation of local communities in conservation of forest by

ensuring their livelihoods as ecotourism service provider. The initiatives taken

by Bhopal Forest Division to promote Ecotourism activities at Samardha and

Kerwa in Bhopal with the help of Madhya Pradesh Ecotourism Development

Board(MPEDB) has shown the marked improvement in employment

generation to local communities in one hand and creating environmental

awareness to the City dwellers.

It has been observed that if the communities are trained in different

trades of eco-tourism services such as Nature Interpretation, Hospitality &

Catering, Camp Management, Housekeeping etc, and provided with

infrastructure requirement, they can as a group perform the duties of eco-

tourism service provider and cater to the tourists visiting forest areas. This not

only provides them livelihood opportunity but also sensitize them towards

forest & wildlife conservation. They also become the messenger for spreading

the message of conservation education amongst the masses.

Key Words

Ecotourism, Livelihood, Employment generation,Wildlife.

Introduction

Ecotourism is responsible form of nature based tourism, oriented

towards conservation of resource, development of livelihood opportunities for

local communities and dissemination of conservation education. Ecotourism

has been broadly defined as Tourism which is ecologically sustainable.

The total contribution of travel and tourism to Indian GDP was INR

6385.1bn(6.6%of GDP)in 2012 and is forecast to rise by 7,3%in 2013-14 and

to rise by 7.9% pa to 14722.3bn in 2023. Of course this is generic figure that

Government of India has provided. There is no sectoral evaluation of the

metric regards to Ecotourism, hence one would not be able to comment on the

aspect of GDP contribution through Ecotourism. However, considering that

multitude of tourists visiting India and domestic tourists to visit destinations

that fall in the categories of Ecotourism and nature based tourism, it is

pertinent that studies in this sector will add value and bring about positive

growth and development to the Ecotourism sector.

Madhya Pradesh has largest geographical area under forest cover. The

rich floral & faunal biodiversity spread across the 96000 km2 forest land

makes it the preferred choice for travellers. Although the major tourist influx

for the tourists has been observed in PAs ( 10 National Parks & 24 Wildlife

Sanctuaries ), but with increasing numbers of tourists and limited carrying

capacity of national parks, reserved forest areas of MP have seen a increase in

tourist influx over the last few years. Madhya Pradesh is well endowed with a

rich gamut of picturesque and relatively undisturbed landscapes, forests,

wildlife and cultural diversity. More than 80% of the tourism in Madhya

Pradesh is centred on nature and wildlife. It is in this context that

―Ecotourism‖ has gained its bearing in the state. The Ecotourism has also

potential to play an important role in creating environmental as well as cultural

awareness amongst all the stakeholders like local communities, tourists,

government and private sector.

In order to harness the potential of Ecotourism in state and to reduce

the pressure on national parks, Forest Department, Government of Madhya

Pradesh has created Madhya Pradesh Ecotourism Board(MPEDB) on 12th

july

2005 under Madhya Pradesh Societies registration Act 1973. Madhya Pradesh

Ecotourism Board has started the initiative of promoting Community Based

Ecotourism in various Forest Divisions of MP. MPEDB is the first Ecotourism

Board created in India to promote Ecotourism in Forest areas. MPEDB

provided a new structure, policy, Guidelines and framework, infrastructure,

funds and awareness to promote Ecotourism in Madhya Pradesh.

Materials and Methods

The study area includes Samardha and Kerwa ecotourism destinations

of Bhopal division. The JFM committees operating in this area and ecotourism

sub-committees are interviewed using

questionnaire to collect all the relevant

data to analyse the impact of ecotourism

on the livelihood of the members in the

form of primary data. The income and

expenditure details are collected from

the committee records.

Results and Discussion

Community Based Ecotourism in Bhopal Division

Forest Department is always faced with the paradox of Forest Conservation on

one hand & Livelihood Security of the forest dwelling communities on the

other hand. The symbiotic relation of the one on the other is so complex that

there is no possible alternative for the Forest Department to ensure justice to

both without compromising the interest of the other. The need of the hour is to

incentivise local communities for Forest conservation by providing them such

livelihood alternatives which can inherently ensure their participation in Forest

& Wildlife Conservation.

How we started - Samardha Forests

Samardha is a reserved forest area and has been famous from the time

of erstwhile Nawab’s of Bhopal, who frequently visited Samardha for hunting

& recreation. From that time Samardha is famous as “Shikargah of Nawab”.

There is a small revenue village called Samardha on fringes of Samardha

Reserved Forest with 100 households. The village is mainly inhabited by

Yadav community and has taken up settled agriculture and Dairy farming as

their major occupation.

Forest Department in the year 2011, with the financial help from

MPEDB,decided to start an ecotourism destination in the vicinity of Samardha

Forest for Nature based recreation of Urban tourists of Bhopal. The vision was

to provide alternative livelihood opportunity to the local villagers and to

sensitize the tourist about the forest & wildlife.

Capacity Building of Local Youths

The Village Forest Committee (Gram Van Samiti) , Samardha was

consulted and 20 identified youths of village were trained in different trades of

ecotourism services such as Nature Interpretation, Hospitality & Catering ,

Camp Management, Adventure

Activities . A Self Help Group of

trained youths was formed under the

VFC, Samardha. The SHG was named

as Eco-tourism Committee, Samardha

and a resolution was passed by VFC,

Samardha that Ecotourism Committee

Samardha will work with following

objectives:

1. To provide eco-tourism services (Guiding, Food, Accommodation

facilities etc) to the tourists and

earn revenues.

2. To help Forest Department in

Forest & Wildlife Conservation.

3. To protect Samardha Forest Area

from illicit felling, Wildlife

Poaching, Forest Fire or any

incident, which might have

detrimental impact on forest & wildlife.

Ecotourism Committee were provided with basic infrastructure facilities of

Kitchen, Store Room. Public Utilities to start their own enterprise as

ecotourism service provider. Different Brochures, Hoardings and leaflets

were also prepared for the wider publicity of the destination.

An operation model of the ecotourism committee was also finalised by

Ecotourism Board in consultation with VFC & Ecotourism Committee,

Samardha.

Constitution: Ecotourism Committee has one elected President & Secretary

to look after the management (Operations, Account & Store Management) of

Ecotourism Committee.

Roles & Responsibility of Divisional Forest Staff, Ecotourism Board &

Ecotourism Committee

1. Divisional Forest Staff is entrusted with the role of overseeing the

work of Ecotourism Committee

a. To ensure that Ecotourism Committee members or tourist are

not involved in any activity which are against the prevailing

law of Forest.

b. To ensure that the Ecotourism committee is working as per the

operational guidelines prepared for them

2. Ecotourism Board

a. To identify & train local youths in different trades of

ecotourism services

b. To provide financial support for developing infrastructural

requirement ( Camp Equipments, Public Utilities, Kitchen

Equipments etc)

c. To do marketing & promotion through various available

medium ( Print & Electronic Media)

d. To take bookings and overlook the operations of ecotourism

committee thro’ appointed Ecotourism Manager.

3. Ecotourism Committee: To provide ecotourism services for the

tourists.

a. Nature Based Activities (Trekking, Nature Walks, Bird Watching, Star

Gazing): Tourists are accompanied by guides on designated trekking

routes and are

also briefed

about the do's

& don'ts of

Jungle.

b. Cultural Activities ( Folk Songs, Bullock Cart Ride, Village Tour)

Tourists are taken on village tour in Bullock Carts, in evening time

they can dance on the beats of local folk songs sung by the committee

members. Local people of

Samardha has embraced

ecotourism with positive

spirit and are more than

willing to share their

experience of Jungle with

the tourists.

Folk tales

narrated by

senior aged

people of

samardha have

long lasting

impression on

the guests.

c. Adventure Activities ( Archery, Monkey Crawling, Cycling etc)

Tourists also get opportunity to do various adventure activities conducted by

trained committee members, these activities are the major attraction of

Samardha Jungle Camp.

d. Food ( ethnic food cuisines)

Community provide basic

food menu for the tourists

combined with their local

cuisines.

e. Accommodation

(Tented/Cottage)

Samardha has two

prefabricated cottages and 25 alpine tents which can accommodate

maximum group size of 60 people.

Booking Process & Operations

The SHG gets their booking either through MPEDB, DFO office or

directly. The tourist may provide cash on the site or transfer the amount into

the SHG account to confirm their booking. The SHG depending on the type of

booking and the requirement of guests do the preparations.

The Ecotourism committee from its own funds arrange for the recurring

expenses of the event.

Account Management

The Ecotourism Committee manages their account as per the set

protocols of accounting principles generally followed by SHG’s. They manage

Cashbook, Vouchers, Bill book, Event Expense sheet & Attendance register

for their record. The accounts are being audited by Ecotourism Manager on

monthly basis and the progress report is submitted to the CEO, MPEDB.

Money Flow

The money received from tourists is first deposited in the account of

Ecotourism Committee.

Ecotourism Committee depending on the requirement & tourist

bookings takes out the money for the recurring expenses.

The Ecotourism Committee calculates the number of mandays each

individual member has contributed and after deducting all the recurring

expenses and share of Ecotourism Board & VFC distributes the profit

amongst the members of the SHG.

The Samiti also keeps minimum 10 % of their profit as reserved fund,

for working capital requirement and for off season repair &

maintenance expenses.

Benefit Sharing Mechanism

Ecotourism Committee currently offers two types of standard packages

Package Rates Inclusion

Ecotourism

Board

Charges

Village

Forest

Committee

Charges

Ecotourism

Committee

Day

Package 500

Food: Lunch

Activities: Bird Watching,

Cycling, Archery and other

activities

100 15/pax

50 /vehicle 385

Day—Night

Package 1300

Food: Breakfast, Lunch &

Dinner

Accommodation:

tents/cottages

Activities: As per choice

300 15/pax

50/vehicle 985

The ecotourism committee Samardha has been working for past 2.5 years and

on the basis of the experiences learnt from Samardha Jungle Camp, a similar

kind of initiative has been started in Kerwa. The operational model has been

kept same for the Ecotourism Committee Kerwa.

Community Based Ecotourism, Kerwa

Kerwa is one of the famous urban getaways of Bhopal. The proximity

to the city and good road connectivity makes it favourite place for the urban

tourists to visit this area. The undulating landscapes, precipitous hills, verdant

forests & Kerwa lake makes it the most sort after place for appreciating the

pristine beauty of nature.

Kerwa Lake out of which 2 ha has been earmarked for Ecotourism. There are

3-4 villages in the

vicinity of Kerwa

Forests. Similar type of

eco SHG has been

formed from the

identified youths of

these villages and they

have been trained in

different trades for

providing ecotourism

services.

Amenities developed

at Kerwa Jungle

Camp

1. Cafeteria ( Managed by eco Self Help Group, Kerwa)

2. Adventure Activities:

(Paintball, Archery,

Kayaking, Boating,

Rappelling, Sky Zipping

etc)

Rappelling: tourists climb down an 80 feet high hill by balancing themselves

through 10mm high tensile rope.

Kayaking: Tourists gets opportunity to try their hand on inflatable kayaks and

row through paddles and glance at the picturesque view of Kerwa Dam.

Paint Ball: Paintball is an artificial war zone game, played by two teams

inside a battle zone arena. Number of players in a team may range from three

to five. The objective of the game for each team is to capture the flag of the

opposing team and to eliminate as many opposing players as possible by

shooting through your marker while capturing and returning the opposing

team’s flag to its own flag station within a limited time period.

3.Trekking and Bird watching: The tourists are taken to adjoining forest area

in the predetermined routes for trekking and bird watching. The trained guides

explain the important spots like rock paintings, direct and indirect evidences of

wild animals seen in the route, water bodies, rocks etc in the trekking route.

Amenities Proposed: With the increase in the influx of tourists to Kerwa, the

following amenities are being developed in the current financial year 2014-15.

1. Kids Entertainment Zone

2. Camping Accommodation

3. Tree House & Cottages

Financials for last two years

Ecotourism

Destination

people

engaged

No. of years

of operation

Total

Revenue

Year-1

Total

Revenue

Year-2

Average

Monthly

Income/member

Samardha,

Bhopal 14 2.5 6,20,000 10,30,817 4000

Kerwa, Bhopal 12 3 months NA 2,50,000 4200

*Average monthly income has been calculated after deducting the operating

expenses, JFMC share & forest department charges.

* Operation cycle for above mentioned sites is mainly July to March. April to

June is off season in which they do other works like agricultural works,

Labour work etc.

* Average monthly income mentioned is purely from providing ecotourism

services and is exclusive of their income from other sources such as cattle’s,

agricultural work, labour wage.

*These data are based on cumulative expense, benefit sharing sheets of

respective ecotourism Samiti and the records sent by them to Ecotourism

Board on monthly basis.

Conclusion:

Ecotourism in its purest form is the only non consumptive use of forest

resource, where a tourist derives pleasure from the aesthetic value of nature.

An organised form of tourism helps in minimizing the impact on the resource

and helps in conservation of forest & wildlife. Due to ecotourism activities in

these areas the overall protection to the forests has improved. Until & unless

tourists get a chance to interact with Jungle through different ecotourism

activities it is not possible to sensitize them towards the need for conservation

of forest. Since the last three years the income to the members of ecotourism

committees is increasing and if the trend continues it could sustain many

members in the years to come. Though at present around 26 members of the

committee are getting direct employment from the ecotourism activities, with

more influx of tourists in to these destinations more members will directly

benefit in the coming years and have the potential to develop as community

based ecotourism model destination in Madhya Pradesh.

Although it’s a start but from the learning’s of past three years and tourist

feedback, the following ideas could be way forward

1. Waste Management Plan for all ecotourism destination

2. Soil & Water Conservation ( Rain Water Harvesting, Grey Water

Management, Gabian Structures)

3. Good Interpretation Materials about existing flora & fauna of the

destination

4. Energy Conservation ( Maximizing use of renewable energy resources,

reducing energy consumption)

5. Institutional tie-ups with travel–tour operators, schools, colleges &

other corporate institutions.

6. Carrying Capacity Analyses

Acknowlegment

1.Shri. Satish Tyagi I.F.S, APCCF& CEO, Madhya Pradesh

Ecotourism Development Board(MPEDB), Bhopal.

2. Shri. Mahendra Yadvendu I.F.S, Chief Conservator of Forests,

Bhopal circle, Bhopal.

References

1. Anonymous 2014. Annual report 2013-14.Madhya Pradesh Forest

Department, Bhopal.

2. RBS Rawat. Jogmohan Sharma March 2003. Developing

stakeholder based ecotourism in Uttranchal. India. The Indian

forester, volume 129, issue 3

3. Bhattachariya A.K, Vandana Saxena, Suchitra Banerjee. February

2006 Environmental auditing in ecotourism: A study on visitors

management in Vanvihar National Park, Bhopal. The Indian

forester,volume 132,issue2,

4. Bhattachariya A.K, Suchitra Banerjee. March 2003Relevence of

carrying capacity and eco-developmental linkage for sustainable

Ecotourism. The Indian forester, volume129,issue3,

5. Ayesha E Prasad,Phd, G.Selva Kumar,IFS and Manoj Kumar,IFS.

2014 A report on Ecological, socio-economic and environmental

impact of ecotourism in Protected Areas in Karnataka, Karnataka

Forest Department, Bangalore.