Chat Archives

Chat on "Tourism and Wildlife" dated August 18, 2005

Chat on 'Tourism and Wildlife" dated 18 th August 2005

Susan Welcome to IWC chat on 'Tourism and Wildlife"

shweta hi susan how r u

Susan hello Shweta Susan How is your study program going? Tourism must be a part of your syllabus too.

shweta yes writing assinments these days Susan Any assignment on eco-tourism?

Susan Any assignment on eco-tourism?

shweta yes

Susan Would you like to tell us about it?

shweta Here in India the future is really good but we need to be sinciere in our effort

Susan Which are the eco-tourism spots you have visited?

Susan May be as part of your course you have visted some places...

shweta if we talk about eco tourism we have only national parks as eco tourism venues

Susan Well it can also be sanctuaries, village tourism, temple tourism...

shweta many countries like south africa , australia r really doing well as eco tourism destination

Susan What makes you say that?

shweta can i share some data with u regarding this

Susan Yes, of course

shweta india has 7 times south africa forest cover, almost twice as many species of mammals , 4 times as many species of birds 5 times as many kinds of reptiles. and with 4 times as many protected sanctuaries

shweta india is far better endowed with ecological resources than south africa

Susan The statistics is really revealing...

shweta and yet, s africa, expects to earn more than $6.25 billion alone in foreign ex alone from tourism in 2005

Susan But how does our income from Ecotourism or all tourism compare?

shweta where eco tourism is primary activity while india barely managed to scrape togther $4.9 billon

Susan S.Africa has not had to face the near extinction of some species ever, am I right?

shweta from 'total spend' by tourists in 2004

Susan There is a lot for us to learn from S.africa, maybe Brazil too?

shweta maam i am too young infront of you can i ask one ques

Susan Sure

shweta why there is not a proper functionay from the side of govt

Susan The govt has a ministry for tourism at Centre as well as States

chaitanya Hi,Good evening every body

shweta who r the people designin the strategies

chaitanya sorry for being late

Susan But if you mean why is there no body esply for wildlife tourism yes I think there should be a body exclusively to promote and regulate wildlife tourism

Susan Welcome, Chaitanya

chaitanya maam,there is a bodylooking after wild life tourism

Susan What is this body?

chaitanya forest department itself has intiated the policy of eco tourism

shweta there r few foreign universities who give fund for research

shweta but do we have something like that here in india

chaitanya and under that policy some charges are fixedfor sanctuaries and national parks

chaitanya yes , we do.

chaitanya if u r willing to visit there or do there camping, they r charging and let u do ur activities

Susan But the charges are not uniform nor are the collections going back to the national parks

chaitanya they are going there

chaitanya national parks' charges r higher

chaitanya the charges taken are going to their account only

Susan You mean the collections( gate) are going back to the forest dept everywhere? That is how it should be I guess.

chaitanya last three days i was in a sanctuary, i paid for my visit

chaitanya and i was given a reciept for the same

shweta i wana tell u very interesting fact a dead tiger will fetch $50,000 in black market.but if india were to play its card well, it stands to gain $30 million from tourists who come solely to see the magnificeint beast in its habitat.

chaitanya if the reciept is given, the charges r going to deptt.

Susan Some part of the tourist income from hotels should go to the villagers around the sanctuary/n.p too.

shweta see there is that contriversial Tribal act these days

chaitanya forest deptt is allocating some fund for upliftment of the periferry area

chaitanya but it must be utilised properly

shweta you r talkin about gujrat

chaitanya but I think, eco tourism is not beneficiary for jungles

Susan The gate fees are not very high in N.P. Maximum revenue must be from hotel and jeep earnings.

chaitanya no, this is the policy countywide

shweta why?

Susan Why are you saying ecotourism is not beneficial to jungles?

chaitanya we cant just look to the revenue generated, we have to look in to the disturbance done to the diversity

chaitanya I have seen people roaming in jeeps to see the beasts

shweta i think if we want to preserve wildlife we need to develop eco tourism in protctd areas

chaitanya they'r following the animals

Susan I think hotels which are starred should be banned from the vicinity of all N.Ps

chaitanya u r right shweta

shweta see controlled traffic of tourist should be there

chaitanya in each jungle, there must b a separate area, where visitors can see wild life

shweta and locals should be trained

Susan We must develop "Village tourism" or homestead tourism instead.

chaitanya its successfully done in GIR NP

Susan That will attract people who really care about wildlife and forest

chaitanya locals are trained,but they have to develop their lives

Susan What is the GIR story?

chaitanya they need more money

chaitanya There is an area named 'Devalia', which is developed as safari park

shweta thats the reason there is a need for eco tourism professionals like me

chaitanya pplcan take a round in petrol vehicle and see the lions moving freely

chaitanya its not like that shweta,

chaitanya u go in jungle, u educate ppl about nature,but...

Susan Are the Maldharis of GIR getting some benefit from tourism too?

chaitanya u must take care of nature also

chaitanya i was in a jungle for three days

chaitanya i trekked there with 60 ppl

chaitanya yes, susan

chaitanya their milk products r purchased

shweta but what to do with the people who r living inside the PAs

chaitanya and out of the income, many schemes r runned for their well being

chaitanya its a headache for govts

chaitanya in GIR, maldharis are not harming animals

shweta and govt will come up with that tribal bill

chaitanya cz, they know if jungle is finished, they r finished

shweta condition here in Dudhava is diff

chaitanya and lion is getting prey of buffallows and cows

chaitanya whats that?

Susan The Govt must be paying lots of compensation for cattle then

shweta Those Tharu tribes are gettin victim of forest animals and not benefited from tourism

chaitanya yes

shweta thats the reason they support poachers

chaitanya its disgusting

shweta One tiger skin, 7 kg tiger bones and 18 teeth were seized by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department on 16 August 2005

Susan What can be the solution to the Tharu tribes supporting poachers?

chaitanya yeah

chaitanya i read it

Susan Is this Tharu tribe the same who are there in Nepal ( Chitwan) area too?

chaitanya they must be given alternate income sources

shweta they cant b moved out of the park

chaitanya its not needed

Susan It is very difficult to see tigers in Chitwan Some say there are none left

chaitanya they are a part of the diversity

shweta they carry a gr8 culture with them but they r very poor

chaitanya and they can earn even inside

shweta thats the big ques how?

Susan The Tharu tribes of Nepal are excellent in dance and music

chaitanya so they can form a cultural group

shweta when their culture will come in front of people/

Susan Yes, Chaitanya, the forest dwellers have a culture of their own which is very exclusive

chaitanya and govt must step forward in this diraction

Susan The hotels in Chitwan get Tharu dancers to perform every night

shweta Incredible india has something for this or not?

chaitanya so they must be organised and can earn

Susan Sell the forest as a package to tourists -wild animals, tribals their culture....

shweta how to make our govt realize ?

chaitanya thru NGOs

chaitanya maybe

shweta Maam why dont you form such organization

Susan Through Clubs like ours.

shweta that can look after these issues

chaitanya we can gather information and we too can write it on behalf of IWC

Susan The chat transcript is published every month and is read by at least 50,000 people a month? assuming 50% of our visitors read it

chaitanya thats cool

chaitanya hey, susan,, i will send you a report alongwith some pics of my trek.

chaitanya and i have some nice pics of my himalayan trek,too

shweta but who will perform the work at ground .we need to monitor things and give it a direction

chaitanya can it be put on IWC?

Susan We need to talk and write-internet is the best medium to get heard without taking an appointment from the govt. I believe many people from Govt also visit our site.

chaitanya and we can just write it in black and white,too

Susan Yes, Chatanya please send the trek report and pics

chaitanya thanks

shweta that means we need to wait n watch till someone draws the guideline and perform

Susan We will publish it in the ezine. If you can send it by 23rd or so, we will publish it in this month's ezine

chaitanya not some one,

chaitanya we can do it

chaitanya ok, i ll do it

Susan It is always nice to talk to positive minded people like you two

chaitanya thanks

chaitanya can u do one thing susan?

Susan Yes, Chaitanya?