Sikkim, India’s first organic state, lies in the north-east region of
the country. Almost half the state is under forest cover, supporting
many rare and indigenous species of flora and fauna, so it’s no surprise
that UNESCO recently recognised Sikkim‘s Khangchendzonga National Park
as a world heritage site with tremendous natural and cultural
importance.
With such an abundance of cultural beauty and biodiversity, tourism has
mushroomed as a prime economic sector. According to the India Brand
Equity Foundation, Sikkim’s economy is driven by the secondary and
tertiary sectors. The tertiary sector alone is at about 48 percent, and
includes trade, hotels, real estate, transportation, and communication
as the main drivers, all of which are related to the tourism industry11.
Tourist influx, and consequently, revenues from the sector have also
gradually increased with better physical connectivity, and effective
branding and promotion strategies.
But the state was wary of the impact that unregulated tourism could
have on the environment and the communities affected by this influx of
visitors. The concept of Ecotourism took center-stage in the state in
2002 when The International Ecotourism Society organised the South Asian
Regional Conference on Ecotourism here. Immense focus was given to
developing community-based tourism in the state, which grew around
traditional village homestays to channelize benefits to rural
communities.
“Over the years, it has become the
general consensus that despite regulations in place, sustainability
isn’t a norm for tourism growth in the state.”
At the same time, in the six years from 2011-2017, the annual influx
of domestic tourists into Sikkim more than doubled, from 550,000 to
1,375,00022. Some studies identify a positive correlation between the
tourists‘ influx and growth of GSDP in the state33, with the Tourism
sector contributing 7.68% to the Gross State Domestic Product of
Sikkim44 in the year 2016-17. The sector also provides direct employment
to some 40,000 people in the state, roughly 6.5% of the total
population.
It is important to highlight here that despite a largely positive
portrayal of the tourism sector, local populations and the environment
both face grave challenges from the tourism boom.
- Unregulated expansion is manifested as ecological degradation of land and water resources, and threats to native biodiversity.
Local people struggle to reap the benefits of economic opportunties created by their resources. A stark reflection is that 61% of workers in the tourism sector workforce are from outside the state. - Over the years, it has become the general consensus that despite regulations in place, sustainability isn’t a norm for tourism growth in the state. Citing grave concerns, civil society organizations consistently pushed for a pragmatic and radical tourism policy in the state to reduce the evident gap between conventional- and eco-tourism. Two major CSOs – the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim and WWF Sikkim – gathered stakeholders from across the state to draft the Tourism Policy of Sikkim in 2018. The policy has since set the bar for environmentally, economically and socially sustainable tourism in the state.
To complement these policy measures, the state has also strengthened
its stance on Ecotourism and recognised four ecotourism zones –
Lingdok-Pangthang, Okharey, Kitam and East Pendam[v]. For the last two
years, annual Ecotourism conclaves are being organsied to familiarise
stakeholders, with a focus on tour operators, from within and outside
the state. Institutes such as the Indian Himalayan Center for Adventure
and Ecotourism were also established in an effort to build capacities of
local tourism stakeholders.
Even from the Government’s side, there has been a constant emphasis
on fostering prosperity in the rural areas. International aid, such as
the Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management project
funded by JICA, has helped local people leverage benefits through
capacity building and training interventions. Initiatives such as the
Okhrey Ecotourism Festival organised annually, also bring attention to
‘organic‘ facets of agriculture that are intricately linked to
livelihoods of rural communities.
In situations where policy efforts are inadequate in combating the
negative impacts of conventional tourism, many CSOs and Community
organsiations have collectively demanded sustainable and responsible
practices from tourists themselves. In 2012, WWF-India, with support
from the Lachen Dzumsa (local administrative body) and the LTDC, took a
pioneering step to implement a complete ban on the use and sale of
packaged/bottled drinking water in Lachen. The Dzumsa legislation has
been majorly successful because native Lachen residents have arranged
for safe, alternative provisions for drinking water for the tourists.
The state’s transition to a sustainable and ecologically responsible
tourism destination is underway. Development Alternatives and the Green
Economy Coalition are pitching in their bit through the ‘Mainstreaming
Green Economy’ initiative in India. Over the last few months, we have
interacted with key local stakeholders such as Tourism, Urban and Rural
development departments in Sikkim, ECOSS, WWF, Restaurant Associations,
Taxi drivers’ associations and academia to understand their demands and
aspirations for shaping the Ecotourism scenario in Sikkim.
Some of the key findings from our discussions were:
- Need of collecting systematic data and evidence on tourism related trends for planning based on the natural and social carrying capacity of the area
- Directing attention to revival of the handicrafts sector
- Streamlining start-up schemes to look for innovation in entrepreneurship and introducing radical parameters/conditions for issuance of loans from banks
- Penalisation and incentivisation for inculcating better waste management practices
- And, having an action oriented approach to issues with deeper involvement of CSOs and local people
Our initiative is striving to help by bringing together civil society
voices in Sikkim to have a more inclusive planning process with the
Government and take learnings to the ground
—
This post was previously published on www.greeneconomycoalition.org and is republished here with permission from the author.
This post was previously published on www.greeneconomycoalition.org and is republished here with permission from the author.
https://goodmenproject.com
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?