Eco – Tourism Initiatives

“If we human beings learn to see the intricacies that bind one part of a natural system to another and then to us, we will no longer argue about the importance of wilderness protection, or over the question of saving endangered species..

Kokkare Bellur
Kokkare Bellur is an ordinary village in Karnataka's Mysore district. It is one of the five nesting sites in India of the globally endangered spot billed pelican. The area also has a large population of painted storks. The place is a perfect delight for the pelicans who fly here in bulk every November. The trees are left undisturbed for the pelicans to nest, the bird droppings are used as a fertilizer in the fields. Fishermen allow these fish eating birds to feed along with them in the tanks and lakes around the Kokkare village. An NGO, the Mysore Amateur Naturalists, has formed a village youth club to look after injured birds, and has extended health services to the villagers.

Mangalajodi, Chilika
The Chilika lake is one of the largest wetlands in the country. The place was till recently encroached by poachers and bird hunters. Later on there was intervention of a local NGO and some forest guards. The same bird hunters have turned conservationists now. An eco-tourism project has been started with the help of the Chilika Development Authority. The authority has also constructed a walkway and a watchtower near the village.

Help Tourism
Help Tourism is a Kolkata based tour operator which has tried to involve the local people in the tourism activities. They tie up the villagers across the North-east from north Bengal to Assam to open wildlife lodges. They have got lodges, near The Buxa Tiger Reserve, Garumara NP, at Bindu, at Bhalopahar in the Dalma forests, among others. They have also set up eco-tourism societies that help in the regeneration of forests at some of these.

Snow Leopard Conservancy
There are fewer than 7,000 snow leopards in the world. In India the habitat of this cat is Ladakh, the upper reaches of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The Snow Leopard Conservancy works with local people to protect the cat's habitat and to prevent revenge killings of the leopard.

Khonoma
Khonoma village near Kohima, Nagaland is a home to Angami tribe. The villagers of the place have taken recent initiatives to conserve their forests and wildlife, including a ban on hunting in the village and surrounds, and the declaration of a Khonoma Tragopan Sanctuary.

Manas National Park
The ex poachers and villagers of the area around Manas National Park have formed the Manas Maozigendri Eco tourism Society. They have started an eco-tourism complex, which can accommodate up to 15 people.