‘Developing a cultural and ecological conscience’
The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations (United Nations: Rio declaration on environment and development, 1992).
A statement that is profound in its essence though needs a concerted and herculean effort for its fulfilment. The threat that the present and future generations face due to hazardous phenomenon such as global warming/climate change is real. It has been further substantiated that human consumption, lifestyle and industrialisation are responsible for the same. The need of the hour is to create awareness about the impacts of climate change and provide alternatives for mitigating them.
Tourism, which is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world, is also one of the leading contributors to global warming & climate change. Although the industry is the biggest employer globally, yet some believe that the impacts it has on the climate of the planet is far more damaging than the scale at which it is currently contributing to global economy. The WTO reports that there were over 808 million arrivals worldwide in 2005 which accounted for a 5.5% growth in the industry. This growth in the industry is a mere reflection of the economics associated with it and does not take into cognizance the ecological and socio-cultural impacts that accompany it and do not get accounted for. There is urgent need to ensure that the industry addresses the impacts that it has on the ecology and socio-cultural environments of destinations and subsequently works towards developing an alternate model of responsible eco-travel that mitigates the negative impacts of conventional tourism and maximizes gains for the host communities and their socio-cultural and natural environment.
Responsible eco-travel offers an opportunity to protect and conserve natural areas while capitalising on the economic development and diversification that tourism can bring to a community. It is the ideal solution to the long term needs of the industry since the very survival of the tourism sector depends largely on the conservation of the resources on which it thrives. However, the critical issue pertains to the appropriate planning for the sustainable development of the responsible eco-travel sector.
There are myriad definitions of ecotourism that have been adopted across the globe by governments, associations and other practitioners. However at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, WTO adopted the following definition for sustainable tourism (there are also myriad terminologies that are in usage such as Ecotourism, Sustainable Tourism, Responsible Tourism, Community Based Tourism, etc).
‘Sustainable tourism meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all the resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems. Sustainable tourism products are those which are operated in harmony with the local environment, community and cultures, so that these become the permanent beneficiaries and not the victims of tourism development.’
For the convenience of this policy document we will be using the term Responsible Eco-Travel as an all encompassing term and adopt the above definition for the promotion and development of the same in the Spiti valley.
The promotion of ecotourism is one of the major objectives of Ecosphere as it is directly linked to both the cultural and natural resources of the region. The objective of this program is to develop unique, authentic and reliable tourism products and activities and link them to community livelihoods. This not only provides the community with a sustainable source of income but also serves as an incentive to conserve their unique natural & cultural heritage and environment.
We wish to promote Spiti as a responsible eco-travel destination where every traveller is able to make a substantial difference towards the conservation and revival of arts, crafts, flora and fauna on the one hand and economic upliftment of the local community on the other.
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