State Tourism & Culture Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora delivers keynote address
Mr Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, inaugurated the sixth two-day workshop arranged by Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) in partnership with WWF-India and the support of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism and the PATA India Chapter, on 6 April 2011 in Jammu. Mr Nawang Rigzin Jora, Jammu & Kashmir Minister for Tourism and Culture delivered the keynote address.
In his inaugural address, Mr Omar Abdullah said, “Jammu and Kashmir holds a rich repository of pristine freshwater systems, and unique flora and fauna which we cannot afford to sacrifice at any cost. The responsibility falls on every individual to be aware and make others aware in order to safeguard this fragile eco-region for posterity. The State government is fully supportive of conservation initiatives like these which will eventually benefit us in the long run. If we don’t act now, it is a lot that we stand to lose.”
This Workshop series is themed ‘Practicing Responsible Tourism’ and was initiated by ESOI to spread awareness and to educate tourism service providers and other stakeholders, especially those in the MSME sector, for ensuring sustainable tourism practices.
ESOI was formed in 2008 as a non-profit organisation by a group of environmentally sensitive professionals from the tourism industry, with encouragement of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. ESOI’s principal objective is to promote and ensure environmentally responsible and sustainable practices by all stakeholders in the tourism industry. ESOI works with the central and state governments as well as a growing network of community representatives and stakeholders within and outside India to facilitate synergy in sustainable tourism initiatives.
The Jammu workshop participants included tour operators, hoteliers and other tourism service providers, environmentalists, government officials responsible for tourism and environment, students and NGOs, reaching out to local community representatives.
The workshop aimed at strengthening the participants’ understanding of the critical need to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of the high altitude Himalayan region, to raise awareness of sustainable tourism practices and to highlight the importance of local community participation, waste management, and preservation of the vernacular idiom. This was achieved by the workshop faculty of specialists who conducted interactive sessions. The subjects, specially related to the high altitude Himalayan region, included solid waste management, eco-friendly architecture, community-based home stays in Ladakh, viable alternatives to conventional energy, checks and balances in ecotourism, policy and legal framework of ecotourism in India, certification and communication with tourists. In doing so, the workshop dwelt on the fragile ecology of J&K in general and not only the high altitude wetlands.
WWF-India is working on the conservation of Himalayan high altitude wetlands (3,000 m asl), especially through its Green Hiker campaign which was its banner affiliate with ESOI for this workshop. This is an awareness-raising campaign which encourages tourists and tour operators to adopt responsible practices towards minimising their carbon footprint in the Himalaya, while simultaneously appreciating that environment impacts equally result from demographic, energy use and waste creation factors that are not attributable to tourism alone.
In India, high altitude wetlands play an important role in the hydrological regime of major rivers like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus and the Sutlej. Moreover, their watersheds and basins provide livelihoods and sustenance for local communities and livestock, and are critically linked with the life support systems of diverse bio-geographic zones.
In a related statement, Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India said, “Sustainable alternatives need to be put in place so that tourism can carry on without negative consequences on the Himalayan high altitude ecosystem. The impact of tourism in this region needs to be dealt with by those in the tourism industry themselves and the local communities that are key stakeholders. They should be both responsible practitioners and delivery mechanisms of the conservation message. The Himalayas need our care and protection.”
While emphasizing the strength of the ESOI-WWF India partnership, Mr Mandip Singh Soin, President-ESOI said, “The workshop aimed at setting corrective and curative measures with regard to ecological practices and conservation of nature with a focus on the ecologically sensitive region of Jammu and Kashmir. The challenge for the tourism service providers is, therefore, in keeping an update and sharing operative experiences in implementing environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism practices. These practices will not only create a lighter footprint but will support the local communities and environment.”
The workshop concluded with the valedictory address by Mr Atal Dulloo, Commissioner and Secretary, J&K Department of Tourism and Culture followed by presentation of certificates to the faculty and participants.