Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part II : Actionable points for the WGEA : 2.9 Tourism :
Opinion
05/12/2018
1591.
Sub : Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part II : Actionable points for the WGEA : 2.9 Tourism :
Ref : 2.9 Tourism :
Tourism in the Western Ghats has been increasing steeply. The forms of tourism observed are nature based: ecology and wildlife; religious; social; and business (see Equations, 2010, WGEEP Commissioned Paper). Religious tourism has the highest share of tourism in the Western Ghats followed by nature-based, social and business; the largest share of tourists is from the domestic sector. Tourist flows have risen quite steeply to the Protected Areas (PAs) in the Western Ghats – Periyar, Mudumalai, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Dandeli-Anshi since 2000. The growth of resorts close to the PAs post 2000 has been recorded in several studies (Equations, 2010). Most of the tourism is unplanned and unregulated. However, it is observed that even planned world class tourism projects, e.g Amby Valley, Lavasa, have considerable local impacts. Tourism is promoted by the Centre and states without any proper EIA and Cumulative Impact Assessments.
2.9.1- Issues of Concern :
Some of the main environmental footprints relate to the uncontrolled growth of tourist establishments in the Western Ghats leading to habitat fragmentation and increasing human–animal conflict. There is also a tremendous increase in garbage which attracts various pest species and also causes an increase in pathogens and disease. Untreated water is discharged into the open and this impacts vegetation and ground water. There is also increased risk of fires. Intensive water demand from tourism is a natural outcome.
On the socio-cultural front, it is argued that there are changes in traditional livelihoods – e.g. agriculture because of land use change and labour shortages and loss of access by indigenous and local communities to their land and resources as well as sacred sites. Despite ecotourism, arising as a concept to promote nature conservation, it is found that the way ecotourism is practiced in India, it is being perceived as becoming just another form of mass tourism. However, "ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations." (IUCN)
2.9.2 - Policy attention is required on the following key pressures on ecosystems arising from :
The increased pace of tourism
Increased externalities of tourism
Location of tourist infrastructure, depending on size, numbers
Tourist behaviour – noise, waste generation and disposal,
Absence of waste management and waste water management
Local impacts on livelihoods, culture
Absence of benefit sharing
2.9.3 - Measures for Mitigation/Improvement :
Tourism needs special attention in the Western Ghats. Such sites need to be understood as production–consumption systems (PCS). These are ‚systems in which environmental goods and services, individuals, households, firms and states are linked by flows of materials, energy and relationships in which transactions of money and information or negotiation of power and influence take place‛ (Lebel and Lorek, 2010, p
2.9.4 - Sustainable PCS involve :
Management of risk and uncertainty through strong sustainability rules;
Use of industrial ecology principles, eco-technologies, in activities
Adoption of carrying-capacity concepts, pollution prevention and polluter pays principles in regulation
2.9.5 - SPCS are linked with notions of the carrying capacity of a location :
Allowing tourism up to the environmental carrying capacity while exceeding cultural or social limits may not be in the interests of sustainable development in the Western Ghats
Investments can be made in order to increase a region’s carrying capacity (e.g. in water recycling, establishment of green corridors for wildlife, etc.).
Technological or policy innovations or more efficient use of resources may also ease environmental limitations.
2.9.6 - More specifically :
In ESZ1, Ecotourism policy of MoEF to be followed refined by the WGEA to promote minimal impact tourism in the region
Strict regulation for waste management, traffic and water use
IN ESZ2 Strict regulation, on the basis of a Tourism master plan and social audit. Tourism Master Plan should be based on carrying capacity of area and after taking into account social and environmental costs.
In ESZ3 Strict regulation and social audit of tourist projects Tourism Master Plan should be based on carrying capacity of area and after taking into account social and environmental costs.
2.9.7 - More generally :
Small scale tourism should be encouraged adopting benefit sharing with local communities: small get-aways, spice farms, homestead tourism, etc. Tourism infrastructure, particularly accommodation, should be encouraged to be eco-friendly, with careful use of locally available materials. Incentives for the same need to be given in the form of subsidies.
Concretisation around springs, lakes and other perennial water bodies. should be discouraged
There should be careful thought given to tourism infrastructure.
o Site specific control of tourism infrastructure in buffers of Protected Areas
o Provision for rainwater harvesting should be made compulsory for all new large and medium tourist infrastructure in the Western Ghats
Restriction on vehicular movements
Careful planning for the management of waste
o Strong regulation of use of plastics and ban of use of plastic bags by commercial establishments, shops, etc.
o Special arrangements for water bottle collection
o Encourage more local partnerships for waste management in tourist sites.
2.9.8 - Actionable Point :
o A special cell within WGEA needs to be constituted to deal with tourism-related issues. Control of tourism developments and activities, including licensing and overall targets for and limits to the scale and type of tourism should be overseen by the WGEA
NEXT : 2.10 Transport :
To be continued ...
BREAKING NEWS : First Published: Sep 22, 2018 07:07 IST
Karnataka rejects Centre’s plan to declare western ghats eco-sensitive area :
The declaration of Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area has assumed significance because of the massive Kerala floods in July.
The Union environment ministry will be soon issuing a draft notification declaring the Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area (ESA) for a second time after a similar draft in 2014 expired due to a lack of consensus among states and the Centre. Karnataka, one of the six states to be affected, has already said it will not accept the fresh notification as “it will have an adverse effect on state’s economy”.
The affected states that also include Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat will have 60 days time to respond to the draft.
The first draft notification declared 56,825 sq km of the ghats in these states as ESA.
AK Mehta, additional secretary, environment ministry said, “We are in the process of republishing the draft notification. We will have a discussion with Karnataka on the matter because they are not willing to accept the notification.”
Karnataka forest minister, Shankar R, said the state will not accept any curbs under the ESA notification. “The Western Ghats ESA notification will have major impact on the state’s economy. There are already various legislations including the Forest Conservation Act 1980, which ensure protection of forests. Why do we need one more legislation? All red category industries will be restricted in the Ghats, which will affect livelihoods.”
Red category industries are heavily polluting industries like pesticides, petrochemicals, pulp and paper and cement.
The ESA completely restricts mining, setting up of new thermal power plants, polluting industries and all new large township and area development projects. After the environment ministry issued the notification in 2014, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu raised objections, saying it will impact economic development in affected villages and towns. It eventually led the notification to get lapsed.
A senior environment ministry official, who didn’t wish to be named, said this time the other five states seem to be on board requesting minor amendments. “Karnataka, however, is not agreeing with even the concept of ESA,” the official said.
The declaration of Western Ghats ESA has assumed significance because of the massive Kerala floods in July. Prominent ecologists like Madhav Gadgil have linked unprecedented rainfall, deforestation, mining, construction of dams and ecologically destructive activities to the exacerbation of floods.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on September 1 barred any reduction in the ESA area in view of the Kerala floods. It has directed the environment ministry to not reduce the area covered and issue the notification in to-to. The environment ministry, however, is issuing a draft notification to give states some more time to respond. “We will go back to NGT if states back out,” the official cited above added.
The new ESA notification is based on an assessment by a high-level working group headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan. Before that, a working group headed by Gadgil set up in 2010 had recommended 75% of the Western Ghats area be declared ESA as opposed to 37% proposed by the Kasturirangan committee.
The Gadgil committee had recommended that local bodies and villagers should be consulted before any development project comes up in the ESA. “I don’t think the state government has changed its view on ESA. It had opposed the Gadgil report and 2014 notification, but after the Kerala floods, they have been quiet. From an ecological point of view and after seeing the massive destruction in places like Wyanad and Idukki, we want the Madhav Gadgil committee report to be discussed again,” said R Sridhar of Thanal, a Kerala-based environmental NGO.
*
Bad dam management caused Kerala floods: Madhav Gadgil
Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, whose report on Western Ghats was rejected by the Kerala government, on what caused the Kerala floods and how the rebuilding process should be carried out
2. Ecologist Madhav Gadgil Who Foresaw Kerala Floods :
*As Kerala struggles to recover from its worst floods in a century, ecologist Madhav Gadgil’s report that had warned against damage to the environment is back in focus.
*A committee headed by Gadgil submitted a 500-page report in 2011 recommending a slew of measures to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Western Ghats – a mountain range that runs parallel to the coast across six Indian states, including Kerala.
*Zones marked out as ecologically sensitive in Gadgil’s report were among the regions worst hit by the floods that took over 400 lives in the southern state. Gadgil has no doubt that if his report had been implemented, there would have been “substantially less” loss of human life and damage to property.
***
OPINION :
1. THE TWO FRONTS OF KERALA POLITICS THE UDF - LDF AND ITS LEADING POLITICAL DENOMINATIONS CONGRESS AND COMMUNISTS ARE IGNORANT, NOT EFFICIENT, DISHONEST, LAZY BUGGERS, NOT PREPARED TO STUDY THE HIGHLY VALUED GADGIL REPORT AND DISCUSS WITH MADHAV GADGIL THE OUTSTANDING KNOWLEDGE TREASURE, TAKE HIS GUIDANCE IN IMPLEMENTING THE REPORT;
2. THE ALLIANCE PARTNERS OF THE TWO FRONTS ARE MERE FOOLS, ASSOCIATION WITH THE MAJOR PARTNER CONGRESS AND COMMUNISTS FOR PIECES OF BONES THROWN TO THEM, THESE BUGGERS CHEW THE BONES AND OTHER SUNDRY GAINS, PASS THE TIME, TO THE NEXT ELECTIONS;
3. INTERMITTENT FAVOURITE GAME, OF THESE TWO FRONTS ARE ABUSING PM MODI JI AND BJP, PROGRAMMING AGITATIONS AGAINST THE CENTRE, FOOLING THE PUBLIC;
4. NEXT IS ABUSING HINDUS, DIVIDE THEM IN CASTE BRACKETS, ALLOW CLASH AMONG THEM, ENJOY THE BLEEDING IN HINDU COMMUNITY SITTING ON THE FENCE AS VULTURES;
5. THE STUPID VELLAPULLY AND SUKUMARAN NAIR LIKES ARE THE MAJOR CURSES FOR EZHAVA AND NAIR COMMUNITIES, ANOTHER PART IS SNDP HIJACKED PIECE OF CAKE USED AS POLITICAL TOOL BY EZHAVAS AS THE NAIRS SERVICE SOCIETY;
LAST WORD :
1. WESTERN GHATS IS IN GREAT DANGER OF DESTRUCTION, IF NOT PROTECTED, PRESERVED HONESTLY, THE WHOLE KERALA WILL SUFFER, BY SLIDING OF HILLS, FLOODS, LOW RAIN FALL, SCARCITY OF WATER, DESTRUCTION OF SPECIES IN PLANT AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS, AT THE END STATE ITSELF DISAPPEAR;
2. THE PAITHRUKAM OF KERALA LOSSING, WHEN SABARIMALA IS IN THE CENTRE STAGE OF CORRUPTION, INVOLVING DEVASWOM AND GOVERNMENT, THE TEMPLE COLLECTIONS ARE BEING WASTED WITH END RESULT A PURE NON-SENSE, CONTROVERSIES STIMULATED BY MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, CONGRESS AND COMMUNISTS, QUESTION THE EXISTENCE OF SABARIMALA IN FUTURE, IF NOT CONTROLLED NOW AND PUT AN END;
3. THE TRUTH THE PEOPLE MUST AWAKE, AND RELIEVE THEMSELVES FROM POLITICAL CONNECTIONS, PARTICIPATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE HOLY LAND KERALA, WITHOUT ANY BIAS OF RELIGION, CASTE OR CREED.
REMEMBER THIS :
1. PUNJAB FLOURISHED IN AGRICULTURE BECAUSE OF GREEN REVOLUTION LEAD BY Dr. MS. SWAMINATHAN;
2. GUJARAT FLOURISHED WITH MILK BECAUSE OF WHITE ( FLOOD ) REVOLUTION LEAD BY Dr. VERGHESE KURIEN;
3. KASHMIR LOST THE PARADISE STATUS BECAUSE KASHMIRI MUSLIM PEOPLE WHO PATRONISE TERRORISM, THOUGH FEW GOOD PEOPLE MAY BE THERE;
4. NOW IT IS THE TURN OF KERALA AND ITS DIRTY POLITICS, LAND OF PARASURAM AND GREAT ACHARYA OF ADVAITHAM, SWAMI SRI ADI SANKARACHARYA INTO A DESERT SOON.
JAIHIND
VANDE MATARAM
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