Keeping Track of Wildlife Tourism In Harmony with Nature and Habitat

Wildlife and tourism are interconnected sectors that have a profound impact on both the environment and economies worldwide. Wildlife encompasses all living organisms in their natural habitats, contributing to ecological stability and biodiversity. However, human activities such as habitat destruction and pollution pose serious threats to these ecosystems.

Devendra Singh is a Photographer and Environmenalist. He was a civil servant by profession and a nature lover by birth having grown up in lush green lands of Delhi. He now pursues photography as a full-time passion.

What is tourism: Tourism, as defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), involves people traveling outside their usual environment for leisure, business, or other purposes. This industry includes activities like transportation, accommodation, and entertainment. Tourism plays a significant role in global economies, contributing to GDP, job creation, and cultural exchange.

What is wildlife: Wildlife refers to all living organisms, including animals, plants, and microorganisms, that exist in their natural habitats without human domestication. This encompasses diverse ecosystems such as forests, deserts, and oceans. Wildlife plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity, providing essential services like pollination and nutrient cycling. However, human activities like habitat destruction and pollution threaten many wildlife populations, making conservation efforts vital for sustaining ecosystems and the benefits they offer to humanity.

One emerging trend within this sector is wildlife or nature-based tourism, which involves experiences directly dependent on natural environments—such as visiting wildlife parks, bird watching, hiking, and scuba diving. In India, this form of tourism is gaining momentum, providing an opportunity for both conservation and economic growth. However, its rapid expansion raises concerns.

As tourism grows, the demand for land and resources outside park boundaries increases, driving up land prices and resulting in infrastructure development that can obstruct wildlife movement and disrupt local communities.

Unregulated tourism also adds pressure to the environment, with issues like overcrowding and increased vehicle traffic in parks such as Corbett which saw over 30,000 vehicles enter in a single year. Similar is the situation in other parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Globally, wildlife tourism contributes significantly to the tourism industry, accounting for about 7% of the total market and growing at 3% annually.

Ironically, it serves as a vital source of revenue for protected areas, supporting local economies and providing jobs, while also fostering sustainable practices. Yet, the unplanned nature of such tourism can exacerbate conservation challenges, including habitat degradation, species exploitation, and the alienation of local communities.

This is particularly visible in some of the world’s most visited wildlife destinations, such as South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara, where overcrowding has diminished the quality of the visitor experience and strained the parks’ resources.

The situation is no different in India as it has now become an universal issue. ‘Overtourism’ is the new concern, not just tourism by itself.

For wildlife tourism to achieve its dual objectives of conservation and economic development, it requires a sustainable approach. This involves developing concrete strategies that benefit both the environment and local communities. Successful models like Tanzania’s Ruaha Carnivore Project and Namibia’s community conservancies illustrate how wildlife tourism can be aligned with conservation and community welfare. These initiatives focus on inclusive management, revenue-sharing, and community empowerment, demonstrating that when local people benefit from tourism, they are more inclined to support conservation efforts.

Travel and tourism contribute approx. $7.6 trillion, or 10.2%, to total GDP, and the industry provided jobs to one in 10 people, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. India’s travel and tourism sector is expected to contribute $256 billion approx. and 10.4% to the GDP in 2024.

While nature-based tourism, which includes wildlife tourism, has been expanding rapidly in the last decade or so due to increased demand and opportunities, wildlife and biodiversity are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and a lack of funding for protection.

What are the reasons behind a burgeoning nature-based/wildlife-based tourism sector?

There are many factors that drive it: as habitats diminish there is more scarcity and their value goes up. Everyone wants to see the last remaining habitats of tigers, wild gorillas for instance, or the few remaining wild tigers in India. In sum, scarcity confers economic value.

Another force driving demand is the internet; urban restlessness, desire to explore the world with rising incomes and rising lifestyles—you can learn about animals and habitats you might not have known existed, and more people have the ability to visit them. So, you have supply diminishing on one hand, and demand rising on the other hand which creates an opportunity for economic progress together with conservation.

India, with its rich biodiversity and iconic species like tigers, has great potential for wildlife tourism. However, the industry is currently hampered by inconsistent regulations and a lack of best practice guidelines.

To harness the benefits of wildlife tourism, India must implement a comprehensive framework that addresses land and resource use, regulates tourist activities, and ensures that local communities are active participants in, and beneficiaries of tourism ventures.

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) occurs when interactions between humans and wildlife lead to negative consequences, such as property damage or loss of life. Wildlife tourism is often seen as a potential solution to mitigate these conflicts by providing economic benefits to local communities, thereby increasing their tolerance for wildlife.

To reduce human-wildlife interactions in tourism, several measures can be implemented:

  1. Limit Tourist Numbers: Establish caps on visitor numbers based on impact assessments to minimize disturbances to wildlife habitats.
  2. Avoid Food Provisioning: Discourage feeding wildlife to prevent habituation and aggressive behaviors, which can escalate conflicts.
  3. Community Engagement: Involve local communities in tourism planning and management to ensure they benefit economically, fostering tolerance towards wildlife.
  4. Education Programs: Implement educational initiatives to raise awareness about wildlife behavior and conflict prevention strategies among tourists and locals.
  5. Wildlife Corridors: Create corridors to guide animal movements away from human settlements, reducing potential conflicts.
  6. Monitoring and Research: Conduct ongoing research to assess the ecological impacts of tourism and adjust management practices accordingly.

Ecotourism initiatives can significantly help reduce human-wildlife conflicts through various strategies:

  1. Economic Incentives: By providing financial benefits to local communities from wildlife conservation, ecotourism can enhance their tolerance towards wildlife, making them less likely to retaliate against animals that damage crops or livestock.
  2. Community Engagement: Involving local populations in ecotourism projects fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility towards wildlife, improving attitudes and reducing conflict.
  3. Buffer Zones: Establishing buffer zones around protected areas can minimize direct interactions between wildlife and human activities, thereby reducing conflict incidents.
  4. Education and Awareness: Ecotourism can promote awareness about the ecological value of wildlife, encouraging coexistence rather than conflict.
  5. Compensation Programs: Timely compensation for losses due to wildlife can alleviate negative sentiments and foster cooperation between communities and conservation efforts.

These measures collectively contribute to a more sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife.

In conclusion, wildlife and tourism are intricately linked, offering both opportunities and challenges. When managed responsibly, wildlife tourism can promote conservation, generate economic benefits, and support local communities. However, unregulated and unplanned tourism poses risks to fragile ecosystems and social structures. The key lies in creating balanced strategies that promote sustainable tourism, ensuring that the long-term health of wildlife habitats and the well-being of local communities are prioritized.


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