Dear Responsible Travelers,
I hope all of you will agree with the definition of Responsible Tourism as summarized by Dr. Harold Goodwin with reference to the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism. Well, as a bonafide resident of one of the UNESCO's designated World Heritage Site of Nanda Devi National Park and thereby a legitimate primary stakeholder in the tourism debate, I am raising few questions. Before doing that, I wish to emphasize that much before when the UNESCO came into existence or the league of nations was created and collapsed, since time immemorial our ancestors regarded this area as sacred and considered the peak of Nanda Devi (7816 m) as their Patron Goddess.
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| A place of worship at Lata Kharak made by my uncle Raghubir Singh Rana, village Lata |
Before the terms like sustainable resource use, natural resource management became buzzwords in the modern conservation discourse, my people fought a long non-violent battle against the forest department, a vestigial system of the colonial era. Yes, my elders were in the forefront of what culminated as a Chipko movement. How Forest Department became the sole proprietor of the bio diversity conservation is a long story though.
I think, its appropriate to mention here that before the Cape Town declaration of 2002, my community also issued a community based tourism and conservation declaration in October 2001. Having said that, now let's ponder over some of the recommendations of the Cape Town Responsible Tourism Declaration . I am just offering few of them which are directly related to my people, region and our existence.
Some of these points of the Responsible Tourism Declaration are:
1. "Recognising that there has been considerable progress in addressing the environmental impacts of tourism, although there is a long way to go to achieve sustainability; and that more limited progress has been made in harnessing tourism for local economic development, for the benefit of communities and indigenous peoples, and in managing the social impacts of tourism."
2. "Accepting that, in the words of the Global Code of Ethics, an attitude of tolerance and respect for the diversity of religious, philosophical and moral beliefs, are both the foundation and the consequence of responsible tourism."
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Culture and folklore are essential part of the
tourism. Jeetu-Bagadwal dance costume,
Lata Village. Nanda Devi National Park Trek
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3. "Recognising the importance of the World Tourism Organization’s Global Code of Ethics, which aims to promote responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and sharing its commitment to equitable, responsible and sustainable world tourism and its STEP initiative with UNCTAD, which seeks to harness sustainable tourism to help eliminate poverty."
4. "Recognising that Responsible Tourism takes many forms, that different destinations and stakeholders will have different priorities, and that local policies and guidelines will need to be developed through multi-stakeholder processes to develop responsible tourism in destinations.
Having the following characteristics, Responsible Tourism:"
- minimises negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;
- generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well-being of host communities, improves working conditions and access to the industry;
Reenactment of the exile of Lord Rama, practiced
every 14 years in Lata village, Nanda Devi
National park interpretative trekinvolves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;- makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
- provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;
- provides access for physically challenged people;
- and is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.
I know it requires hell of a semantics to fully understand the meaning of such declarations, what I can state with confidence is that these resolutions loose their meaning and spirit and turn verbose before reaching our doorsteps.
As a tribe of travelers who prefer to tag themselves as 'Responsible', it is essential for them to fully understand the meaning of 'responsible travel' and behavior supposed to be associated with it. Usually, their concern is limited to trash disposal and management. While this is worth appreciating, their role is far more important in nurturing 'Sustainable Tourism Destinations'. What's missing on their part is to find and strengthen the grass root responsible tourism initiatives. A corporate can easily manage the trash of a destination but they will alienate the local stakeholders and commodify their culture.
Presently, the tourism economy is based on the deals between online aggregators and its consumers (read travelers). While this is the prevalent trend, there are certain ethical issues involved in this process. To be specific, I would like to focus on my area only. The meadows of Lata Kharak, Saini Kharak bordering the core zone of the Nanda Devi National Park belongs to the van panchayat of Gram Sabha Lata. If you google Nanda Devi trek, you will find n number of websites offering you a trek to the Nanda Devi National Park. None of these website owners ever bothered to seek permission from my village panchayat, who is the legitimate owner of this property. Its like a free for all gold rush. Am I allowed to organize a BBQ party and sell tickets online on the common ground of a gated community in Gurugram or Bangluru ? My village is similar to a gated community with its elected village council, technically and legally backed by Indian constitution and far more superior than a resident's welfare society registered under the 1860 act. This is the biggest tourism scam happening on a scale as big as India.
Local communities are in a catch 22 situation, while the hordes are invading the socio-cultural and common environmental space of the remote communities, someone based in a metro is minting money out of it. Worst is they profess and showcase the CSR work conducted by them in these areas. Its all about SEO and new online tourism based startups, without taking consent of the people who inhabit and are legitimate stakeholders of such common property resources.
I am sharing few links at the end, related to this prevailing socio-economic and environmental crisis in the natural resource rich but economically poor regions of the world along with our history and the ongoing community process for developing community owned tourism in the Nanda Devi National Park. Our campaign for cultural survival and sustainable livelihoods has received recognition from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and the Nanda Devi Interpretive Trek is our creative response to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism on the cultural and natural landscape of the Nanda Devi National Park.
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| View of Dunagiri and Nanda Devi from Rishikund Nanda Devi National Park Trek |
The Van Panchayat under the Gram Sabha of Lata is now taking necessary steps to take control of the tourism in van panchayat forests including the alpine meadows of Latak Kharak, Saini Kharak till the watershed boundary at Jhindidhar bordering the core zone of Nanda Devi National Park. A Van Panchayat forest management micro plan has been developed, passed by the village council and submitted to the Divisional Forest Officer, Nanda Devi National Park. An interpretive Trek to the Nanda Devi National Park area has been designed as a new adventure tourism product to offer an all immersive experience of the physical and cultural landscape of Nanda Devi National Park. The salient features of the Nanda Devi National Park Trek are as under:
1. Low volume trek with maximum 15 pax per trekking group. This is in contrast to the high volume treks offered by the online aggregators.
2. Managed by a team of professionally trained youth from Lata village, the gateway to the Nanda Devi National Park. Conducted under the direct supervision of Nanda Devi Institute of Adventure Sports
3. Shepherds Lodge Devangan at Lata as the reporting center. The lodge has 10 rooms with attached WC washrooms, cloakroom, secured parking and laundry facilities.
4. Shared pick-up facilities in place for pick up and drop at Haridwar/Rishikesh railway station and Dehradun Airport.
5. Families with kids are encouraged to participate with special discount for kids at Devangan lodge.
6. Customized itinerary for groups
7. A formal trash management log has been created online to document the evidence of proper disposal of garbage generated during the trek.
8. Free entry to the Interpretation Center on Bio Cultural Diversity of the Nanda Devi National Park. The center displays artifacts and the bio cultural diversity profile of the Nanda Devi National Park and of the communities residing in the Niti Valley. There is also a souvenir shop to buy handicrafts and organic agricultural products and herbs.
9. Village visit and interaction with local villagers, which is avoided by the treks operated by the online aggregators.
Community Led Trek to the Nanda Devi National Park
Culture as foreground with wilderness and wildlife as background |
| Blue sheeps aka Bharal in Dharansi. Nanda Devi Trek |
Sketch Itinerary
The six days trek program offers a loop starting from summer Lata village, to Kanook, Lata Kharak, Saini Kharak with highest altitude gain at Jhindidhar (4180 m) and home stay at village Tolma.
Trek opportunities open between 29th April to 17th June 2019.
DAY 1 Pickup from Haridwar and drive to Lata. Trek briefing and equipment distribution. Overnight at Devangan lodge in Lata.
DAY 2 Trek 1.5km to summer Lata village. Village visit and interaction with villagers. Post village visit, trek 3km to Kanook campsite. Overnight in tents.
DAY 3 Trek 4km to Lata Kharak. Post lunch hike to Saini Kharak. Overnight at Forest hut at Lata Kharak.
DAY 4 Post breakfast trek to village Tolma via Jhindi Dhar, Himtoli. Homestay at Tolma village.
DAY 5 Post breakfast trek 3 kms to Suraithota roadhead and drive to Devangan lodge.
DAY 6 Post breakfast return drive to Haridwar.
View the Slide share PPS itinerary of the Nanda Devi National Park Trek
For trek reservations click here
Like us on facebook
Watch the video of the Nanda Devi Trek
Watch trailer of the documentary on the struggle for Nanda Devi Community Owned tourism produced by David Meek and Jade Ajani. Click here
Your suggestions are welcome ! Please do share to support and strengthen the local community in taking a lead role in tourism of their region.
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| US University students in traditional Bhotiya costume cultural immersion, nanda devi national park trek |
Suggested further readings
Impact of Conservation and Development on the Vicinity of Nanda Devi National Park in the North India
Management Conflicts in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India
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| A US University student wearing traditional Bhotiya women headgear Chubla in Lata villageNanda Devi National Park Trek |
'Te veo pronto'
#nandadevinationalparktrek, #nandadevitrek, #auli, #kuaripass, #kedarkantha, #dayarabugyal, #valleyofflowers, #responsibletourism #responsibletravel, #tourismresearch, #trekkinginuttarakhand, #tourismimpact
#nandadevinationalparktrek #nandadevitrek #nandadevinationalpark #kuaripass #dayarabugyal #doditaltrek #kedarkanthatrek #basicmountaineeringcourse #nehruinstituteofmountaineering
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