Eco-tour

Courtesy : forest.uk.gov.in/

Uttarakhand is uniquely placed for its natural, social and cultural resources. With its pristine and picturesque environment and innumerable religious shrines, Uttarakhand is also known as abode of Gods. Snow clad mountains, panoramic alpine meadows, mighty Himalayan criss-crossed valleys, life giving perennial rivers stippled with lush green forests and high biodiversity are amongst the many attractions which initiate inspiration to the soul and make Uttarakhand a spiritual destination of the world.

Uttarakhand, the 28th state of the Indian Union came into existence on 9th November 2000. With a geographical area of over 53,483 km2 this state constitutes nearly 1.67 percent of the country’s total geographical area. The state is inhabited with a population of 10116752 as per 2011 census, comprising two major ethnic groups named as Indo-Aryans and Indo-Mongoloids. Various communities amongst these groups play a major role in conservation of various natural resources of the state.

Uttarakhand state’s recorded forest area is 34650.56 km2 which is 64.8 % of its total geographical area and 4.5% of the national forest area. Its forest cover is 24,465 km2 which represents 45.74% of the state’s total geographical area and 3.61% of the forest cover of the country. With 6 National Parks, 7 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 4 Conservation Reserves comprising nearly 8000 km2 of area the state is a vast reservoir of magnificent biodiversity. The state has two Tiger Reserves and has second highest number of tigers in the country with Corbett Tiger Reserve having the highest density of tigers in the world. Uttarakhand is home to nearly 4048 species of angiosperms and gymnosperm, out of which nearly 116 species are specific to Uttarakhand and about 161 species are recognized as rare or threatened under the categorization of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Faunal diversity of Uttarakhand included 102 species of mammals, 710 species of birds, 124 species of fish, 69 species of reptiles and 19 species of amphibians. Highly endangered species like the snow leopard, Musk deer, tiger, Asiatic elephant, cheer pheasant, king cobra etc. find suitable habitat in the forests of Uttarakhand. Musk Deer is the state animal while the beautiful monal is the state bird. Over 12000 van panchayats, functioning in the state are India’s earliest examples of community based natural resource management with its roots since the early 20th century. All above facts support state’s potential to develop as a top tourist destination for nature, wildlife, religious, spiritual, herbal and adventure tourism.

This ecotourism policy will work as a guiding principal to conserve and preserve the rich natural and cultural heritage of Uttarakhand along with development of social entrepreneurship traits in local communities through nature based tourism activities. The policy would aim at minimizing the impacts of nature based tourism and increasing livelihood opportunities to the communities so that it acts as an incentive for conservation action commensurate with the globally accepted principals of ecotourism to ensure adequate economic returns to the state.

Eco-Tourism in Uttarakhand

This visual map shows a perspective of the state with the majestic peaks of N­anda Devi, Dronagiri, Mana and Kedarnath in the back ground, the plains of the terai in the foreground, coinciding by the mighty rivers of Ganga, Bhagirathi Kosi and Kali. The unique flora and fauna of the state have been illustrated in the areas where one can spot them. Various eco-tourism activities one can indulge have been indicated to encourage low footprint eco-friendly travel habits. Whereas, the back of the map highlight twelve key locations where the local communities together with various organizations have encourage and successfully implemented ecology and community based tourism practices.

The map has been received very well in all quarters. ­­A special mention must be made to the response the team has received from schools in the state that have recognised Ecotourism map of Uttarakhand as an effective tool for education.