Assessment of Ecotourism in Palamau Tiger Reserve:State of Jharkhand, India

Diksha Kumari PrasadConservator of Forests,

Department of Forests & Environment,Government of Jharkhand, Ranchi -834002, India

Phone – 00919431775121, 0091-651-2482759E-mail – dikshap64@yahoo.co.in

Contents

• Introduction

• Background

• Methodology

• Opportunities

• Challenges

• Conclusions

According to Heather Robinson (2006): Ecotourism is sustainable tourism that "contributes actively to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage; includes local and indigenous communities in its planning, development and operation, contributing to their well-being; interprets the natural and cultural heritage of the destination to visitors; and lends itself better to independent travelers.”

JHARKHAND

DENSE FOREST

OPEN FOREST

SCRUB

WATER BODIES

NON - FOREST

FOREST COVER MAP, 2001

Pakaur

Dumka

Giridih

Dhanbad

Bokaro

Haraibagh

Palamu

Lohardaga

Gumla

Ranchi

Paschim SinghbhumPurvi Singhbhum

• One of the first 9 Tiger Reserves notified in 1974.

• First census of tigers through pug mark identification technique was carried out here in 1934.

Stakeholders

• Local communities

• Forest Department

• Tourism Department

• Private sector

• NGOs and

• National/international tourists

Opportunities• Tourist spots • Roads and Transport• Accommodation • Nature Trails • Bird Watching sites • Nature Camps • Signboards• Elephant rides • Interpretation • Education

Year wise tourist visits to PTR

Year Indian Foreigner Total

1984 22,757 167 22,924

1988 46,680 106 46,786

1992 34,649 70 34,709

1996 23,050 57 23,107

2000 10,861 59 10,920

2004 12,456 0 12,456

2007 16,852 86 16,938

Challenges• Bad law and order situation• Lack of Ecotourism Policy• Lack of overall planning• No recycling of Tourism Revenue• Lack of Qualified Staff for Ecotourism • Lack of involvement of Local

Communities in Ecotourism• Lack of Dissemination of Information • Weak Scientific Research & Monitoring

Protected Area / Issues

Palamau Tiger Reserve, Jharkhand India

Jim CorbettTiger Reserve, Uttarakhand India

Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

Sumava Protected Area, SumavaCzech Republic

Sachsen Switzerland Protected Area, Saxony, Germany

Jasmund National Park,Rugen,Germany

Approach and Transport 4 1 1 1 1 1

Accommodation 3 1 1 1 1 1

Home-stays 5 4 3 3 N N

Nature Trails, etc 4 1 1 1 1 1

Nature Camps 4 2 3 1 1 1

Signboards 3 2 1 1 1 1

Elephant rides 2 1 1 N N N

Interpretation and conservation education

3 2 1 1 3 1

Tourist visits 5 1 1 1 1 1

1- very good, 5- very badN- not applicable

Protected Area / Issues

Palamau Tiger Reserve, Jharkhand, India

Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India

Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

Sumava Protected Area, SumavaCzech Republic

Sachsen Switzerland Protected Area, Saxony, Germany

Jasmund National Park,Rugen, Germany

Development of Ecotourism Policy

5 2 1 3 3 3

Coordination among departments/stakeholders

2 1 1 1 1 1

Recycling of Tourism Revenue

5 4 2 2 2 2

Qualified Staff 5 1 2 1 1 1

Involvement of Local Communities

3 2 1 4 4 5

Dissemination of Information, Awareness & Publicity of PA

4 1 1 1 1 1

Scientific Research & Monitoring

5 1 1 1 1 1

Law and order 5 2 2 1 1 1

Training

Development Funding

Research

Involvement

EcotourismIn

PTR

Conclusion

Thank you for your attention

See you in India