Biodiversity Conservation Network
4. Ecotourism in the Mountains of Sikkim
Location: West Sikkim, India
Partners: The Mountain Institute (TMI)
G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED)
Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS)
The Green CircleBCN Funding: $449,465 Partner Contribution: $291,498
Grant Period: September 1, 1995 - August 31, 1998
What's at Stake?
The Himalayan state of Sikkim, which was only recently opened to tourism, is one of the two most biodiverse areas in India. It contains the world's third highest mountain peak (Khangchendzonga: 8,545 meters) which is revered as the protective deity of Sikkim and renowned for its rhododendrons, diverse flowering plants, birds and numerous other wildlife.
Threats to Sikkim's biodiversity include agricultural land conversion, road construction, over-collection of forest products and fuel wood collection. A partially constructed hydroelectric project is also present near a key project site.
To counter these threats and to build on the opportunity to provide benefits to local communities, the project team is working with a local association of trekking businesses (TAAS) and local communities to strengthen community-based ecotourism opportunities at three sites around Khangchendzonga National Park. These sites include Yuksam, the trekking trail to Dzongri and Goechhectare La, settlements around Kecheopalri Lake, and Pelling near Pemayangtse Monastery. This project is particularly timely as the state government is eager to promote tourism through the development of policies that minimize the problems that neighboring states have experienced as a result of the rapid development of the tourism sector.
1997 Update
In our second year, we have made major strides in training for income generation, capacity building for conservation, biological monitoring and promoting policy dialogue in conservation and ecotourism development.
Project staff and collaborators conducted training for over 200 lodge operators, naturalist and trekking guides, trek cooks, vegetable growers and porters. Lodge operators have recorded increased revenue and are actively using alternative heating and cooking devices that are also more energy efficient than firewood.
Using an innovative participatory planning and action methodology that focuses on community assets, over 200 people in four communities at the project sites have developed and are implementing local ecotourism plans that include activities which are co-financed by community members. Under these plans local people have improved garbage management, carried out tree plantations in local settlements, prepared and distributed visitor education and promotional materials, and conducted trail repairs.
Two highly successful study/exchange tours were undertaken by villagers and travel agents to neighboring Nepal. Sikkimese villagers worked with local residents in a Mountain Institute (TMI) ecotourism project in the Helambu region to learn about tourism development and conservation. All made commitments to share the learning and to carry out conservation activities. Most of these have already been fulfilled. Members of the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim had a workshop with the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal and among other results signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in marketing, conservation and ecotourism training.
As part of the applied research and monitoring component of the project, GBPIHED began intensive field monitoring of potential project impacts. Additionally, community ecotourism plans using participatory methods are providing participants with useful information on the status and management of natural resources, as well as on project activities that required modification, e.g. design of study tours in order to maximize the benefits for all community members.
This year, efforts to promote constructive policy dialogue between government, the private sector and local communities gathered momentum. The Government of Sikkim (GoS) adopted the project model of participatory workshops to discuss major tourism development proposals, and participated in a project-sponsored gathering of stockholders to discuss conservation and ecotourism management issues in and around Khanchendzonga National Park (KNP) -- the site of the major trekking route in Sikkim. The resulting action plan will be evaluated by participants in 1998.
Success Stories
In an extremely busy and rewarding year for staff, collaborators and participants, picking out one or two success stories does not fully capture the excitement, pride and ownership that participants have shown in the project. Instead we asked participants to record their assessment and impressions. Some of these are given below, and we hope that they convey the positive changes seen.
"Through the project I have been able to enhance my own capacity and learn techniques of data collection. After attending trainings, I have learned many things and in dealing with the community I have earned more respect from them."
-- Kingzong Bhutia, Sikkim Biodiversity and
Ecotourism (SBE) Community Assistant."One of the greatest successes of the SBE project I feel, is that it has involved local people from the grass-roots level and given importance to their participation which has made people take pride and they will cherish the fruits of this in the future."
- Pema Gyaltsin, School Teacher, Yuksam.
"The project has empowered local people to a great extent to take part in community initiatives and has set a trend to take actions instead of only talking. Examples are the Kathok Lake clean-up, road to Norbugang and Forest Guest House clean-up, getting benches for Norbugang, Dubdi Monastery, Kathok Lake and the Trekkers' Huts."
-- Chewang Bhutia, Engineer.
"Another significant change in Yuksam is the operation of the lodge operators. They have become much better in their service and entire operations after trainings."
-- Sherab Bhutia, Social Worker.
"The best thing about the KNP workshop was the involvement of the people from different sectors and backgrounds taking part in the biodiversity and management issues of KNP, and the methodology of the facilitators to get input and participation from all the participants."
-- K. N. Bhutia, Additional Secretary, Department of Tourism (GoS).
"The best thing about the KNP workshop was that it was the first time that the government departments felt it relevant to discuss and talk with the community stakeholders on National Park conservation and management issues and come out with positive recommendations."
-- Pema Bhutia General Secretary, Khanchendzonga Conservation Committee, Yuksam.
"In future all concerned planning for conservation in KNP should come out through one platform with active participation from different stakeholders."
-- Gut Lepcha, Field Director, Khangchendzonga National Park.
Challenges
A major success this year, the emergence of a community based non-government organization the Khanchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC) also presents a significant challenge to the project -- how to support this organization in its efforts to play a positive role in conservation and development? This question highlights a key issue in the project -- how to institutionalize activities and processes introduced by the project so that they are sustainable in the long-term? Local organizations and institutions present a promising avenue, but require initial investment in capacity building to manage themselves and their activities.
As the project enters its third year, we face a challenge and an opportunity to hand over activities to local groups who will be in a position to continue and modify them as necessary in the future. KCC has already conducted training for porters and raised a small amount of funds for garbage management in Yuksam.
On a more practical level, an unusually long monsoon highlighted the difficult conditions that participants operate under, in fragile mountain environments. Due to numerous landslides, on several occasions, staff were cut off from sites and the capital of Gangtok. These conditions have hampered project activities, affecting staff visits to the field, as well as communications. To some extent we have overcome the communication delays by using laptop computers in the field and recently acquired e-mail capabilities. Landslides on the other hand continue to test everyone's ability to manage complex logistical arrangements and maintain sense of humor under difficult circumstances.
Authors: Nandita Jain, Program Manager with the Mountain Institute and SBE Project Manager. Comments from the field were collected by Renzino Lepcha, Project Officer, and from evaluations completed by participants in the workshop.
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