Ecotourism in the Mountains of Sikkim, India

by The Mountain Institute

Partners:

The Mountain Institute (TMI) G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED) Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) The Green Circle

Success Stories

In the project, training of key stakeholders in mountain-based tourism is seen as a critical activity in linking biodiversity conservation and income-generation from tourism. In March, project staff and volunteers from TAAS and the Sikkim Mountaineering Institute held a two-day training course for trek porters and pack animal operators in Yuksam, the start of the major trek. Over 80 local people attended the session.

In June, project staff were called for a meeting with the Government of Sikkim (GoS) Department of Tourism to discuss a letter received from visitors to the state. While trekking in the Yuksam-Dzongri area, a group of Indian tourists had asked a porter to cut wood for a campfire, but the porter refused. When asked why, the porter replied that it was not in his interest nor in the interests of long-term conservation of the area to cut vegetation and that a recent training course, run by a tourism project, in which he had participated had stressed this point. In response the trekkers wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Sikkim suggesting that if people wanted an example of responsible trekking, Sikkim was the place to visit.

Within Sikkim, the incident generated considerable interest in GoS circles where we have often discussed the importance of training in a strategy for sustainable tourism development in the state. The GoS's immediate response was to offer financial support and personnel for a trek cooks' training in July, which was taken up by the project.

Challenges

In a state where central and state governments have traditionally been the source of development and conservation support, complementary efforts based in the private sector are new and very different ways of conducting business. The challenge during the first year was to bring public and private sector stakeholders together in a way that would foster constructive dialogue and lead to results. At the same time it was important to empower stakeholders, especially local communities at the project sites, to take action themselves instead of depending entirely on government. Through the use of a workshop with small discussion groups, we facilitated dialogue between private and public sectors, and assisted stakeholders in producing a Code of Conduct for Ecotourism. The forum and Code enabled TAAS to successfully lobby GoS for extra kerosene supplies to reduce the use of fuelwood on treks.

At the primary project site, Yuksam, participatory appraisal and planning focusing on ecotourism catalyzed a portion of the population to carry out conservation activities, such as clean-ups and tree-planting, connected with site enhancement. Participants in training courses have paid fees to attend, an idea that initially met with resistance, but was gradually accepted as courses gained a reputation for quality and for meeting a need in the tourism sector. The challenge in coming years will be to build upon these efforts, and increase participation in both public and private sectors.

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