Wages of success
efforts to promote ecotourism in the Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos, Costa Rica, seem to have boomeranged. Every year, thousands of tourists visit the 680 ha park, which is home to
Search Results
-
-
Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS)
Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) is a research, campaign and advocacy organisation. Study the social, cultural, economic and environmental impact of tourism on local communities. Believe that tourism
-
SOUTH AFRICA
In a move that is inviting the wrath of animal rights activists, South Africa is seeking permission to trade in white rhino horns. Under the Con vention on International Trade in Endangered Species
-
Costly sops
Green laws to be diluted
-
High Altitude Dilemma
It is an intriguing view from the high mountains of Bhutan. To the east lies Nepal, grappling large scale environmental degradation. To the north and south, China and India, overwhelmed by the pressure of 2 billion people. Several examples of what Bhutan
-
Vohra panel wants beach tourism left to states
A panel reviewing beach tourism policy rules out a common strategy and suggests that the states know best how to use their beaches
-
Greening development planning
Different approaches to making the economic case for improved management of natural capital in national planning are reviewed in this report. In many low-income countries natural resources sectors (agriculture, mining, forestry, fishery, nature-based tourism) are identified as the engines of economic growth.
-
Shadow over calm waters
Tourism threatens the Jaisamand lake near Udaipur
-
Shooting tradition
Among various art forms, from the state of Bihar that India is proud of, the already famous Mithila painting has now beckoned the Star TV. This intricate art form will be used as
-
Of shikaras and slums
The colony that has mushroomed upon the Dal Lake is the only slum on water in Srinagar. A byproduct of the proxy war between India and Pakistan, it threatens to kill the lake
-
Hungry tigers
At least 31 people have been killed by tigers from Tadoba since April 2005, according to forest department records. But only two of these killings took place inside the reserve. The rest occurred
-
Environmental racism
health Care Without Harm, a us -based coalition of environmental groups accused the World Bank of "environmental racism' for backing projects that fund dioxin-producing medical waste
-
Panchayati Raj: A good beginning
But will there be a place for traditional institutions in modern local self governance?
-
More the merrier
Huge tourist inflows often spell doom for a region's ecology. But things may turn out quite the opposite for Ladakh, as the Leh Autonomous Hill Council (lahc) plans to make visitors share
-
Daily bus service to Santiniketan introduced
Luxury bus services in Santiniketan-Kolkata route, ~ a sight that had only been a dream earlier for the locals and Santiniketan-bound tourists, is now a reality. Thanks to Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority and the South Bengal State Transport Corporation for their initiatives, jumbo-size Starbuses now will carry passengers from Santiniketan to Kolkata and back to Santiniketan, twice daily. "For the convenience of the passengers, mainly the residents of Santiniketan, who had to travel some 3 km to board trains from Bolpur Railway stations and for attracting tourists through better communication, the SBSTC has decided to start this new bus service,' said Mr Prabir Ghosh, divisional manager of SBSTC, Assansol. He also informed the buses would depart Santiniketan at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively and reach Esplanade in Kolkata through Panagarh and Durgapur Express road. Mr Ghosh said, "We have also decide to extend the bus route to Digha, the bus which would depart in the morning would go to Digha via Kolkata. n SNS
-
Villagers look forward to Bhandup mangrove centre
Fisherman Nandu Pawar (40) is ecstatic at the prospect of having a nature park in what he calls his "native land' Bhandup. "We are locals of Bhandup village and fishing here has been our age-old occupation. However, of late, a lot of us have been finding jobs elsewhere because fishing is not lucrative anymore. The mangrove park will mean new opportunities in our own land. We can think of a plethora of respectable jobs here as guides, boat riders, guards, etc,' he explains. Nearly 10,000 villagers of Bhandup echo Pawar's feelings. "We'd rather work in the place that we have inhabited for years than find jobs elsewhere,' they say. "Besides, we know how living in the mangrove area saved us during the June 26, 2006, floods. We will be proud to see this land develop as a tourism zone.' The state government's forest department will soon sign a formal agreement with NGO Conservation Action Trust (CAT) to develop the 452-hectare wetland between Bhandup and Kanjurmarg as a Mangrove Wetland Centre (MWC), the first of its kind in India. Still a proposal, CAT plans to submit a master plan of the park
-
Indian Govt wants to resume Sethu
The Indian Government has decided to throw its weight behind the controversial Sethusamudram project. The Government will now ask the Supreme Court to lift its stay on the controversial project to dredge a shipping channel between India and Sri Lanka and dismiss petitions challenging the project. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) met for the second time this week to arrive at a consensus on a 90-page draft affidavit stating its position on the project. The Centre will submit the affidavit in court today. The petitions had opposed the project saying it will damage the Ram Sethu, a cluster of sand formations that many Hindus believe was the bridge built by Lord Ram. The Centre's last affidavit had landed it in trouble as it questioned the existence of Ram. But under pressure from its southern allies, the Centre has decided to tell the court that it wants the project to continue on its original route. The CCPA seems to have taken everyone's point of view in the UPA coalition and managed to harmonise them. There have been differences between Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni and Shipping Minister DMK's T R Baalu over the affidavit. The culture minister has written a two-page note raising certain objections, and wanted these incorporated in the draft affidavit. The project was approved by the Government in May 2005. However, soon after its approval, the project had run into trouble, and dredging work had to be suspended. NDTV
-
Paying for the nature of tourism
The Sikkim government has taken the lead in making the throngs of tourists pay for the "existence value" of the glorious Himalaya and all that nature has to offer in this beautiful mountain state.
-
Cross-border deal to protect gorillas
Only 720 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, all of them in the misty hills of central Africa. Efforts to protect the critically endangered mountain gorilla received a big boost on Wednesday when Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to cooperate on a 10-year conservation plan for the animals. Only 720 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, all of them in the misty hills of central Africa where the three countries' borders meet. In the past 14 months, at least 10 gorillas have been killed in Congo's Virunga park by rebel fighters and people involved in the illegal charcoal trade. Despite the apes' vulnerability, conflict and mistrust among the countries has previously prevented formal cooperative efforts to stop the poaching and stem human encroachment. But in a joint statement on Wednesday, wildlife officials said their park authorities would work together "to ensure the conservation of the mountain gorillas and their Afromontane forest habitat.' Moses Mapesa, head of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, told a news conference in Kampala: "For the first time, the three countries have decided to protect the great apes which are threatened with extinction and insecurity in the region.' More than a decade of human conflict has damaged tourism in eastern Congo, but for Uganda and Rwanda the gorillas are still a prime attraction, with visitors paying
-
High altitude, high pressure
Ladakh s leadership is alive to many problems. But, challenges are not easy