ECO-TOURISM- A CONCEPT RELATING TOURISM AND ECOLOGY

Mother Nature……! It provides us with food, fodder, Fertilizer, Fuel, fiber and other such commodities that we require in our day-to-day life. Since from the beginning, man is inspired from the various wonders that are existing around him. Slowly he got fulfill, all his needs. The life of man became more complex and fast. Due to this, there is the need for man to be more close to the nature.  Hence for, the aesthetic value has great importance in one’s life. But on the other side it is the man’s responsibility to conserve the nature where he lives.

Eco tourism is one of the parts of this conservation. The word itself defines it as a responsible travel to the natural areas that conserves the environment. Eco-tourism is about uniting conservation of the communities and sustainable travel. The basic idea of ecotourism was a brainchild of Hector Ceballos-Lascurain who in July 1983 popularized the concept and hence forth the concept sustained in the society up till today.

What “Eco tourism” basically means?

Eco-tourism literally means making as possible as little impact on environment and preservation and conservation of local flora and fauna. When we listen or think about ecotourism, we first think about having a clean and green environment. Eco-tourism is well concerned about the preservation of not only natural but also the cultural environments all around the globe. It accommodates and entertains the travelers in such a way that it should be minimally intrusive or destructive to the environment and do sustain and supports the native culture. So during a travel one should identify his responsibilities towards the nature where he is.

Do’s and Don’ts for a Traveler:-

Being a responsible traveler, one should know about minimizing the impact of man on the nature. For this one must know about the Do’s and Don’ts s during his travel.

Do’s:-

a)     Respect the privacy of the place where you visit. There should be a minimum disturbance to the plants and the animals over there.

b)    A traveler should always carry back the non degradable litter as for example the plastic bottles, tins etc.

c)     A traveler should always pay respect towards the holy sites, the temples and the local culture.

d)    It is the responsibility to cut the noise pollution of a traveler.

e)     The use of public toilets that are provided over there should be observed.

Don’ts:-

a)     Do not take any samples or specimens of flora and fauna that reside over there. The samples may be in the form of seeds, flowers or any specimen of animals.

b)    The use of pollutants such as detergents and other such chemicals should be strictly avoided

c)     Any kind of activities such as smoking, drinking etc should be avoided.

d)    Avoid using wood for cooking at the campsites.

e)     Avoid offering the food stuffs to the local children and animals that you get in your way.

Let it be a holiday camping or a study tour or a trek, it is the responsibility of a traveler to maintain the environment as well as the culture of the place he visits. The ultimate objective of the ecotourism is about maintaining the sustainability of the place and preserving it in the form in which it exists.

Vaibhav P Rajdeep

Author (rajdeepvaibhav706@gmail.com)