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Community based Protection Oriented Eco-Tourism: A Tool for Conservation of Tigers in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India

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Author Affiliations

  • 1School of Management, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneswar, India
  • 3Department of Endangered Species Management, Wild Life Institute of India, Dehradun, India

Int. Res. J. Environment Sci., Volume 5, Issue (7), Pages 64-69, July,22 (2016)

Abstract

Ecotourism is referred to travels in exotic natural environment which is intended to support the local communities and conservation efforts. So community based ecotourism rests on the basic tenets of being ecologically sustainable, economically viable, socially acceptable, within the frame work of the prevailing rules and laws. Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) is unique with its diverse flora, fauna, endemism and landscapes which make it a Hot Spot for tourism. Therefore, an attempt has been made to develop the community based protection oriented ecotourism (CBPOET) for the conservation of Tigers in PTR. In PTR, each CBPOET has evolved out of necessity to address to certain conservation or livelihood issues. Thus, it is a tool to turn “threats” into “opportunity”. It was observed that the CBPOET resulted in enhanced protection of the study area, helped local communities to earn subsistence and supplementary livelihood, enhanced visitors satisfaction and disseminated conservation values, thus raising voices for conservation. The present study highlights the importance of community based protection oriented ecotourism in the conservation of tiger as well as livelihood of local communities.

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