Tourists are not the problem

The Times of India , Thursday, May 06, 2010
Correspondent : IST
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has got this one right. He has said that his ministry has no intention to ban tourism in tiger reserves, as demanded by some sections of the environment department. Those in favour of the ban have argued that an increased number of tourists and tourism-related construction was proving to be disastrous for tigers and their habitat, resulting in dwindling numbers. This is a flawed argument. Indeed, the only way to save the tiger is to ensure that the economic value of a live tiger is much higher than the profit to be made from killing it for body parts. This can be done primarily by making tigers and tiger reserves a tourist draw.

The worrying fall in the number of tigers in India - which stands at around 1,400 - has little to do with tourists. This has happened because of poaching and encroachment of the tiger habitat. These are the real issues that need to be tackled. Our ill-equipped and poorly paid forest guards are fighting an uphill battle against poachers. Besides, forest conservation laws are regularly flouted.

All over the world tourists flock to see animals in their natural habitat without any adverse impact. Indeed, the money from tourism is funnelled back to protecting the animals. In India, some of the most-visited national parks such as Corbett or Bandhavgarh also have the highest number of tigers. However, no one is arguing that tourism in national parks should be unregulated. Tourists in tiger reserves must always be accompanied by trained guides. More importantly, tourism-related infrastructure should not be allowed inside the core areas of national parks and activities in wildlife resorts must be strictly regulated.

The Indian tiger is in dire straits. The only way to save it is to highlight how precious it is for our country and the world at large. Encouraging more tourists to tiger reserves will only help this cause.

 
SOURCE : http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-05-06/edit-page/28276170_1_tiger-reserves-tourists-national-parks
 


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