SHIMLA: Keeping in view foreign tourists and nature lovers, the forest department of Himachal Pradesh has prepared an elaborate plan to focus on wildlife tourism.
The indigenous culture of mountain villages and wildlife offered a unique experience for visitors who had remained deprived of rare scenic beauty of these places which were isolated from urban areas for centuries.
These remote hamlets developed a highly distinctive culture, based on worship of local deities, characteristic architecture of houses and temples, impressive foldwood carving, silver jewellery and local handloom and handicraft which tourists are keen to see.
Himachal Pradesh was a rich repository of country's biggest bio-diversity which covered 7104 square km area spread over two national parks (1440 sq km) and 32 wildlife sanctuaries (5664 sk km) in altitude ranging between 200 mts and 6100 mts.
The wildlife tourism is a developing concept which encompasses eco-tourism, trekking, mountaineering, bird watching, wildlife and income generating community based tourism....
However, the protected forest areas could not be opened for tourists indiscriminately and it had to be assured that the local community and tourists not (not) indulge in poaching, or herb collection, which had caused considerable damage to forests and wildlife in the past.
The forest department officers feel the economic empowerment of people living in the vicinity of protected forest areas was imperative for protection of forests and wild life and they must be made to realise that preservation of this valuable resource could be the biggest source of livelihood for them as it would give boost to eco-tourism.
The Himachal Pradesh government had taken some decisions to put a blanket ban on poaching and felling of green trees in early eighties which went a long way in preserving forests and wildlife.
A large number of birds and animal species, which had either become extinct or declared endangered, could be saved due to efforts made by the wildlife wing and mammals like ibex, snow leopard, Himalayan thar, goral, blue sheep, Himalayan black deer, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan red fox, vulnerable musk deer etc had been listed in the red data book... The avifauna of Himachal had been reported recently and check list of birds of Great Himalayan National Park which fell within one of globally important endemic bird areas. Identified by biodiversity project, it had 183 bird species, including 132 passerines and 51 non-passernes species.
This can be compared with 70 non-passerines and 150 passerines recorded throughout the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh above altitude of 1500 mts.
