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Category: Ecotourism

  • What is Sustainable Travel

    What is Sustainable Travel

    Sustainable travel is a way of exploring the world that respects and protects the environment, the culture, and the people of the places we visit. It is about being aware of the impact of our travel choices and actions, and making decisions that minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive ones. Sustainable travel is not only good for the planet, but also for ourselves, as it can enrich our experiences, broaden our perspectives, and inspire us to care more about our shared home.

    Why is Sustainable Travel Important

    Travel is one of the most popular and rewarding activities in the world. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), there were 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2019, and this number is expected to grow in the future. However, travel also has a significant impact on the environment and the communities we visit. Some of the negative effects of travel include:

    • Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, especially from flying, which contribute to climate change and its consequences, such as melting glaciers, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and loss of biodiversity.
    • Pollution from waste, noise, and light, which can harm wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.
    • Overcrowding and overdevelopment of popular destinations, which can damage natural and cultural heritage sites, degrade landscapes, and reduce the quality of life for local residents.
    • Exploitation and inequality of local people, who may not benefit from tourism revenues, face unfair working conditions, lose access to resources, or suffer from cultural erosion or loss of identity.

    Sustainable travel aims to address these challenges by promoting responsible and respectful tourism that balances the needs and interests of travelers, hosts, and the environment. By traveling sustainably, we can help preserve the beauty and diversity of our world for ourselves and future generations.

    How to Travel Sustainably

    There is no one-size-fits-all formula for sustainable travel, as different destinations may have different issues and opportunities. However, there are some general principles and practices that can guide us in making better travel decisions. Here are some examples:

    • Choose low-carbon transportation modes whenever possible, such as walking, biking, public transit, or train. If you have to fly, consider offsetting your carbon footprint by supporting projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or enhance carbon sinks.
    • Stay in eco-friendly accommodation that uses renewable energy sources, conserves water and resources, recycles waste, supports local communities, and protects natural habitats.
    • Support local businesses and social enterprises that provide fair wages and working conditions for their employees, respect human rights and cultural diversity, and contribute to social and environmental causes.
    • Respect local customs and traditions, learn some words of the local language, dress appropriately, ask for permission before taking photos or entering sacred places, and avoid buying or consuming products that are illegal or unethical.
    • Reduce your waste and consumption by bringing your own reusable items such as water bottles, bags, straws, cutlery, etc., avoiding single-use plastics or disposable items, refusing unnecessary packaging or souvenirs, and buying local and organic products.
    • Be mindful of your impact on wildlife and nature by following the principles of leave no trace , avoiding feeding or touching animals, staying on marked trails, and choosing ethical wildlife experiences that do not harm or exploit animals.
    • Educate yourself about the destination you are visiting by reading books, articles, or blogs, watching documentaries or videos, or joining tours or workshops that offer authentic and informative insights into the history, culture, and issues of the place.
    • Share your stories and experiences with others by writing reviews, blogs, or social media posts, giving feedback to tourism providers, or joining online communities that promote sustainable travel.

    Sustainable travel is not a destination but a journey. It is a continuous process of learning, reflecting, and improving our travel practices. By traveling sustainably, we can make a positive difference in the world while enjoying its wonders.

  • Essential Items for Eco-Friendly Travel

    Essential Items for Eco-Friendly Travel

    If you’re looking for ways to travel more sustainably, one of the things you can do is to pack eco-friendly items that reduce your environmental impact. In this blog post, I’ll share some of the essential items for eco-friendly travel that I always bring with me on my trips.

    • A reusable water bottle: This is a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating. A reusable water bottle can save you money and prevent plastic waste from ending up in landfills or oceans. You can choose a water bottle that has a filter, like LifeStraw Go, which can purify water from any source and protect you from harmful bacteria and viruses.
    • A bamboo toothbrush: Did you know that every plastic toothbrush you’ve ever used is still somewhere on the planet? That’s because plastic toothbrushes take hundreds of years to decompose. A bamboo toothbrush, on the other hand, is biodegradable and natural. You can also get bamboo toothpaste tablets that come in a glass jar, which are more eco-friendly than plastic tubes.
    • A solar charger: If you want to keep your devices powered up without relying on fossil fuels, a solar charger is a great option. You can use it to charge your phone, camera, laptop, or any other gadget that has a USB port. A solar charger is especially useful if you’re travelling to remote areas where electricity is scarce or unreliable.
    • A shampoo bar: Another way to reduce your plastic consumption is to switch to a shampoo bar instead of a liquid shampoo. A shampoo bar is a solid block of soap that cleans your hair just as well as a liquid shampoo, but without the plastic bottle. You can also get conditioner bars, body bars, and face bars that are made with natural ingredients and are gentle on your skin.
    • A reusable shopping bag: When you’re travelling, you might need to buy some groceries, souvenirs, or other items along the way. Instead of accepting plastic bags from the shops, bring your own reusable shopping bag that you can fold and store in your backpack. You can also use it as a laundry bag or a beach bag.
  • Simply Sustainable

    Simply Sustainable

    How to make sure your hotel is as environmentally friendly as possible

    With the pressures of global warming, we’re all looking for ways we can cut our carbon footprint and travel more responsibly. The decision of where to stay during your trip is a big factor so it’s good to know hotels are rising to the challenge and that there’s plenty you can do to help too. Consider these aspects of your hotel…

    SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

    It’s not only good practice to bring your own re-usable bottle on adventures but just as important is to choose a hotel that takes steps to reduce its plastic waste and encourage reusable alternatives. This could take the shape of providing in-room glass water bottles and glass amenity containers replacing plastic with cane, reed and other eco-materials; and sourcing local produce, doing away with packaging from imported goods and helping local community businesses too.

    RENEWABLE ENERGY

    It’s worth researching just how green your accommodation is, namely whether they try to mitigate the release of global warming gases by using renewable sources and energy efficient processes. Some properties utilize two major sources of renewable energy; biomass and solar. Biomass sees hot water boilers fueled by sustainably harvested cinnamon wood that, due to its fast cropping cycle, can rapidly sequester the carbon emitted. There are also solar solutions that have been implemented, mean 60% of the group’s total energy requirement is met by renewable energy. A very sunny state of affairs to be sure.

    WATER

    Freshwater is precious. Reusing towels, closing taps and taking showers are all mindful measures a guest can take but is your hotel making water conservation a priority too? This starts from flow rate fittings and How to make sure your hotel is as environmentally friendly as possible – rainwater harvesting methods. Energy, carbon, water and waste are all areas to consider when choosing a responsible hotel, so pick one that offers a great stay but is also invested in doing good for the future too.

    Homestays in Chikmagalur need to adapt to the sustainable living as our ancestors lived here for centuries. We can bring back the culture of local people along with the transform of nature from scarcity into abundance. More the production and use of goods can deplete natural resources and generate pollution. A desire to slow down and live a more simple life is the first step towards sustainability. With a pull towards simplicity, many people long to live in the country. There are a lot of lovely things about living the rural life, but it is worth discussing that moving to the country does not automatically create a simple and stress free life but to educate ourselves and learning from each other can reverse the nature back to atleast 10 years.

  • What is Ecotourism?

    What is Ecotourism?

    What is Ecotourism?

    “Tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest, typically under the guidance of a naturalist, for the purpose of observing wildlife and learning about the environment and at the same time focus on wildlife and promotion of understanding and conservation of the environment.”

    This is a conscientious form of tourism and tourism development, which encourages going back to natural products in every aspect of life and help preserve nature. It is also the key to sustainable ecological development.

    Eco Tourism Flower

    Goals and Principles of Ecotourism

    Ecotourism is essentially all about bringing nature/wildlife conservationists, local communities, and the responsible travel industry together to ensure development focused on long-term sustainability rather than short-term profits.

    The goal is to develop tourist accommodations, activities, and attractions that benefit everyone involved– the local flora/fauna, the local people, travel industry stakeholders, and travelers alike.

    Education is a key aspect of ecotourism initiatives, for locals and visitors alike. Most of these efforts are focused on improving awareness, sensitizing people to environmental issues, and encouraging them to be conscious of their impact on the places they visit.

    Characteristics:

    • Motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures.
    • Should be conducted inNatural areas.
    • Generally for small groups
    • Minimizes negative impacts
    • Generating economic benefits for host communities
    • Increasing awareness towards the conservation of natural and cultural assets, both among locals and tourists.

    Check out some of the objectives of Karnataka Eco Tourism board. Some of the interested aspirants of becoming nature guides, hosts and ecotourism operators can learn more.

  • Karnataka Eco Tourism

    Karnataka Eco Tourism

    The increase in tourism in the twentieth century set the place for the origin of ecotourism mainly because of two motives. Firstly, more tourism has cut down seriously on the natural environment causing extensive defeat to natural resources and secondly, ecotourism or the nature-based tourism is commonly accepted, presenting a clean and more steady, sustainable and commercially viable tourism goods that matched to the comfort of the tourists, entrepreneurs and the governments.

    Eco Tourism Village

    The objectives of the Karnataka Eco tourism board:

    1. To create awareness regarding the conservation of forests and wildlife amongst the people in general and children and youth, in particular.

    2. To encourage and promote tourism activities in the country in general and the State of Karnataka, in particular.

    3. To encourage local community involvement in ecotourism and provide greater employment opportunities and economic benefits to the local people.

    4. To assist in formulation of policies, laws and guidelines for organized development of ecotourism activities in the state.

    5. To conduct research and impact-studies in ecotourism areas.

    6. To promote ecotourism as a front line non consumptive activity of Forest Department.

    7. To develop good practices to be followed by ecotourism operators.

    8. To standardize and operate certification of ecotourism operators.

    9. To train and certify nature guides.

    10. To produce literature and electronic media material required for nature education and ecotourism promotion.

    11. To facilitate linkages between public and private operators n the cause of conservation of wildlife.

    12. To coordinate and liaise with national /international bodies, experts and funding agencies and receive contribution and funds from Government of India, State Government, National and International funding agencies etc.

    13. To encourage local community involvement in ecotourism.

    14. To maintain and facilitate ecotourism activities inside the parks and forest areas.

    15. To develop trekking trails and operate wildlife safaris in the “Protected Areas”.

    16. To encourage public-private partnerships (PPP) in the area of ecotourism, wherever the law permits.

    Updates:

    11 eco-trails have been identified within the Western Ghats region and the concerned authorities have already been notified. All the eco-trails will have a fee charged by the forest department, ranging between ₹500 to ₹1,000. The move is to encourage youngsters to come closer to nature and put an end to illegal treks in the woods

    From my previous blog you can learn more about What is Eco Tourism? From adopting eco tourism in Western Ghats regions of Karnataka we can build a healthy tourism and preserve our nature for the future.

  • Take the Trekking Trail in the Western Ghats

    Take the Trekking Trail in the Western Ghats

    Take on a challenge by trekking in the wilds of the Western Ghats.

    Preserve the pristine beauty: A waterfall in full spate in the Western Ghats

    Sakleshpur

    For the adventurous who are eager to discover the beauty of the Western Ghats, the southern Malnad region of Hassan district is the best place to explore. The wilds of the ghat really pose a challenge to the trekking buffs. The southern Malnad is a forest clad hilly region with heavy rainfall. On the western periphery are the picturesque ghats extending from the pass at Bisle Ghat to the Jenkal Betta, with lofty peaks. According to Major Montgomery, who was enchanted with the beauty of the Western Ghats, “the character of the country is generally undulating till on approaching the ghats, when it becomes precipitous. Perhaps there is no scenery in India more beautiful than the southern part of this tract, adjoining the northwest Coorg. It resembles for the most part the richest park scenery in England: hills covered with the finest grass or equally verdant crops of dry grain adorned and crowned with clumps of noble forest trees in some instances apparently planted most carefully and certainly with perfect taste.” This description of the Western Ghats by him, by and large, holds good even today.

    On the tracks

    The trek on the railway track stretching 58.6 k.m. from Sakleshpur to Subramanya road, which was shut down for gauge conversion some years ago, is a lifetime experience for the trekkers. Considered to be one of the most beautiful trekking routes, this track has 58 tunnels, some of which are as long as 300 meters and 109 bridges.

    One can witness about 25 waterfalls before reaching Subramanya. Trekkers should keep in mind that it is difficult to walk on the bridges as in some places the planks have been broken and the surface is slippery. They should also be careful as the area is infested with leeches. A deserted Yedakumeri railway station suggests the trekkers have reached their destination.

    The Railways are working hard to complete the gauge conversion between Sakleshpur and Subramanya. On completion it will be very difficult to trek in this stretch. However people can enjoy the beauty of the Western Ghats by travelling in the Hassan-Mangalore train.

    Save it

    The tropical forests of this region are home to rare species and are classified one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots in the world. The ecosystem of the Western Ghats has been facing danger in the last few decades because of large-scale encroachment, logging and permission and incentives given to forest based industries and development activities like hydel dams.

    During a recent trek in the area, locals alleged that the promoters of Kempu Hole hydel project had cut more than 500 trees and not 50 trees as promised.

    They are also opposing Gundia High Head Scheme (GHHS), a 300 MW power project proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited. The people regret that the quantity of rainfall has reduced due to denudation of forests over the years. Incessant rainfall which they were experiencing in the past, is a thing of past.

    The villagers of Hongadahalla in Sakleshpur decided to reduce the pressure on the forest cover in Western Ghat area and protest against any hydel project including the GHHS project of KPC.

    They also appeal to the trekkers and tourists not to spoil the surroundings by strewing plastic materials and requested them to extinguish the fire after cooking in the forest area.