Ecotourism as a Viable Option for Conservation of Wildlife in Protected Areas Under Shivalik Hills of the Outer Himalaya, India

The concept of ecotourism in protected areas and their implications for the conservation of flora and fauna are of global significance. Ecotourism is not only for suitable practice of tourism in protected areas as it deals with environmental conservation, but also supports local communities. The Himalaya in present times harbors a good increase of ecotourism in protected areas like Rajaji tiger reserve, Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve, Corbett National park, Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary, etc. Efforts done by state government in building tourism state have promoted the tourism industry in general. This chapter will explore the potential of ecotourism in protected areas and the local people's perceptions towards the local tourism, conservation of wildlife and substitutes for their livelihood. Additionally, it will explore potential sites already developed or can be developed for increasing options for enhancing ecotourism, providing information about various tools, which can attract the tourists from various disciplines.

Ecotourism in Protected Areas

This chapter explores the role of ecotourism in the sustainable development of protected areas. It specifically examines the aims of ecotourism in simultaneously contributing to economic development and environmental sustainability in protected areas. The chapter further analyzes protected areas within the ecological, human, and institutional dimensions, and demonstrates how the outcomes of ecotourism are linked to the economic, social, and environmental pillars that drive sustainable development. The chapter also discusses challenges surrounding the sustainability of ecotourism in protected areas and several mitigation strategies. It concludes that while ecotourism aims for economic development it can have detrimental effects on the ecological resources and host communities if not managed in a strategic sustainable way. The chapter recommends that ecotourism in protected areas should be carried out within the realm of environmental justice where all stakeholders and the natural environment are treated with respect and equity.

Tourism and Natural Capital

There is growing concern that ongoing degradation of natural capital, due to various global and local drivers of change, will compromise the delivery of the ecosystem services on which the tourism industry relies. This chapter aims to explore the relationships between natural capital and tourism. The chapter first provides an introduction to the inter-dependencies between business and natural capital and presents an overview of the tourism sector in South Africa. The focus then shifts to conceptualizing the links between tourism and natural capital, focusing on inland freshwater systems. A conceptual framework of the interactions between natural capital and the tourism sector is presented and key links between hydrologic ecosystem services and the tourism sector are described. In the final section, the risks of increasingly stressed water resources on tourism and the South African economy are explored.

Managing Natural Heritage Resources and Tourism in Campeche, Mexico

Natural heritage sites and natural protected areas (NPAs) attract tourism. However, positive/negative connotations correlate visitors with such places. While they may represent benefits and opportunities for the conservation and wellbeing of local communities, they also can produce direct and indirect adverse impacts that alter and destroy ecosystems and natural resources. This collateral damage affects all parties and natural and biocultural contexts involved. Through case studies in Campeche and Mexico's southern states region, the authors argue that drafting precise management schemes for these natural heritage sites and NPAs are key factors to promoting sustainability, particularly by adding community input and true ecotourism activities into their planning strategies.

Estimating Visitors' Willingness to Pay for Lake Conservation

The ecosystem benefits associated with the lakes in an urban area may degrade because of recreational and other anthropogenic activities. Pashan Lake has been a victim of many human development and recreation activities presented in this study and therefore calls for serious restoration and its conservation and recommendations for urban local bodies. The ill-effects of poor management of the lake and health of lake were deliberated through the visitors' survey. The objective of the study is to determine the willingness of people to pay towards conservation of Pashan Lake and estimating visitors' WTP for the entrance fee to the lake using the contingent valuation method. The decision to introduce entry fees can be a measure to safeguard the Pashan Lake conservation and part of the management decisions. Proper management of the lake must be ensured to remove all the threats to the natural biodiversity of the lake and its ecosystem.

Turtles or Tourists?

While ecotourism is a well-defined concept, operationalizing it to make it financially viable is a challenge. Ecotourism has a potential to conserve natural resources and biodiversity of the region, as suggested by many case studies across the world. In the last few years, Indian tourism has experienced an overuse of the term ecotourism. However, there are no standards nor guidelines to inspire confidence in tourists, nor policies to ensure its honest use. This chapter discusses the findings of the author's comparative study of conventional tourism in Murud and ecotourism in Velas. Murud and Velas are coastal villages in Maharashtra, with similar characteristics. The Olive Ridley turtles arrive every year to Velas to lay their eggs. However, with growing human disturbances, their numbers dwindled. Velas residents chose to protect this unique phenomenon and chose to fund their conservation program with an appropriate model of ecotourism. Today, ecotourism in Velas yields income for the residents, helps fund the turtle conservancy program, and generates employment for youth.

Vulnerability of Avifauna and Wildlife to Tourism Impacts

The chapter is developed on a two approach basis. In the first, it analyzed a global contextualization of the vulnerability of avifauna and wildlife to tourism impacts, where a transversal diagnosis is made. The vulnerability of wildlife to disturbance is complex and several studies suggest that animals undergoing non-threatening, predictable, and frequent disturbances can become familiarized and opportunistic. The results of a case study about tourist activities impact on birds with high and urgent importance in an environmental protection area (Cananéia-Iguape, Brazil) are also analyzed. This study consisted of fieldwork through the methodology of fixed points. The objective was to identify ecological indicators most likely to be threatened by tourism, the identification of bird species and of tourism activities susceptible to human presence. The results obtained demonstrate the need for the creation of buffer zones and the introduction of information signs. These are tools that can be used to promote the coexistence of wildlife and tourism.

Environmental and Socio-Cultural Impact of Tourism

The significance of examining and assessing environmental impacts of tourism is vital for maintaining environmental sustainability and regional growth in the long run. The purpose of this study is to understand the local perceptions of environmental effects caused due to tourism. A pre-tested survey mechanism for the impact pointers was used to collect the data. Analysis of variance pairwise comparison test was used to identify any significant variance in the respondents' perceptions towards selected factors of tourism impact based on locality. The results show that the local communities have strong perceptions of the undesirable economic influences of tourism although it is also signified that certain people who are in no direct contact with the tourism location perceive it in a projected way.

Measuring Tourism Carrying Capacity

Tourism is used as an engine for economic growth and is considered a source of income and employment generation. However, like any other human activity, it causes changes to its surroundings. Planners often plan for growth and development of tourism, ignoring the rights of local communities, who are custodians of the resources and are dependent on them. Local communities are most harshly affected by tourism-induced changes. The concept of tourism carrying capacity tries to identify how much change is acceptable change, which would then guide planning and management of tourism in the area. In this chapter, the authors explore the different methodologies that have been developed for assessment of tourism carrying capacity and suggest a suitable framework for the Indian context.

Relevance of Impact Studies on the Environmental Impacts of Tourism and Sustainability

The chapter investigates the relationship and trends in tourism-environmental impact studies in research communities for past 10 years. It discusses the various components and categories of the environmental impacts within context to the tourism. To achieve the purpose, a bibliometric study of the Scopus-indexed publications was conducted and analyzed for three themes using the Scopus search-defined parameters. During the search defining parameters, a total of 125, 28, and 88 relevant documents were obtained from the database for the theme, tourism-environmental impact overall studies, tourism-environmental impact and carrying capacity, socio-cultural and perception-based relevant studies, respectively. Based on the results, the authors conclude that there is a significant increase in environmental impact and tourism-related studies in the past 10 years. European countries have a major contribution towards environmental impact and tourism studies as compared to other Asian countries. The technical studies using tools of assessment for environmental impacts and tourism linkages is still insufficient.