Ecotourism & What It Means For Pakistan
Recently, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Environment & Climate Change Sherry Rehman have agreed to work on multiple ecotourism projects in the province. The projects will focus on resilient marine ecosystems and utilization of salinized land, which a newly established fund will finance, the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF).
It was decided at the meeting that ecotourism would be developed on Keenjhar Lake and Miani Forrest. At the same time, other projects will include depolluting Manchhar Lake, establishing fisheries cold chains, and creating a sustainable fisheries management framework.
The newly set fund will also finance sub-projects to enhance the country’s resilience to natural hazards and climate change. It will also strengthen the country’s ability to respond and act in a crisis triggered by natural disasters. The chief minister also informed that NDRMF has approved a PKR 1.98 billion budget for this year-long project, which will be used for a resilient marine ecosystem and sustainable blue economy in the coastal areas of District Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, and Karachi.
The resilient marine ecosystem through sustainable management of fisheries resource ecosystem will be done by:
- Establishing fisheries protected areas through community engagement
- Affirming community policing through Fisheries Stewardship Agreements (FSA) in identified areas
- Developing a Sustainable Fisheries Management Framework (SFMF) for coastal fisheries
- Setting fisheries cold chain and installing flake ice machine or chilling unit
- Developing support facilities
- Installing solar-compatible RO plant for clean water supply
- Expansion of existing floating pontoon on two jetties
- Establishment check posts, management of field offices
- Replacing harmful fishing gear with sustainable equipment
- Converting 50 fishing trawlers to sustainable fishing boats
- Provision of equipment for small boats
- Establishing a model aquaculture farm and provision of livelihoods and family nutrition support for women
- Provision of 24/7 extension services for target districts and training & exposure of 1000 farmers and fishermen.
The chief minister also mentioned that the Miani Forrest ecotourism project is worth PKR 645 million, is 13 kilometers from Hyderabad city, and has a natural beauty. Similarly, Manchar Lake is a PKR 910 million project, a freshwater lake providing a natural habitat for marine life and supporting numerous anglers in the area.
PAKISTAN TO BUILD THE WORLD’S FIRST HIGH-ALTITUDE NATURE CORRIDOR FOR ECOTOURISM
The Ministry of Climate Change is working on a game-changing initiative focused on promoting the country’s ecotourism concept. Going the extra mile, it is planning to build the first-ever high-altitude Nature Corridor in the world.
The height of the upcoming Nature Corridor would be above 10,000 feet, and it would be a large-scale project, spreading from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to the jurisdiction of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and covering a total area of 4,000 square kilometers.
A key official involved in the planning and developing of the Nature Corridor said that the project would allow local and foreign travelers to explore the rich biodiversity and unique topography. This initiative also intends to protect the awe-inspiring flora and fauna of the region, including snow leopards, Himalayan brown bears, ibex, markhor (one of the national symbols of Pakistan), Ladakh urial, and blue sheep.
“It also provides adventure tourism because there are migration and displacement places for the wildlife and bird species where they can develop their habitats with changing weather patterns and ecological conditions,” the Nature Corridor official said.
“The local communities are being made aware of protecting the sites from environmental degradation because ecotourism is linked to their livelihoods. In this way, we will preserve our tourist sites and generate employment for the local people,” he added.
Ecotourism is an environmentally friendly way of promoting tourist activities in the country. As the world battles climate change and damage to natural beauty, there is a need to encourage environmentally-friendly policies that maintain the sanctity of indigenous lands and livelihoods. In this blog, we will look at how ecotourism policies can be implemented in a country and how Pakistan can do the same to ensure sustainable tourism.
ALL ABOUT ECOTOURISM POLICIES
Ecotourism is a way of boosting employment opportunities and uplifting livelihoods while at the same time ensuring that no amount of human activity causes habitat loss, pristine lands are lucid, and wildlife isn’t disturbed. In most regions, tourism is attracted towards indigenous lands and people and is a way for outsiders to experience the way of life here,
However, despite this, there is an emphasis on extracting the full potential of the world’s tourism sector. This is because as global tourism has increased, it has been realized that more people can benefit from the tourism sector by setting up local businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, regional cuisines, artifacts, cultural industry, etc.
ECOTOURISM IN HOSPITALITY SECTOR
As people travel, the demand for hotels and motels significantly increases. To satiate this demand, locals build hotels, sometimes not considering how it might affect the natural biodiversity. With a regulatory body to carry out feasibility studies, encroachments also appear in most cases.
These encroachments can be made on indigenous land, natural preserves such as wetlands, or in the way of natural streams, which adversely affect the environment. Therefore, These practices are wrong and prove detrimental to the environment. To make real estate activity here sustainable, there is a need to conduct environmental studies of the region and divide each place in terms of zones to mark whether construction activities can occur. The regulatory body should ensure full compliance with these provisions so there are no breaches of the law. Moreover, each hotel, motel, or guest house should be required to submit a detailed proposal of how it would dispose of garbage, accommodate increased cars for parking, and utilize the open spaces for recreational activities.
ECOTOURISM FOR CULTURAL INDUSTRY
The cultural industry of a region is quintessential to that place and, therefore, has to be developed in a way that thrives. Tourism activities damage the region’s culture and societal norms in most areas worldwide. In this regard, efforts should be made to keep the cultural values of the region intact while at the same time experiencing these different and vibrant cultures up close.
Another essential factor of the cultural industry is the artifacts and local cuisines, which, in most cases, are acquired tastes. To create a greater demand for these cultural services, the local governments can launch awareness campaigns and commission vloggers to produce digital content about the dos and don’ts of exploring the region’s culture.
In addition, tourists and even locals should be fined for improper actions, such as painting on mountains/highways/trees, cutting down trees, hunting animals, littering, and disturbing animals and people.
These are two broad measures through which ecotourism can be promoted anywhere. Let’s now look at how Pakistan’s government is working to ensure ecotourism policies.
ECOTOURISM IN PAKISTAN
Taking notice of environmental degradation and climate change, the Pakistan incumbent government has introduced several initiatives to promote sustainable tourism in the country. While the country experiences a significant tourism push, several policy measures are in place to ensure longevity in ecotourism policies.
These range from the anti-encroachment drive in the Kaghan Valley to halting the use of single-use plastic in Hunza. In addition, the incumbent government has also launched a country-wide One Billion Tree Tsunami Initiative and plantation drives in all significant provincial capitals. Moreover, the government is all set to introduce initiatives to offset the effects of environmental degradation.
As hunting is a sport that’s not only enjoyed by the locals but also by international tourists, a comprehensive system of patents has been put in place to ensure that the population of the animals isn’t affected in any way. Through this system of patents, locals are employed, and the wage for their services is also fixed. Thus, in this way, hunting activities are also regulated while at the same time using locals.
Each year, the number of tourists visiting Pakistan’s northern areas increases significantly. To make this industry sustainable and expand its base, there is a need for continuous innovation in terms of reforms. We will keep updating you with the latest information as these are introduced.
