| Sanction Date: | 23-02-2018 | ||||
| Project Category | MG | ||||
| Batch Year | 2017-2018 | ||||
| Project Duration | 3 Years + 3 Months Project Extension | ||||
| BTA : | Livelihood Options and Employment Generation | ||||
| Project Site/ State/ Districts/ Villages Covered: | Khangchendzonga Landscape (KL), Sikkim and West Bengal, focussing three pilot sites: i) Dzongu; ii) Barsey-Singalila and iii) Bandapani | ||||
| Organization/ Implementation Agency: |
G.B. Pant 'National Institute of Himalayan Environment'(NIHE), Sikkim Unit |
||||
| Project Partners: | S.No. | Name | Roles & Responsibilities | ||
1. |
Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Sikkim Himalaya Circle, Gangtok | Assessment of bio-resources (flora and fauna), promotion of community based tourism via participatory approach, conservation management and documentation of bio resources, Participatory Action Research for livelihood promotion and sustainable agriculture | |||
2. |
Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata | -do- | |||
3. |
Forest, Environment & Wildlife Management Department (FEWMD), Gangtok (Sikkim) | -do- | |||
4. |
Directorate of Forest (DoF), West Bengal | -do- | |||
5. |
Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS), Gangtok | -do- | |||
6. |
ICAR-National Organic Farming Research Institute, Tadong, Gangtok (Sikkim) | -do- | |||
7. |
Mutanchi Lom Aal Shezum (MLAS), NGO Dzongu (Sikkim) | -do- | |||
8. |
Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation Siliguri (HNAF), West Bengal | -do- | |||
9. |
The Mountain Institute (TMI)-India, Gangtok (Sikkim) | -do- | |||
| Lead Proponent: | Dr. Devendra Kumar G.B. Pant 'National Institute of Himalayan Environment'(NIHE), Sikkim Unit |
||||
| Project Brief Description: | In the Khangchendzonga Landscape (KL), for decades, several agencies are advocating for the development of tourism sector very casually without fixing strategies, goals and priorities and in most cases without any authentic action plan. But, systematic exploitation of touristic potentiality of the region requires a band of trained local manpower having better understanding of different facets of a sustainable tourism industry. Moreover, there is necessity of critical judgment regarding the local tourism products prior to their marketing, so that tourism ventures can sustain in local socio-economic and socio-ecological situation and contribute meaningfully. The rapid change in the nature of tourists, tourism industry and its inter-relationship with natural and cultural environment necessitates new paradigms to manage sustainable tourism development involving indigenous communities. Development of tourism, especially during the last quarter of the twentieth century has also rightly evoked concerns about socio-cultural and environment impacts of tourism at various levels. Could there be a way to develop alliance between different target groups like tourists, tourism developers, tourism service providers and host community is still questionable. However, the literature reveals little evidence that the environmental impacts of visitors are being considered by farmers, planners, and tourism professionals. Based on the baseline information generated, through the ICIMOD sponsored KLCDI, India program, on ecosystem and socio-economic, and available bio-resource for KL, four major issues were identified in the KL-India, i.e. (i) limited livelihood opportunity, (ii) declining cultural entity, (iii) unregulated tourists influx and iv) overdependence on natural resources. However, KL, art an element of the Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalaya together by all of the warm neighboring areas of eastern Nepal and western Bhutan, has been an impressive destination for adventure tourists (trekkers, mountaineers, white water rafters, and bikers), naturalists, and academicians as well as for health conscious people over the last century. The landscape offers a great potential for tourism through community-based approaches, such as integrating livelihoods with biodiversity conservation. Realizing the opportunities in KL for conservation of biodiversity and for the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, community based approaches may play an important role. Therefore, main aim of this project is to assess and promote of community-based ecotourism and conservation of bio-resources as well as promotion of sustainable tourism through integration of Livestock and horticulture, handicraft products, and knowledge management of water resources. | ||||
| Beneficiaries/ Stakeholders: | 1200 Households | ||||
| Activity Chart (For 3 Years): | Click Here | ||||
| Total Grants (in Rs.) | Rs.1,76,38,180/- (Rupees One Crore Seventy Six Lakh Thirty Eight Thousand One Hundred Eighty only) | |||
| Project Objectives | Quantifiable Deliverables | Monitoring Indicators |
| Assessment and promotion of community-based ecotourism and equitable benefit sharing; | Ecotourism resource maps for 3 pilot sites; | No. of New Database/ Datasets generated on the identified dynamics, i.e. Flora and Fauna linking with Livelihood Options (No.); |
| Strengthening community based tourism by integrating traditional knowledge; | Development of web-enabled community tourism promotion models (3 sites); | Region-specific best practices/ models developed (No.); |
|
Promotion of sustainable tourism through integration of (i) Livestock and horticulture, (ii) handicraft products and iii) knowledge management of water resources; |
Reports/Dissemination materials on strengthening ecosystem services; prioritization of ecotourism opportunities; capacity building of different Stakeholders; | No. of Stakeholders benefitted (No. of Rural Youth, No. of Women, and Total No. of Beneficiaries) with update on Income generation (Rs./ person); |
| Build critical mass of informed and skilled youth for harnessing tourism potential and working for conservation of nature though sensitization and capacity building. | Database highlighting Flora and Fauna Resources; | Policy drafts (No.) for assisting the regional decision-making in the identified area and dynamics; |
| Success Stories Documentary; | Other Publications and Knowledge Products (Nos.). |
| S.No. | Name (Sanctioned Staff) | Qualification | Designation | Salary |
| 1. | Dr. Prakash C. Rout | Ph.D. (Tourism) | RA | 36000/- +HRA |
| 2. | Deepa Gurung | Masters in Tourism Management | JPF | 16000/- +HRA |
| 3. | Arun Chamlagai | Masters in Economics | JPF | 16000/- +HRA |
| 4. | Subarna Moni Pradhan | M.Phil (Peace and Conflict Studies) | JPF | 16000/- +HRA |
| 5. | Sudeep Gurung | Masters in Horticulture | JPF | 16000/- +HRA |
| 6. | John T. Lepcha | Masters in Tourism Management | JPF | 16000/- +HRA |
| 7. | Uden Tamang | 12thPassed | Field Assistant | 8,000/- +HRA |
| 8. | Bhim Prasad Pandey | 12thPassed | Field Assistant | 8,000/- +HRA |
| S.No. | Name of Equipment | Details/ Use | Cost (in INR) |
| 1. | HP Laser Printer (1No.) | HP Laserjet 1020 | 10,400 |
| 2. | UPS (Workstation Unit) [1 No.] | Numeric/Onfiniti | 70,210 |
| 3. | Binocular (2 Nos.) | Bushnell | 25,960 |
| 4. | GPS (2 Nos.) | GARMIN | 68,440 |
| 5. | Projector (1 No.) | Hitachi | 40,000 |
| 6. | Photocopy Machine (1 No.) | Xerox /VersalinkB7030 | 148090 |
| 7. | Workstation with Monitor (1 No.) | HP Z240 with HP Monitor 27 f | 1,30,800 |
| 8. | CPU with Monitor (1 No.) | HP CPU with HP Monitor 22f | 87,510 |
| 9. | Camera (1) | Canon/EOS77D | 76000 |
| 10. | Laptop (1 No.) | HP 15-cc134tx | 78590 |
