Institutional linkage: An important approach to Tourism and Environment Management
Ek Raj Sigdel
NTTR
It is widely believed that, one of the prime causes of deforestation in Nepal is low level of conservation awareness amongst local people, particularly politicians. As the Local government is the representation of the political parties, integration of tourism in the local development plan provides an opportunity of disseminating the higher value of environment conservation for socio-economic development and tourism promotion amongst wider communities. Moreover, it can be hoped that the conservation value of environment would be integrated in the political parties’ manifestos.
Local governments’ programmes and activities, so far, are guided by vote-bank approach. Most of the time, programmes are formulated to achieve short term benefits. They do not have adequate interest to understand the linkage of environment with local development, by promoting sustainable tourism in their respective areas.
In view of encouraging tourists in the rural areas, the Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) has been trying to adopt a participatory bottom up planning approach from the very beginning.
It is a joint undertaking of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, DFID, UNDP and SNV-Nepal. The programme aims at supporting government's policy of reducing poverty through promoting sustainable tourism at rural areas. In addition to lowering poverty, the programme supports the goal of environment conservation by raising awareness amongst wider stakeholders.
Most of the field programmes and activities are guided by local interest and demand. Wider stakeholders, ranging from local to policy levels are consulted while formulating and implementing its programmes and activities. The grass root programmes are designed based on the use of Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action (APPA), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Development Wheel tools. In order to deliver the services very efficiently, community based institutions, like Community Organizations (CO), User Groups (UG), and Functional Groups (FG) are being formed and strengthened. During the last two and half years' period, the programme has been able to raise local awareness on how tourism can be promoted and sustained in rural areas. Now, people in the programme sites are eager to reap higher tourism benefits by developing and promoting diverse tourism products and packages. In this pursuant, tourism product development, packaging and marketing have been the priority programmes of TRPAP in the year 2004.
TRPAP activities are basically guided by four principles; Pro-poor, Pro-women, Pro – community and Pro – environment. The programme has been implemented in six districts and 48 VDCs of Nepal since about three years. It is hoped that the successful implementation of the TRPAP would be a prototype for sustainable tourism development in other parts of Nepal and abroad. In addition, it is believed that the existing pattern of confinement of relatively higher number of tourists in some of the protected areas, mainly Sagarmatha National Park, Annapurna Conservation Area and Langtang National Park could be dispersed in near by villages. The strategy ultimately contributes to achieving the goal of reducing rural poverty through distributing benefits in a justifiable manner in Nepal.
The programme has been implementing its activities through local governments like, District Development Committee (DDC) and Village Development Committee (VDC). In order to make the programme sustainable on institutional ground, it envisions establishing Sustainable Tourism Development Sections at DDC and VDC offices respectively. These offices shall be linked to Sustainable Tourism Development Unit of NTB, which has already been formed. In this way a linkage at micro, meso and macro level has been established. Similarly, in order to sustain the tourism activities on the financial ground, the Programme has a provision of establishing Sustainable Tourism Development Fund (STDF) and Sustainable Tourism Village Fund (STVF) at DDC and VDC levels. These funds shall be provided to locals for infrastructure support, undertaking micro enterprises and other capacity enhancement activities. Moreover, in order to strengthen rural tourism, the TRPAP has been supporting the government to prepare pro-poor tourism policy, and National Tourism Strategy.
In order to implement integrated sustainable tourism development programme at grass roots level, with the financial and technical support from TRPAP, Rasuwa, Dolpa and Taplejung have already prepared District Tourism Management Plans. Preparation of the District Tourism Plan for Chitwan and Rupandehi is underway. Having tourism plans at place, the local government would be able to create an amiable environment for raising local awareness towards higher value of sustainable tourism management in their areas.
Thus, TRPAP approach of implementing its activities through local government would create opportunity of integrating environment concern at district and village development plans. The strategy ultimately helps to raise the conservation awareness amongst grass root communities. Finally, this strategy would be one of the viable strategies towards achieving sustainable environment management in Nepal. Thus, the approach of TRPAP working through local government would bring a hope that people can begin environment friendly activities at local level on their own initiatives in the days ahead. The approach ultimately helps to disseminate the importance of environment conservation to wider communities.
Local governments’ programmes and activities, so far, are guided by vote-bank approach. Most of the time, programmes are formulated to achieve short term benefits. They do not have adequate interest to understand the linkage of environment with local development, by promoting sustainable tourism in their respective areas.
In view of encouraging tourists in the rural areas, the Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) has been trying to adopt a participatory bottom up planning approach from the very beginning.
It is a joint undertaking of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, DFID, UNDP and SNV-Nepal. The programme aims at supporting government's policy of reducing poverty through promoting sustainable tourism at rural areas. In addition to lowering poverty, the programme supports the goal of environment conservation by raising awareness amongst wider stakeholders.
Most of the field programmes and activities are guided by local interest and demand. Wider stakeholders, ranging from local to policy levels are consulted while formulating and implementing its programmes and activities. The grass root programmes are designed based on the use of Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action (APPA), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Development Wheel tools. In order to deliver the services very efficiently, community based institutions, like Community Organizations (CO), User Groups (UG), and Functional Groups (FG) are being formed and strengthened. During the last two and half years' period, the programme has been able to raise local awareness on how tourism can be promoted and sustained in rural areas. Now, people in the programme sites are eager to reap higher tourism benefits by developing and promoting diverse tourism products and packages. In this pursuant, tourism product development, packaging and marketing have been the priority programmes of TRPAP in the year 2004.
TRPAP activities are basically guided by four principles; Pro-poor, Pro-women, Pro – community and Pro – environment. The programme has been implemented in six districts and 48 VDCs of Nepal since about three years. It is hoped that the successful implementation of the TRPAP would be a prototype for sustainable tourism development in other parts of Nepal and abroad. In addition, it is believed that the existing pattern of confinement of relatively higher number of tourists in some of the protected areas, mainly Sagarmatha National Park, Annapurna Conservation Area and Langtang National Park could be dispersed in near by villages. The strategy ultimately contributes to achieving the goal of reducing rural poverty through distributing benefits in a justifiable manner in Nepal.
The programme has been implementing its activities through local governments like, District Development Committee (DDC) and Village Development Committee (VDC). In order to make the programme sustainable on institutional ground, it envisions establishing Sustainable Tourism Development Sections at DDC and VDC offices respectively. These offices shall be linked to Sustainable Tourism Development Unit of NTB, which has already been formed. In this way a linkage at micro, meso and macro level has been established. Similarly, in order to sustain the tourism activities on the financial ground, the Programme has a provision of establishing Sustainable Tourism Development Fund (STDF) and Sustainable Tourism Village Fund (STVF) at DDC and VDC levels. These funds shall be provided to locals for infrastructure support, undertaking micro enterprises and other capacity enhancement activities. Moreover, in order to strengthen rural tourism, the TRPAP has been supporting the government to prepare pro-poor tourism policy, and National Tourism Strategy.
In order to implement integrated sustainable tourism development programme at grass roots level, with the financial and technical support from TRPAP, Rasuwa, Dolpa and Taplejung have already prepared District Tourism Management Plans. Preparation of the District Tourism Plan for Chitwan and Rupandehi is underway. Having tourism plans at place, the local government would be able to create an amiable environment for raising local awareness towards higher value of sustainable tourism management in their areas.
Thus, TRPAP approach of implementing its activities through local government would create opportunity of integrating environment concern at district and village development plans. The strategy ultimately helps to raise the conservation awareness amongst grass root communities. Finally, this strategy would be one of the viable strategies towards achieving sustainable environment management in Nepal. Thus, the approach of TRPAP working through local government would bring a hope that people can begin environment friendly activities at local level on their own initiatives in the days ahead. The approach ultimately helps to disseminate the importance of environment conservation to wider communities.
posted by Ek Raj Sigdel at
January 06, 2009
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