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The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday unveiled an Ecotourism to protect the rich natural and cultural heritage of the State.
The active involvement of the local communities for their empowerment has been emphasised in the policy, which was released by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Objectives
The objectives of the policy include identification and development of natural areas as ecotourism destinations, promotion of eco-friendly infrastructure in conformity with the guiding principles, facilitation of partnerships between all stakeholders to develop, promote and maintain ecotourism sites and creation of livelihood opportunities and share benefits with the local communities for their support to conservation, among others.
Ecotourism is not limited to the biodiversity and landscape values, but also to the customs, cultures and traditions native to respective eco-sites. Ecotourism sites in Tamil Nadu can be used as important means to conserve the unique cultural traditions associated with the biodiversity of an area.
Activities planned
The Forest Department will be the nodal agency for implementing the policy and will create a special purpose vehicle in the form of State Ecotourism Board (SEB). The ecotourism sites will cater to different target groups and will include hiking, trekking, wildlife sighting, bird watching trails, boating, photography, visit to medicinal plants conservation area, craft making, local handicraft, promoting local festivals, and adventure sports.
In the coastal wetland sites, activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, walks and boat rides for viewing and appreciating the rich and special flora and fauna can be taken up.
The SEB will finalise a strategy on the pricing, appropriate packaging and branding of ecotourism destinations. This policy will be reviewed after five years.
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