Authorities of temples located in forests will have to fork out at least 10 per cent of their income for development of local communities, according to ecotourism guidelines unveiled by the Environment Ministry.

The guidelines submitted to the Supreme Court in an ongoing case also asks the temple authorities to develop a system for controlling the number of pilgrims so as to maintain the ecological integrity of the areas.

“This mechanism should be developed within three years of the notification of these guidelines,” it said.

“Temple boards must negotiate terms of revenue sharing with local communities, and channel a minimum of 10 per cent of gross revenue collected into development of local communities through the Gram Sabha,” according to Environment Ministry. The guidelines lay out a detailed set of framework on the selection, planning, development, implementation and monitoring of eco-tourism in and around natural ecosystems.

The pilgrim sites located inside Protected Areas must be in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Environment Protection Act, 1986 to prevent further expansion, it was stipulated.

“This should be periodically reviewed by a Local Advisory Committee (LAC).”

The directives and guidelines for ecotourism are also applicable to any Protected Areas, Tiger Reserve including National Parks, Wildlife Sancturies, Community reserves, Conservation Reserves located within protected areas and forested areas. Noting that the mushrooming of tourist facilities around protected areas has led to the exploitation, degradation, disturbance and misuse of fragile ecosystems, the Environment Ministry asked the state Governments to “levy a local conservation fee” as a minimum 10 per cent turnover on all tourist facilities within a minimum five km of such ecologically sensitive forests.

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