Eco-tourism: A Sustainable Livelihood Option for Mountainous Communities in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India
Keywords:
Agriculture, Eco-tourism, High altitude Wetland, Sustainable livelihoodsAbstract
Eco-tourism has gained widespread acceptance in the tourism industry in recent past years and ‘mountain tourism’ is identified as the fastest-growing sector within this. The Lakes are being visited for many years and tourism and recreation activities are considered important ecosystem services of the Lakes.
The present study was conducted on the various aspects of tourism in Dodital Lake and its impact on socioeconomic status, employability, biodiversity conservation as well as impacts on the Lake Environment in some selected villages. The preliminary data was collected with the help of structured and semi-structured questionnaires and also from secondary sources in the district. The results of the study revealed that about 95% of the household in these villages depends on agriculture as a major livelihood source with rearing animal as a supplementary option. Tourism is considered a promising source of income generation and helps to prevent the migration of youth for employment. Approximately 60% of the household from these villages were involved in various tourism activities and their average annual income was estimated much higher than the households involved in agriculture only.
The preliminary results also show that the traditional livelihood sector is influenced due to tourism but plays an important role in the living standards of the household. However, tourism in the Dodital area has been identified as a key to solid waste disposal and affecting the lake Environment. The need for well planned and sustainable eco-tourism approach in the region is well supported in this paper and could be beneficial for both the people and the ecosystem.
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