Top Goan environmentalists insist that time is of the essence for promoting the conservation of Goa’s local biodiversity and local eco-entrepreneurs can stand to benefit economically by implementing sustainable eco-tourism modules across the coastal state.
‘Ensemble of the Wild: An Evening of Art, Culture, Music and Meaningful Conversations Around Conservation’, a curtain-raiser event of Echoes of Earth, India’s greenest festival, provided a platform to raise widespread awareness about eco-sensitivity vis-à-vis discursive panel discussions, art and music on the ecological significance of the state’s rich biodiversity.
Titled ‘Ecotourism: A Guardrail towards Protecting Goa’s Biodiversity – in association with the Goa State Biodiversity Board’, the panel discussion featured Nirmal Kulkarni, a herpetologist and wildlife photographer, Rajendra Kerkar, general secretary Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan Goa and member of the Goa State Wildlife Advisory Board and Professor M.K Janarthanam, chairperson of the Goa State Research Foundation. The discussion was moderated by Pradip V. Sarmokadam, Member Secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board.
“Goa’s venture into ecotourism has an amazing future and we have the potential to become a model state for responsible ecotourism in India. There are platforms where people are being trained to respectfully showcase Goa’s magical biodiversity. There is great scope, only if ecotourism is carried out responsibly with small groups of people with appropriate guidelines in place that should be formulated in tandem with the local communities and people,” stated herpetologist Nirmal Kulkarni during the panel discussion.
The panel also discussed the disconnect that educated persons experience vis a vis nature.
“This disconnect should be addressed and ameliorated by visiting schools, taking students to the source to teach them about the significance of the flora and fauna. There are special stories associated with the environment that can be imparted only by the local communities. The culture of the people cannot be isolated from ecotourism. This gap needs to be bridged,” stated Janarthanam.
The definition of an ideal ecotourist was also discussed by the panellists along with what sustainable ecotourism should entail.
“A majority of forest systems are protected by the indigenous tribal people, who even guard the abiotic elements like the stones and soil. This has been the tradition in Goa since time immemorial. Ecotourists need to be respectful of the spaces in which they are entering and adhere to the customs of the locals. They also need to avoid littering the area,” said Kerkar.
Janarthanam added that education is a must for ecotourists as “ecotourism entails conservation, people who visit these ecologically sensitive sites should make an effort to learn about the local flora, fauna and cultural values of the local people attached to the environment. Only these tourists are fit to be called ecotourism stakeholders.”
Kerkar also highlighted the importance of respecting sacred groves and medicinal water bodies and stated that “the need of the hour is to create awareness surrounding the ecological importance of Goa’s ecology as a whole and increase the overall environment literacy.”
The keynote speaker for the event, Suneel Anchipaka (IAS) Director of Tourism, also highlighted ways in which ecotourism can be sustainably carried out by presenting the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s master plan.
“The focus is on sustainable and responsible quality tourism to empower local communities by creating employment opportunities as per Goa’s G20 declaration. The key theme is ‘Goa Beyond Beaches’ under which we have launched the Homestay policy and also introduced a Caravan policy to promote experiential tourism,” said Anchipaka.
Aligning with Goa’s environmentally conscious ethos and backed by the Goa Tourism Board, the event, held at the Panjim Gymkhana lawns, highlighted the ecological importance of the Western Ghats and the state of Goa and delivered an amalgam of art, culture, music, and conservation with sustainability and conservation at its core.
There are a host of events conducted by experts in the field of conservation planned over the next few weeks which include a ‘Seaweed Walk’, ‘Mangrove Walk & Nature Journaling’ and ‘Beekeeping Educational Workshop’, among others.
