GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Environment Conservation
Source: TH
Context: Major tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Hawaii (USA), Spain, and Greece are facing intermittent distress and closure due to the impact of disasters related to anthropogenic development activities.
| Aspect | Explanation | Examples |
| Ecological Impact | Uncontrolled tourism infrastructure development, such as widened highways and landslides, harms the environment. | Frequent landslides in Himachal Pradesh often on the Char Dham Yatra route |
| Conflict of Discourses | Disagreement between economic growth and conservation perspectives, leading to a development vs. nature clash. | Development plans vs. conservationists’ concerns over protecting fragile ecosystems esp. in the Himalayas and Western Ghats |
| Hospitality Industry Neglect | Negligence of hotels and resorts towards forest disappearance and improper waste disposal. | Hotels fail to adopt eco-friendly practices, leading to environmental degradation. |
| Rivers as Drainage | Improper waste disposal in rivers exacerbates flooding and disrupts river habitats. | |
| Policy Perception | Overemphasis on tourism’s economic benefits in policy decisions, neglecting ecological consequences. | |
| Tourists’ Impact | Unaware tourists unintentionally contribute to environmental harm through travel styles, overconsumption and preferences. | |
Steps taken to address the Issues:
- National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Traveller Campaign: Launched in 2022 by the Union Ministry of Tourism
- Kerala Tourism’s Green Carpet initiative promotes eco-friendly practices in tourism.
- Uttarakhand’s ban on construction in the 100-meter radius of rivers to protect river ecosystems.
- Sunderbans National Park’s management plan is to ensure wildlife conservation alongside tourism.
- Ladakh’s promotion of electric vehicles and solar-powered accommodations for sustainable tourism.
- Sikkim’s development of sustainable homestays and eco-lodges blend with the natural environment.
- Amsterdam: Its mayor has decided to ban cruise ships from docking at the city centre
- Hawaii: Residents are protesting against the high footfall of tourism, often interfering with their social and cultural life.
Conclusion:
While tourism offers economic benefits and cultural exchanges, its ecological impact cannot be overlooked. Governments, stakeholders, and travellers alike must collaborate to strike a balance between tourism and environmental preservation.
Insta links
Tourism in the Himalayas is not uniform; its impacts though are detrimental
Mains Links:
Define the concept of the carrying capacity of an ecosystem as relevant to an environment. Explain how understanding this concept is vital while planning for the sustainable development of a region. (UPSC 2019)
Discuss the risks and benefits of Eco-Tourism with examples in India? (250 words)
