ASSESSING ECOTOURISM ECONOMICS FOR LIVELIHOOD INTERVENTION- A CASE IN NAMERI NATIONAL PARK OF ASSAM (INDIA)

ASEAN Journl on Hospitlity nd Tourism, Vol 13, pp. 19-32 Printed in Indonesi. All right reserved ASSESSING ECOTOURISM ECONOMICS FOR LIVELIHOOD INTERVENTION- A CASE IN NAMERI NATIONAL PARK OF ASSAM (INDIA) Nirnjn Ds* 1 Mrinmoy K. Srm 1 This pper entitled tries to emphsize on the ecotourism inititives nd its impct of on livelihood intervention in the fringe of Nmeri Ntionl Prk in Assm, Indi. Ecotourism inititives tht hve been introduce by Assm (Bhorelli) Angling nd Conservtion Assocition (ABACA), n orgniztion strted ecotourism ventures in the yer 1956 benefiting locl populce in terms of income, improved infrstructure, employment opportunities nd exposure. The community s cpcity to fcilitte resource relted conflicts hs improved following support from development institutions nd fcilities provided by the orgniztion. An expnding livelihood bse is reducing locl vulnerbility to disster nd mn-niml conflicts. The numbers of inhbitnt wildlife species in the prk hve incresed due to dequte protection nd reduce frequency of livestock in nerby villgers. There is need to build the community s cpcity for the promotion of ctivities tht compliment ecotourism. Through the pper the resercher emphsizes such possibilities on the bsis of ssessment of potentil ecotourism resources of the Nmeri Ntionl Prk during field experience gined different prts of the study re. Nmeri Ntionl Prk, Locl community, Ecotourism, Livelihood, Economic vlues nd Tourist resources INTRODUCTION Assm is prt of meg biodiversity hotspots of the world. It lso fo rms prts of two endemic bird res, viz. estern Himlys nd Assm plin (Choudhury, 2000). Nmeri Ntionl Prk is prt of the north bnk lndscpe designted by WWF nd lso prt of Estern Himlyn biodiversity regime rich in endemic biot of the world. The study region covers Nmeri Ntionl Prk of Assm locted in 26o50/48//N to 27o03/43//N Ltitudes nd 92o39/E to 92o59/E Longitudes covering n re of 200 km2 in the northern bnk of river Brhmputr, in Sonitpur district of Assm. Nmeri is covered by tropicl evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests with cne nd bmboo brkes nd nrrow stripes of open grsslnd long rivers. Grsslnd comprises of less thn 10 per cent of the totl re of the prk while the semi-evergreen nd moist deciduous species dominte the re. The prk is enriched with thretened plnts nd niml species under Interntionl Union for Conservtion of Ntures (IUCN) Red List ctegories (Bru et l. 1999). Prts of the re were declred s Ndur Reserve Forest (Present Est Buffer) in 1876 nd Nmeri Wildlife Snctury in the yer 1985. The Nmeri Ntionl Prk ws formed in the yer1998. During the British period this rserve forest ws designted s Gme Century for hunting of nimls. Presently no villge is situted inside the core re of the prk. There re * Corresponding uthor, emil: ds_nirnjn2002@yhoo.com 1 Tezpur University, Sonitpur (Assm), INDIA 19

Assessing Ecotourism Economics for Livelihood Intervention- A Cse in Nmeri Ntionl Prk of Assm (Indi) 4(four) forest villges nd 1(one) griculture frming corportion hs been situted in the west buffer of the prk. Similrely 5(five) forest villges re locted in the est buffer. There is totl of 18(eighteen) revenue villges situted outside but long the southern nd south-western boundry of the prk. The villgers in the south buffer re re dependent on the prk for sustinnce of their livelihood. They hve been trditionlly engged in collection of NTFP (non timber forest produce) nd grzing of livestock. A sizble proportion of locl populce is lso engged in ecotourism ctivities s tour guide, providing locl ccomodtion, selling hndicrft, engging in the ecocmp, etc for their livelihood (Bhttchry, 2003). The Assm (Bhorelli) Angling & Conservtion Assocition (ABACA) in the prk hs been orgnizing white wter rfting with the ssistnce nd coopertion of the deprtment of sports; deprtment of tourism nd deprtment of environment nd forest, Government of Assm. 20 Figure 1. Loction Mp of Nmeri Ntionl Prk LITERATURE REVIEW Studies on tourism nd livelihood re of recent origin nd the vilble literture/ records in this field re rther few. However, much of the studies done erlier re mostly confined to the res outside Indi. Such studies re inherent in nlysis pertining to tourism industry itself. Gossling (1999) suggests tht nture-bsed tourism is derived from the existence of nturl res with no specific concern for their protection, wheres ecotourism is concerned with the protection of nturl res (Nidoo, 2005). Typicl services offered t ecotourism destintions might include locl rts nd crfts, guided hikes nd wildlife viewing, publictions, nturl history lectures, photogrphy, nd locl food. Revenues re generted from fees for these services, s well s nturl re user fees nd locl expenditures for hotels, resturnts nd brs, nd trnsporttion services (Seidl 1994).

Nirnjn Ds & Mrinmoy K.Srm Orms (1995) rgues tht ecotourism must provide more thn mere enjoyment; it must foster chnges in the ttitudes nd behvior of tourists bout the protection of nturl resources. Reserchers lso hve discussed ecotourism in the context of the tou rism life cycle (Butler 1980). Mesuring the economic impcts of tourism nd outdoor recretion hs received considerble ttention in cdemic literture (Edington nd Redmn 1991, Frederick 1992). Economic impcts generlly re exmined within cost benefit frmework (Dixon nd Shermn 1990, Wlsh 1986) with the benefits mesured by using expenditure surveys combined with input-output nlysis (Brissoulis 1991, Propst 1985). Trvel cost or contingent vlution methods lso re commonly used to plce dollr vlues on nturl res or mrginl chnges in their chrcteristics (Bostedt nd Mttsson 1995, Durojiye nd Ikpi 1988, Echeverri nd others 1995, Forster 1989, Lee 1997, Lee nd others 1998, Loomis 1989, Morn 1994). Mesuring economic impcts or vlues derived from tourism necessittes differentiting between the economic benefits derived from the vrious forms of tourism. One of the problems in determining the economic impct of ecotourism, for exmple, knows wht is ment by the term (Tisdell 1996). Differentiting between economic benefits derived from ecotourism nd those derived from generl tourism cn depend on how ech is defined (Goodwin, 2002). When ecotourism is defined less restrictively, s simply tourism derived from nture preserves, prks, or refuges, reserchers tend to ssume tht ll economic impcts derived from those nturl res re ecotourism-derived impcts (Boo 1990). Economic impcts re mesured by using expenditure surveys of tourists visiting those res. Tourism expenditures ssumed to be generted by prticulr nturl re my be reported for well-defined geogrphic re (English 1992). An lterntive to surveying tourists is surveying locl businesses (Kngs nd others 1995) nd residents (Lindberg nd others 1996). When ecotourism is defined more restrictively nd confined to prticulr types of tourism ctivity or prticulr types of tourists, reserchers ttempt to segment tourists into the ctegories of ecotourist nd generl tourist ETHNIC IDENTITIES OF LOCAL POPULATION The forest villges locted in the re cquire culture of different ethnic groups. The Mising, Gro, Krbi, Bodo, Npli, Adivsi nd other groups of indigenous community resides in the south buffer re. The Mising people, rivirine community resides in the forest villges of both buffers s well s in the revenue villges of south buffer. There re 2 (two) villges of ntive Mising community in the re. They re tribl people with their own identity s Pile dwellers (house with elevted floor from the ground on posts) mde of wooden or bmboo posts, floor nd wlls nd thtch or plm lef roof covering. Rering cttle for griculture frming, poultry nd pigs re the min source of livelihood of the community. People belong to the community weve their clothes in their trditionl loom for their dresses s well for selling them to ern. Trditionlly Misings re good in bmboo nd cne crfts. The Krbi people lso Pile dwellers. But now dy they hve constructed their house on plinth level (modified house). They lso rer cttle for their griculturl purpose. Krbi people rer poultry nd pigs for their economic benefit. Weving of clothes in their trditionl loom is long drwn process of the communities trdition, but their popultion is limited in the forest villges. There is one Gro forest villge in the west buffer. Erlier they were Pile dwellers. But t present they re grdully shifting to plinth houses. They lso cultivte in the pddy 21

Assessing Ecotourism Economics for Livelihood Intervention- A Cse in Nmeri Ntionl Prk of Assm (Indi) field nd rer cttle, poultry nd pigs. They use to collect their griculturl implements loclly. Four Bodo forest villges re situted one ech in both est nd west buffers. They re hving their own customs nd culture. They lso construct their dwelling houses mostly by loclly collected building mterils. Bodo people rer cttle for frming nd lso rer poultry nd pigs. They re good in bmboo nd cne crfts. The Nplese re trditionlly cttle rerer. They lso cultivte their lnd nd some of them rer poultry nd pigs. They re very much dependent on the forests for rering cttle. Nplese re good in diry products. The Adivsis (ex te grden lbourers) re mostly cultivtors. Some of them re dependent on forests for collection of wild tubers nd roots for their con sumption, other household mterils nd implements. They work in their pddy fields or villge griculturl lbourer. Adivsis hve their socil customs nd trditions of community hunting, which is now very much limited. The other communities of the loclity re mostly cultivtors. People lso rer cttle nd poultry nd good in bmboo nd crfts. Reltionship of these people with forests is not very close s they re deprived of grzing of their cttle; collection of firewood nd other griculturl implements hs been stopped since constitution of the Ntionl Prk. Though bmboos re loclly grown but cne nd thtch were collected from the forests, which re now being stopped by the prk uthority. All these hve ggrvted the people, s they do not hve lterntive source for their requirements. STATUS OF ECONOMY, LAND USE AND FOREST RESOURCES The forest villgers mostly depend on griculture. There is no industry nerby for employment. Most of the villgers re below poverty line nd s such they depend on the well to do households of the villges for their employment s sesonl griculturl lbour. The voctions of the villgers re limited to cottge industry prticulrly cne nd bmboo crfts, crpentry etc. Some people re dopting diry frming with the trditionl system nd indigenous cttle vriety. Erlier some people used to work in riverbed snd nd grvel qurry in the prk, but due to cretion of ntionl prk the sme hs been stopped nd the unemployment hs incresed. The lnds in possession of the villgers re used mostly for their smll homested where they mrginlly grow rec nut, bnn, bmboo nd other vegetbles. Very limited people hve fuel wood in their homesteds. The pddy lnds re cultivted for one crop only due to lck of irrigtion fcilities. People use to collect their firewood nd griculturl implements nd house construction mterils from the forests of nd the buffer re. Grzing hs been done in these res. Sesonlly some villgers do tke up cottge industry of weving bmboo nd cne crfts. The lnd use pttern of the loclity is grdully chnging by wy of incresing horticulture, fishery etc. The irrigtion fcility nd cceptnce of modern griculture improves the economic condition of the people. Due to high dependency of the people on the resources of the forests the conservtion of the prk hs become difficult s the community lnd reserved for the villgers is insufficient nd hs been utilized for griculturl nd other developmentl works. The fllow lnd ner by the res hs been decreses due to encrochment. 22

Nirnjn Ds & Mrinmoy K.Srm Objectives The objective of the present study is: i. To highlight the resource bse of the Nmeri Ntionl Prk; nd ii. To evlute the ecotourism on livelihood intervention of the community in the prk. RESEARCH METHOD The present reserch is bsed on dt collected between Jnury nd April 2013 using semistructured interviwes, nd updte using informtion gthered during successive locl meetings. A process of tringultion ws ensured where by key informnts nd focus group were interviewed nd different sites (e.g. homested, ecocmp, villge mrket, river bnk nd in the forest) visited. Snowbll smpling procedure ws used. This is procedure where the resercher strt off with one informnt who in turn introduces the next person considers usefull to the investigtion. Interview questions touched on livelihood options, wildlife conservtion, nd tourist resource mngement. The opertion of ecocmp nd the mngement committee ws lso invesitigted. A totl of 28 individuls (10 locl tour guide, 6 women group, 4 botmen, 4 cultivtor nd 4 four forest personl) interviewed during the visit. ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK Protected res hve gret potentil for recretion nd ecotourism. Recretion nd ecotourism hve been introduced into protected res which hve helped to revel the ecologicl vlue nd frgility of the re (Brechin, et. l. 1991). The impression of Nmeri Ntionl Prk on tourists nd visitors hs lwys been ssocited with outdoor recretion. Despite being smll in re, it hs significnt rry of lndscpe, scenic beuty nd culturl vriety of the communities residing ner the prk. This nturl setting lso embrces vriety of ecologicl hbitts nd vrious nimls nd plnt species, essentil for the development of ecotourism (Bhttchry, 2004). As mentioned in the previous section, Nmeri Ntionl Prk nd its djoining res re rich in culture with different communities inhbiting there. Ecotourism tries to preserve culturl integrity becuse humn vlue cnnot be seprted from nturl vlue. Most potentil ecotourism sites re inhbited by ethnic minorities (Nepl, 2000). The principle of encourging community prticiption in ecotourism ctivities crete income nd mintin culturl identity of the host community. These communities hve deep understnding of trditionl festivls, cultivtion nd lnd use customs, culinry culture, trditionl lifestyle nd hndicrfts including historicl plces (Zurick, 1992). Ecotourism highly depends on the elements vilble in prticulr tourist destintion. The strength of these elements directly ffects the flow of tourists into the spot (Gee, 1959). The following plesure seeking ctivities ttrcts tourist to Nmeri Ntionl Prk. Rfting Rfting is one of the recretionl ctivities vilble in the prk s rivers. This is usully done on whitewter or different degrees of rough wter, in order to thrill nd excite the riders. The development of this ctivity s leisure sport hs become populr since the mid 1980s. 23

Assessing Ecotourism Economics for Livelihood Intervention- A Cse in Nmeri Ntionl Prk of Assm (Indi) 24 Tble 1 Rfting Grded in Ji-Bhoreli Rivers Grde: I Smll, esy wves; minly flt wter Grde:II Minly cler pssges; some res of difficulty Grde:III Difficult pssges; nrrow in plces nd with high wves Source: Assocition of Adventure Sports, Indi-2003 The Ji-Bhoreli River hs been included to Nmeri Ntionl Prk nd is well looked fter by the Deprtment of Forest (Wildlife), Government of Assm. A stretch of 20 Kms. in length of Ji-Bhoreli River from 16th mile point to Potsli is included for rfting. Tourists my vil shorter distnce in this route strting from other rfting points from 13th mile re. Rfting period strts from 1st November to 31st Mrch. It is populr tourist ctivity in the prk which is preferred by 10.47 per cent nd 9 per cent of domestic foreign tourist respectively (Dept. of Forest, 2012). Lrge number of botmen is engged for rfting from mongst the locl people who lso ern for their livelihood from this ctivity. Trekking Trekking is one of the best wys to view the lndscpe of prticulr tourist destintion. Nmeri Ntionl Prk offers some of the most wesome trekking opportunities to the tourists. It hs brethtking trekking trils ll cross, from north to south nd from est to west. The trekking seson in the prk strts from lte spring to lte winter nd covers lmost the whole yer. The prk lso offers considerble bonnz for trekkers tht rnge from moderte to strenuous treks nd which tkes bout 3 to 5 dys. Though the seson strts from October to Mrch the idel trekking time is between the months of October to My. However, trekking cn lso be done in the summer months. This ctivity ttrcted 4.76 per cent of nd 4 per cent of domestic nd foreign tourists (Dept. of Forest, 2012). Tble- 2: Potentil Trekking Route in Nmeri Ntionl Prk Trekking Route Distnces Durtion (Dy) Altitude (Meters) 1. Bhlukpung-Confluence of Diji River (trekking long the bed of the Diji River (14 km.) Rfting long Ji-Bhorelli to Bhlukpung 26 km. 53 3 130 to 270 2. Bhlukpung- confluence of Nmeri river (trekking long the bed of the Nmeri River (12 km)-confluence of Ppu river rfting long Ji-Bhorelli up to Bhlukpung (53km.). 3. Potsli- Confluence of Khri River (trekking long the bed of the Khri river (8km.) - Trekking long the bed of the Ji-Bhorelli River to Sijuss cmp. 4. Potsli- Trekking long the bnk of Ji-Bhorelli to Owbri, Morisuti nd 102 36 5 2 130 to 263 96 to 113

Nirnjn Ds & Mrinmoy K.Srm Trekking Route Distnces Durtion (Dy) Altitude (Meters) Koroibri to Rngjn Chpori to 17 1 87 to 103 Potsli cmp. 5. Sijuss- trekking long the bed of the Bogijuli Nl (14km.) Confluence of Bogijuli Nl to Potsli cmp (23km.). 6. Tourists rout pproximtely 17 km. length from Seijos to Khri River vi Bogijuli cmp. 46 3 110 to 230 18 1 79 to 104 Source: SOI Topogrphicl Mps nd Resercher field visits 2012-2013 Elephnt Sfri Elephnt sfri helps the visitors to trvel through difficult terrins nd lso provides suitble mode of wildlife viewing in the inccessible prt of the prk. Elephnt sfri is idel in nd round the wild regions where riding the elephnt cn give esy ccess for viewing the wildlife. In Nmeri Ntionl Prk elephnt sfri is the best option for exploring the wildlife distributed ll long the prk, bout 9.84 per cent domestic nd 13 per cent foreign tourist enjoyed the trils (Dept. of Forest, 2012). It offers n opportunity to view some of the rre nd endngered nimls occsionlly migrted from the djcent Pkhui Wildlife Sncturies of Arunchl Prdesh. Bird Wtching Nmeri Ntionl Prk is fmous for vin species. The most ctive time of the yer for birding is during the spring, when lrge vriety of birds re seen. On these occsions, lrge number of birds trvels north or south to wintering or nesting loctions (Choudhury, 2000). Certin loctions in the prk such s the forest, rivers nd wetlnds my be fvoured ccording to the position nd seson. Nmeri Ntionl Prk is gifted with more thn 337 species (Bruh, 1999) of both resident nd migrtory birds. The tourist cn enjoy long seson of bird wtching during winter (November to Mrch). During the seson, 21 per cent nd 13 per cent of foreign nd domestic tourist enjoy bird wtching (Dept. of Forest, 2012). Tble- 3: Mjor Bird wtching res of Nmeri Ntionl Prk Loclity Resident Bird Migrtory Bird Grsslnd Bird Hill bird in winter 1. Potsli (Wtch tower) 2. Kuru Beel 3. Borghulli Beel 4. Mgurmri beel 5. Blipung re 6. Along the bed of the Ji-Bhoreli river 7. Ner Bogijuli Nl n Source: Check List of Birds of Nmeri Ntionl Prk prepred by Pnkj Srmh nd Mnn Bruh, 1999 nd Authors field visit, 2012-2013 (: vilble, n:not-vilble n n n Hill bird round the yer n n n n n 25

Assessing Ecotourism Economics for Livelihood Intervention- A Cse in Nmeri Ntionl Prk of Assm (Indi) IMPACT OF ECOTOURISM ON LIVELIHOOD The Assm (Bhorelli) Anglers nd Conservtion Assocition (ABACA) is joint venture between the locl community nd the tourism entrepreneur. Since its inception in 1956, ABACA hs contributed to livelihood opportunities nd nturl resource mngement inititive to the locl community in Nmeri Ntionl Prk in different wy. The community hs been benefitting from fee tht is pid by ABACA for the lese of lnd. About 2 hecter of lnd hve been lesed t fee of Rs. 94,000 per yer. Over nd bove the community receives mounts rnging between Rs.3000 per yer s bed chrges (locl ccommodtion) pid by the tourist who visits the re. The community uses these ernings to support different community livelihood inititives such s the provide money to self-help group, construction of schools, community houses, rods nd expnses for community festivls. Eco-cmp provide eco friendly ccommodtion in the prk nd pys monthly slries to 18 members of stff, drwn from the locl community who serve t the cmp. The workers include security gurd, cmp ttendnts, mintennce nd clericl stuff s well s culturl troops (performing locl dnces in the cmp during tourist sesons) from nerby villges. More nd more locl people re complementing their sources of income with pyments receive s csul workers. Up to 15 csul workers re bsorbed by ecocmp especilly during construction nd repirs. Individul households benefit from the sle of firewood nd chrcol nd the different orgnic food stuff tht re sold t the cmps nd tourist. Ernings received from ecotourism re used in vrious wys, including purchse of livestock; lnd s well other necessry item, inititives tht re contributing towrds livelihood in generl nd locl food security in specific. There re limittions with these gins, which include dominnce by few households nd unwillingness of the privte developer to rely on loclly vilble lterntive mterils nd goods. Most people lck exposure to the outside world. It is found tht there is lck of wreness mong the locl people on how tourist demnd dicttes the type of goods nd mterils purchsed t the cmp. The community reside nerby the prk is benefitting from improved infrstructurl systems. These include over 8 km erth rod network tht hs been constructed by the forest deprtment in the conservtion re nd outside. The ll wether rod hs improved community ccesses to outside mrkets. To increse the resident wild life nd bird, the community constructed five smll brrges on the tributries nd plnted fruit bering trees nd trees which is most fvourble for wildlife hbittion. These wter sources nd plnttions hve reduced competition for grzing resources between livestock nd wildlife. The cmp uthority llowed to the community to use grzing especilly during drought. Access to the new wter sources hs reduced community vulnerbility to drought relted dissters. Community contct to the outside world hs improved following ccess to electricity nd telephone line provided by ecocmp uthority nd forest deprtment. 26

Nirnjn Ds & Mrinmoy K.Srm More benefits to the locl community come in form of contribution from the deprtment of forest nd environment, Government of Assm. The forest deprtment hs been involved in the estblishment of ABACA nd lso fcilitted negotitions between the community nd ABACA through workshops nd exposure tours, helped to build trust for the project mong the members of the community. Amounts re pid to locl people in the re who hve livestock nd hve greed to shre grzing resources with wildlife. This contribution is ment to offset the costs incurred by the communities for living with wildlife nd, build trust nd ownership of wildlife resources mong the locl people. The positive impct of this contribution, notwithstnding, the beneficiries hve expressed disppointment over this mount, pointing out tht it is too little compred with the costs incurred. This is prtly ssocited with poor negotition skills by the ABA CA coupled with limited knowledge of mrket vlue of resources involved nd the implictions of the lese greement on the locl economy. The mjor investment of ecotourism-relted ernings is used for livelihood becuse there is no other foremost mens of income genertion. The ffected individuls clled for diversifiction of the investment of wildlife-relted ernings beyond community projects. The women s groups hve, for instnce, pproched the ABACA for funding to improve their smll-scle business opening selfhelp group. Awreness nd mobiliztion workshops tht were funded by deprtment of forest nd ABACA hve improved the cpcity of individuls working in different sectors. The members hve been empowered through exposure tours orgnized to surrounding res. Selected members were exposed to different ecotourism complementry technologies in the other prts of the sttes like Kzirng, Dibru - Sikhow, Mzuli River Islnd nd Mns Ntionl Prk etc. Tour prticipnts identified orgnic fodder production, hndicrft, locl cuisine eco-friendly ccommodtion nd beekeeping s ecotourism complementry pckges suitble to the locl setting nd conditions. A proposl hs been developed nd resources re being mobilized to implement selected pckges. Following exposure tours nd consulttive meetings locl members hve identified vrious forums for shring informtion on technologicl innovtions nd possible funding. Tour prticipnts hve been instrumentl in fcilitting negotitions on wildlife - relted conflicts, using experience gined s they listened to nrrtion by host institutions during the tours. Despite the different gins, reports from consulttive meetings point to negtive effects of ecotourism on livelihood. It is cler, for instnce, tht only few members nd/or institutions benefit. While the empowered few help to mobilize loclly vilble resources nd crete wreness mong the rest of the members to prticipte in ecotourism inititives, the sme members mrginlize the res t of the community in benefiting from ecotourism relted gins. IMPACTS ON NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Impcts on nturl resource mngement on ecotourism inititives hve mde little positive impct on nturl resource mngement. This is primrily becuse of lck of 27

Assessing Ecotourism Economics for Livelihood Intervention- A Cse in Nmeri Ntionl Prk of Assm (Indi) ntionl policy to integrte the inititives with resource mngement nd conservtion. Conservtion is still being influenced by the premise tht wildlife needs to be protected to void overutiliztion nd/or through competition with livestock. Despite this orthodox prctice, there is evidence tht the numbers of wildlife (including chrismtic species) in the prk hve either remined stble or incresed. The number of White Winged Wood Duck (cirin scutult) stnds t 424, hving risen from lmost few t the time of project inception in 1981. Elephnt, bird species nd bush-loving wildlife hve more thn doubled following the increse in biomss nd nti-poching cmpigns sperheded by community reside ner by the prk. ABACA hs plns to introduce certin florl species to meet customer demnd. Following exposure tours, the community hs expressed interest to introduce n orchid snctury, vermicomposting plnt nd n orgnic orchrd. Through exposure tours nd consulttive meetings, the community member hs been sensitized to the need to reduce livestock numbers. The membership consists of individuls who re promoting cultivtion long buffers in the Nmeri Ntionl prk. To reduce pressure on nturl pstures nd dependence on forest most of these members use complementry pstures such s nppier grss nd mize stlks. Improved mintennce of community pond, dependence on piped wter nd the construction of privte wter pns/brrges over tributries hve reduced competition between livestock nd wildlife over wter resources. Consequently, formerly degrded sites round community wtering points re regenerted. Pressure on grzing resources hs lso reduced following the construction of ponds nd development of grsslnd under eco-restortion progrmme in the conservtion re funded by Deprtment of Forest nd Environment, Government of Assm. The different interventions hve reduced competition on resources vilble for livestock, especilly from resident wildlife species. Abject poverty, improved contct with the outside world nd incresed numbers of resident wildlife hve contributed to poching. This sitution leds to either the community losing vluble sources of income or the numbers of the specific niml species exceeding the ecologicl limit leding to environmentl degrdtion. Respondents confirmed tht poching ws cused by individuls who feel tht they do not own ecotourism inititives. In wy, this rection reflects problem tht ecotourism hs either filed to ddress or one tht is beyond its scope in the context of existing institutionl frmeworks. Mesures in plce to restrin wildlife poching/interference hve met with resistnce. They include ntipoching ptrols by forest personnel, the locl dministrtion nd the community. Following such encounters with pochers, the community hs become reluctnt to perform their duties leding to incresed wildlife molesttion outside the protected re. The sitution is worsened by low motivtion due to poor remunertion, nd dely in pyment of slries. Slries for locl people engged in protection of the prk re pid by the deprtment of Forest nd Environment, Government of Assm. 28

CONCLUSION Nirnjn Ds & Mrinmoy K.Srm This pper hs estblished how pilot ecotourism inititives under the Assm (Bhorelli) Angling nd Conservtion Assocition (ABECA) hve chnged locl prctices nd ttitudes towrds wildlife nd nturl resources. The impcts tht include ccumultion of svings by individuls re leding to socil differentition beyond trditionl relms further mrginlizing the lredy impoverished groups/individuls t the expense of the elite. Young well-to-do locl who re incresingly controlling power in the community following their exposure to the outside world nd the welth they hve ccumulted, re eroding long-estblished settings. This new form of mrginliztion hve to be ddressed, especilly through empowerment of individuls nd re motivted to ctively prticipte in emerging livelihood options. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I tke the opportunity to express my deep grtitude nd cknowledgement to my supervisor Prof. Mrinmoy. K. Srm, Deprtment of Business Administrtion, Tezpur University, who induce me to pursue the present reserch problem. I m thnkful for his uninhibited guidnce nd encourgement nd constnt monitoring of the progress of my work nd his untiring help in preprtion nd completion of this mnuscript. I m lso thnkful to forest officils of Nmeri Ntionl Prk for their help nd coopertion du ring my visit for dt collection. References Bru, M., nd Shrm, P. 1999. Occurrence of the Hill Blue Flyctcher (Cyornis bnyums) in Nmeri Ntionl Prk, Assm. Newsletter for Birdwtchers 39(4): pp. 61 62. Bhttchry, P. 2003. Ecotourism s Mens of Conserving Wildlife Sncturies nd Ntionl Prks of Assm, in P.P Bruh (eds.) Proc. Biodiversity of Estern Himlyn Protected Ares, Bniproksh Mudrnee, Guwhti-21, pp. 189-197. Bhttchry, P. 2004. Tourist Demnd nd Potentility of Ecotourism in Tourism in Assm, Trend nd Potentilities, Bni Mndir, Guwhti, pp.186-198. Boo, Elizbeth. 1990. Ecotourism: the potentil pitflls: Volume 2. Country cse studies. Wshington, DC: World Wildlife Fund. 173 p. Bostedt, Gorn. nd Mttsson, Leif. 1995. The vlue of forests for tourism in Sweden. Annls of Tourism Reserch. 22: 671-680. Brechin, S.R., P.C. West., D. Hrmon, nd Kuty, K. 1991. Resident Peoples nd Protected Ares: A Frmework for Enquiry. In P.C. West nd S.R. Brechin. (eds.) Resident Peoples nd Ntionl Prks. Tucson: University of Arizon Press, pp. 5-30. Brissoulis, Helen. 1991. Methodologicl issues: tourism input-output nlysis. Annls of Tourism Reserch. 18: 485-495. Butler, R.W. 1980. The concept of tourist re cycle of evolution: implictions for mngement of resources. Cndin Geogrpher. 24: 5-12. Chse, Lis C.; Lee, Dvid R.; Schulze, Willim D.; Anderson, nd Deborh J. 1998. Ecotourism demnd nd differentil pricing of ntionl prk ccess in Cost Ric. Lnd Economics. 74: 466-482. 29

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