The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) promotes community-based ecotourism to support local communities and conservation efforts. Initiatives include ecotourism training, developing activities like birding tours and homestays, and generating income for residents while enhancing park management. Challenges faced include seasonal tourism, exploitation by non-ecotourism companies, and the need for better capacity building within the community.

1. Great Himalayan National Park:
Community Based Ecotourism in the GHNP
ECOTOURISM
For Nature
Conservation
Presentation by Sunshine Himalayan Adventures , Kullu

2. Why work in the GHNP
Support International Ecotourism Principles
Unique Nature Based Tourism Attractions
Pristine Buffer Zone with minimal disturbance
Support Local Community
Proactive Park Management
 Local Kullu based Organization
Networking with other NGO’s - Conservation with Community
Development

3. Our Approach in the GHNP
 Developing Income Generating Ecotourism Activities
Empowering Local Communities by Ecotourism trainings
 Providing Marketing Linkages
Helping institutional Development of BTCA and the Park Administration

4. Developing Ecotourism Activities
 Birding and Wildlife Eco Tours :
Trekking Eco Tours :
Mountaineering Tours : Climbed over 5 virgin peaks in the National
Park with international groups
Homestay: Developed and promoted over 5 home stays in the
buffer zone
Cultural Interpretation Tours
Buffer Zone Activities
Forest Learning Program for School Kids
Voluntourism

5. Ecotourism Trainings
 Trained over 150 unemployed youths of the Ecozone in ecotourism
related activities
 From having a total of 100 man-days in ecotourism in 2003 to
providing over 3500 Man-days in 2012 in the GHNP
 Average Income raised from Rs 5000 yearly through ecotourism to
almost Rs 4000 per member per month by the ecotourism team
Turned Poachers into Birding Guides
Awareness in the local community about ecotourism and hence
protection of the park resources.

6. Institutional Development
 Promoting interdependence through Voluntourism.
Ecotourism Advocacy
Over 100 international volunteers have done various projects with the local
community like save the weaver, developing marketing linkages for BTCA
products, labels, organic farming , ecotourism trainings etc.
Providing infrastructure support to various researchers with the help of BTCA
Indirect monitoring of the park and wildlife through the movement of tourists
Generating revenues for the Bio Diversity Conservation Society through entry
tickets and use of the accommodation facilities like SaiRopa which is ploughed
back into the community development initiatives of the park.
 Making sure that the tourists who visit the GHNP turn into Friends of GHNP
and contribute through their network for community.
Trained over 100 local youth from other protected areas in various aspects of
ecotourism operations

7. Providing Marketing Linkages
 Developing networks with likeminded international and national
organizations like WWF , Bombay Historical Natural Society , RSBP, Various
Birding Clubs, Government and Non Government Organizations
Helping save traditional Handicrafts
Providing markets for BTCA products directly sold to tourists
Promotion of the park through having events like Click the Tragopan Contest
, Organizing Bird Counts, writing articles for magazines, photography
databases etc.
Helping develop the website of the Park along with using various web 2 tools
like Face book, Twitter, YouTube etc for prompting park as the marketing
budget is very limited
Maximizing Word of Mouth Publicity

8. Challenges
Capacity Building within the community
Loss of trained manpower
Seasonal nature of ecotourism
Exploitation by non ecotourism companies
Unplanned development of the area
Vulnerability to Unplanned Hydel Project Development
Vulnerability to Unplanned Mass Tourism
Poaching of medicinal herbs and rare flora and fauna
Getting Women directly involved into ecotourism

9. Achievements
Unique Concepts like click the Tragopan Contest
Extensive Documentation of prime Species like Brown Bear and Western
Tragopan
First Ever Photograph of the Western Tragopan
First Accent of Five peaks – Yeshe , Chakri, Snow Leopard peak , Tribulation
Point and Sentinel Peak
Volunteerism
Start of various home-stays
Start of various micro enterprises in the field of ecotourism
Placement of the Great Himalayan National Park in the World Ecotourism Map
Supporting livelihood options of several unemployed youths in the buffer
zone