Ecotourism – still a distant dream in Pakistan
October 23, 2008 by Eugene
Filed under Nature and Biodiversity, Pakistan
(This article is contributed by our guest writer, Saad Khan, and was first published in Social Bridges.)
Nature-focused tourism or what is now known as Ecotourism is a new catch phrase in the dictionary of sustainability. Ecotourism, as we all know, is based on such type of recreational activities which are nature-centric and sustainable. It’s interesting to note, however, that there is a hot debate on the exact connotations of ecotourism. Some say that any type of tourism which doesn’t harm the environment and can improve the living standards of a society is ecotourism. Critics, on the contrary, have very strict rules on which type of tourism is ecological one and which is not. Aspects of green washing, environmental exploitation and human rights issues, among other things, mars the exact spirit of ecotourism.
Leaving intellectual discourse aside – to be discussed in another post, ecotourism is the new buzz word in the tourism industry. According to various estimates, the world ecotourism industry is growing at a rate of 10%-15% annually with expectations of much faster growth in years to come. There are many countries in the world who are earning a sizeable amount of their GDP from ecotourism. Even our neighbors like Nepal and India are exploring ecotourism opportunities on a huge scale. Nepal, specifically, is a success story in this case earning billions of dollars in tourism revenues. Same is the case with Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Pakistan is the only country in the South Asian region which has yet to explore ecotourism. I accept that Pakistan hardly experience any global tourists inflow due to security situation and the negative media hype we get regularly. I also accept the fact that we’ve very basic tourism infrastructure even for those few who brave the security warnings to visit Pakistan. Now some points to ponder: what about the local tourists? There are millions of affluent Pakistanis who throng the northern vales of Pakistan during summers. While Swat has already gone to the ‘Talibans’, all the pressure is now on Murree and Gallies (Kaghan is still recovering from the earthquake bruises).
Murree has literally become a trash can due to the negligence of both the visitors and the government. Excessive deforestation, environmental degradation and unchecked construction has robbed the place of all of its beauty. Same is the case with the gallies and Kaghan Valley. Instead of promoting ecotourims, we are boosting the trends of what can be coined as ‘de-ecotourism’. One can easily understand what impact such type of tourism activities are having on the local populations.
Solutions:
Pakistan is bestowed with immense natural bounties in the form of mountains, valleys, rivers, deserts, beaches and numerous types of flora and fauna. The key lies in the sustainable exploration of these resources for generating wealth and to improve the lives of those communities who live side by side with these treasures. The role of government in promoting ecotourism is limited to publishing a few research papers and that’s all. Interestingly, there is an Ecotourism Society Pakistan (ESP) which was established to promote ecotourism but they even don’t update their Web site, let alone the ecotourism scene.
Role of the corporate sector:
Pakistani corporate sector can play a pivotal role in promoting ecotourism in the country. While the global environmentalists will scorn me on this but sponsored trips with a special focus on revamping the environmental and economic outlook of the local communities will help in promoting ecotourism. Donations and technical assistance to societies like ESP will go a long way in paving ground for environmental tourism.
The chances of any major success in promoting ecotourism in Pakistan are thin but it’s worth giving a try. Ecotourism is an essential building block of green revolution and sustainability. If we continue overlooking this sector, we would hardly achieve any sustainable success.
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