Abstract
Ecotourism in simple words means management of tourism and conservation of nature in a way so as to maintain a fine balance between the requirements of tourism and ecology on one hand. Well-planned Ecotourism can benefit both protected areas and residents of surrounding communities by linking long term Bio-diversity conservation with local social and economic development. Assam in fact is a global Bio-diversity hot spot (Myers, 1988; 1991) and has a rich cultural Heritage. It also forms part of two endemic bird areas, viz.-Eastern Himalaya and Assam plain. (Coller, 1994). Assam plain comprises a good number of Wetlands (Beels) in the Brahmaputra valley abounds in bio-diversity and productivity. These wetlands maintain ecosystem diversity, as they are the natural storehouse of valuable flora and fauna of an area. Besides these, they are also used for various economic purposes by the people living in and around it through ecotourism activities like bird watching, angling, boating etc. The wetlands are of great value for both man and environment for long term financial sustainability by the surrounding communities as well as conservation of nature. Through the paper the author tries to highlight such possibilities on the basis of assessment of potential ecotourism resources of the Deepor Beel (Wetland) of Guwahati through field experience gained in the area.
Highlights
Tourism is currently the world’s largest industry ($ 3.4 trillion annually) and ecotourism represents the fastest growing segments of this market
The United Nations General Assembly recognized the global importance of ecotourism and its benefits as well as its impact with the launching of the year 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE)
Graylag Goose (Branta ruficollis), White Eyed Pochard or Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), Bar Headed Goose (Aythya basri), Asiatic Golden Plover (Vanellus cinereus) etc are the globally important migratory flyways which congregates in this wetland
Summary
Tourism is currently the world’s largest industry ($ 3.4 trillion annually) and ecotourism represents the fastest growing segments of this market. ‘Natural Environmental’ includes cultural components and the term ‘Ecologically Sustainable’ involves an appropriate returnees to the local community and long term conservation of resources (GRANT, 1995) Through such ventures a person (ecotourist/ecotourist operators) has the opportunity to associate people with nature in a different way that most of the people cannot enjoy in their day to day life (WEIGHT, 1993). Deepar Beel, a riverine wetland ecosystem is a highly valued ecosystem situated about 5 kilometers from Guwahti, the capital city of Assam It is the largest wetland in the Kamrup District of Guwahati covering an area of 40.14 km. Graylag Goose (Branta ruficollis), White Eyed Pochard or Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), Bar Headed Goose (Aythya basri), Asiatic Golden Plover (Vanellus cinereus) etc are the globally important migratory flyways which congregates in this wetland This wetland serves as an additional habitat of a good population of endangered Mega-fauna. Deepar Beel is a source of water for the number of endangered wild animals from the nearby Reserve Forests and elephant is noteworthy among them
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