Naga village sets ecology benchmark; seeks tourists

[Guest guest]

Naga village sets ecology benchmark; seeks tourists

Amrita Talwar/ Khonoma village (Nagaland)

Two years ago Angulia ate anything on four legs except tables and devoured

everything with wings except aeroplanes. Today he is the kind of vegetarian

that the PETA poster boys would have been proud of. He has now stopped killing

birds and hunting deer for a meal. What brought about this transformation? "One

day our elders realised that not a single bird was left in the village for us to

hunt. We had eaten all of them.

 

They considered this an omen, it seemed our village had suddenly become lifeless

and colourless. It took us two years to get the birds back to our village. It

seems as though its soul has come back." Coupled with the fact that caring for

the birds has brought in tourists. And money.

Khonoma, a small hamlet tucked in the mountains of Nagaland, is a good example

of how tourism can be a catalyst for preserving natural areas and wildlife.

Angami tribesmen here are working round the clock to save the dwindling

population of deer, tragopans, green pigeons and other rare birds.

Having been declared a "green village" in 2003 by both the Central and State

Government, it has got a grant of Rs 2 crore for achieving requisite standards

of biodiversity. About Rs 20 lakhs have been allocated for various NGOs like

BCIL and Equations for imparting their expertise towards this end. With all

this support, village heads met and formed the Khonoma Nature Conservation

Trust (KNCT) and Tragopan National Park as the first step to conserve the

wildlife by promoting eco tourism.

Sixty years ago elephants roamed the Dzouku valley of which Khonoma is a small

part. The elephants have strayed as have the tigers last sighted in 1980. But,

the valley still boasts of wildlife and some great virgin treks, a welcome

alternative to the well-trodden trails of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

Villagers are adopting more eco-friendly measures to maintain their greens and

luring the adventure tourist. They are planting alder trees, which produce

nitrogen and control soil erosion. Volunteers have placed waste disposal

baskets in front of each house; they burn plastic in incinerators, are

constructing septic tanks and harvesting rain water. Houses are being equipped

with smokeless chillums; each family is allowed only a truckload of wood each

year.

Roofs are being painted green. And vigilantes swoop down to fine anybody upwards

of Rs 500 should he hunt threatened animals or throw rubbish around. A circular

vehicular road now makes every part of this pristine destination accessible.

Tourism Secretary DK Bhalla gives the credit for refashioning the hamlet to

villagers. "To understand the forest requires, a mind that behaves according to

the norms of such an environment. We are just backing them up and giving the

necessary support. We are merely the facilitators and mediators between the

government and village authorities. Essentially, we are not interfering with

their work."

The village is now being made ready for tourists: Of 500 houses, 50 will be

selected for home stays. An inspection bungalow already exists for visitors who

want privacy. An interpretation center-cum-museum will exhibit local handicrafts

and vignettes from local history. "Like any other place in India, the Nagas too

want their share of the tourism pie," says Tsilie Sakhrie, secretary, KNCT and

Tragopan Sanctuary Trust.

Mandip Soin of Ibex Adventures has been entrusted with regulating tourist

movement in the area. "We have suggested some changes to the villagers so that

visitors start trickling in.

This will help the local folk understand that there cannot be a greater driver

for the village economy than tourism. Employment will be generated as the

villagers will be trained as guides and local resource people. The resulting

money will enable them to keep poultry, easing the pressure on hunting of

wildlife. It is a win-win situation." But he hastens to add, "A code of conduct

must be followed with respect to how villagers and tourists interact with each

other as a lot of social issues are involved. We will begin with hosting only a

few people, not huge groups. There are practical problems too. During the

prolonged rainy season, entry into the forest becomes difficult. Even floods,

landslides and other natural problems could become bottlenecks."

In British Columbia, Douglas fir forests have been saved because conservation

and tourism organisations have been able to demonstrate that the natural forest

is more valuable through tourism. Closer home, Periyar is a good example of

successful innovations in promoting eco tourism. Here notorious poachers were

made to realise the eventual disastrous consequences of their actions vis-a-vis

their livelihood. Now they are forest guides.

Yet, Bhalla's experience tells him that communities often buckle under the

weight of expectations and pressures, both internal and external, when

confronted with realities of tourism. "We might also face these problems at

Khonoma but I am optimistic of surmounting them." Though the concept of Nagas

departing from their age-old practice of hunting and eating birds and wildlife

is not easy to accept, the village so far abides by the new law.

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