Himachal park is now a World Heritage Site

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The Great Himalayan National Park is home to many rare flora and fauna.

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“What is noteworthy is that there will be no dislocation of families living in the core park area”

The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh was accorded the Unesco World Heritage Site status on Monday.

The Unesco World Heritage Site Committee at Doha in Qatar granted the status to the park under the criteria of “exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity.”

The GHNP has now come in the league of Indian World Heritage Sites (WHS) such as the Taj Mahal, Ellora, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas National Park, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and the Sunderbans.

Boost for ecotourism

This would help in boosting ecotourism in the hill State, said Forest Minister Thakar Singh Bharmauri. What is noteworthy is that there would be no dislocation of villages or families living in the core park area and their rights had been recognised and would stay protected, he said.

The Forest Minister said the GHNP was declared a National Park under the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972, by the Himachal Pradesh government in 1999. A total of 832 plant species, representing 128 families and 427 genera, which cover 26 per cent of the total flora of Himachal Pradesh, have been recorded in the GHNP.

It is also home to a number of threatened species, providing them with habitats critical to their survival. It supports self-sustaining populations of near-threatened, vulnerable and endangered species like leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, Royle’s Vole, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan serow, Himalayan goral, Himalayan musk deer, western tragopan and cheer pheasant. The endangered snow leopard and the critically endangered Red-headed vulture are also present.

According to V.B. Mathur, director of the Wildlife Institute of India, the park has been inscribed under category 10 of the World Heritage Convention that covers areas that “contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.” The inscription comes as recognition to the efforts at conserving and managing the unique natural heritage of the country, said a communication from S.K. Khanduri, Inspector-General of Forests (Wildlife), Ministry of Environment and Forests.

(With additional reporting by K.S. Sudhi)

Sunshine Himalayan Adventures- Your Gateway to the Great Himalayan National Park 

Himachal park gets Unesco’s heritage tag

Shimla: After Gujarat’s Rani ki Vav (queen’s stepwell), the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (GHNPCA) in Himachal Pradesh, India’s richest biodiversity spot in the western Himalayas, Monday got the coveted UNESCO tag of a World Heritage site.

The World Heritage Committee, which met in Doha, Qatar, included GHNPCA in the World Heritage Natural Site List

The World Heritage Committee, which met in Doha, Qatar, included GHNPCA in the World Heritage Natural Site List. It was India’s lone entry.
Earlier, the UNESCO added Rani ki Vav in Gujarat’s Patan town to the list of World Heritage sites.
“It’s a great honour. Now it’s an international site… will get global attention. The uniqueness of the park is that the rights of the locals have been protected,” state Principal Secretary (Forest) Tarun Sridhar said.
Besides the GHNPCA, India has six other natural sites in the Unesco World Heritage list, including the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
The state’s chief conservator of forests Sanjeeva Pandey, who was in Doha to represent the state’s claim for the heritage status, said this was indeed a significant moment in the conservation history of the western Himalayas.
“This was about nine years ago when the Friends of GHNPCA, an informal group of volunteers, started believing that the area should have global support to protect a part of the unique environment and biological diversity,” Pandey wrote on his Facebook page.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Unesco’s advisory panel on nature, last year deferred “the examination of the nomination of the GHNP to allow the state to finalise the addition of Tirthan and Sainj wildlife sanctuaries (adjoining the GHNP) to the nominated property to create a single area”.
The World Heritage Committee said the state “has to continue to resolve rights-based issues with respect to local communities and indigenous people in the site”.
Official sources said the legal process of inclusion of Sainj (90 sq km) and Tirthan (61 sq km) wildlife sanctuaries into the GHNP (754.4 sq km) involve resettlement of three villages from Sainj and providing monetary compensation to the right holders, specifically shepherds, in Tirthan sanctuary.
With the inclusion of both the wildlife sanctuaries in the GHNP, the total area, known as Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (GHNPCA), spreads over 905 sq km.
Formally declared a national park in 1999, the area stretches from 1,800 metres to 5,200 metres in altitude with a major part of the GHNPCA lying above 4,000 metres.
“GHNPCA harbours the most important gene pool of the Western Himalayan flora and fauna,” the Unesco said on its official website.
The GHNPCA, located in Kullu district and some 250 km from here, is home to several rare and threatened species, including the western tragopan, chir pheasant, snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer, Asiatic black bear, Himalayan tahr, blue sheep and serow.
Some 25 threatened IUCN Red-listed plant species are also recorded in the park.
Wildlife officials said the GHNP is one of the two national parks in the world that is home to the brilliantly plumaged western tragopan. The Machiara National Park in Pakistan also supports this species.
Another endangered pheasant, the cheer, is also found in the GHNPCA’s grassy slopes. Other pheasant species, the monal and the koklas, are in abundance in the temperate zone, while the kaleej occurs in small numbers below 2,000 m.
“I count 70 blue sheep… the largest group of mammals I have seen in my years of trekking in the park (GHNP)… It is a good sign that the park is providing a safe habitat for a species that once was hunted for its meat and fur coat,” US expert Payson R. Stevens and Sanjeeva Pandey wrote in an issue of Sanctuary Asia journal.
Since 2000, the two experts have trekked over 1,500 km in the park.

Sunshine Himalayan Adventures - Your gateway to the GHNP ! 

GHNP - When Big Status Comes - World Heritage Site

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140615/prime.htm#1

ENVIRONMENTNATIONAL PARKWith big status come bigger issuesThere is a good chance of the Great Himalayan National Park in Kullu getting the World Heritage Site status during a Unesco meeting beginning in Doha on June 15. This bodes well for the rich biodiversity of the park, but conservationists caution that its management should not fall into the wrong handsBy Kuldeep Chauhan

Meadows in the core park zone Western Tragopan Ropa village, one of the villages in the ecozone of the park Great Himalayan National Park area in Kullu. Photos by writer

WILDLIFE officials, village residents, conservationists and ecotourism promoters are upbeat that the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) will get Unesco's World Heritage Site status. But the locals have come up with a slew of riders: Before getting the title, they want the government to settle their traditional rights and make them the real stakeholders in the ecotourism management of the park.

The GHNP is in focus as the park is being tipped as a hot nomination among 39 other properties for the heritage title. The park is a unique global hotspot of rich Himalayan biodiversity, located in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.

The park propels a vision of lush environs in its lower hills at a height of 1,700 m that billows up, catching a glimpse of surreal snow at 5,800 m, its highest altitude. It spans 905.4 sq km area, including 61 sq km of the Tirthan wildlife sanctuary in the southeast, and 90 sq km of the Sainj wildlife sanctuary in the southwest.

All eyes are now set on the Unesco's World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in Doha from June 15-June 25 that will decide on the heritage status to the park. Wildlife officials are optimistic about the park getting the status.

It qualifies for the site not only because "it is an area of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance", but also because it is a lifeblood for rare and endangered high altitude flora and fauna that thrives in abundance in its habitats, something unparallel anywhere in the world.

Dr Lalit Mohan, the state's Chief Wildlife Warden, and Dr Sanjiva Pande, Additional Principal Chief Conservator, Forests, are expected to plead the case for inscription before the heritage committee. India may become a WHC member this time and the park stands a "bright chance of being inscribed as the Unesco's 189th world heritage site", say officials.

Benefits, challenges

The park missed out on the status during the WHC's meeting in Cambodia last year. The committee sought clearances from the park's authorities to include or exclude areas before it gets a nod. As a result, both Tirthan and Sainj wildlife sanctuaries were included in the park, a move that has raised the ire of villagers who are opposing the inclusion of the sanctuaries without settling their traditional rights.

A Unesco team led by vice-chairman, World Congress on Protected Area (WCPA) of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Dr Graeme L Worboys, inspected the park on October 6, 2012, and submitted a report to the IUCN, which forwarded it to the WHC, a universal body that grants heritage inscription.

Even if the WHC gives its nod, it can review its heritage sites after five years and can revoke inscription if "management is not up to the mark". Dr Graeme said: "It is a world challenge before the heritage property site managements to monitor tourism in a right way. The impact in the property can be negative if tourism becomes unmanageable, but a key is to strike a balance".

What makes it special

The GHNP is a natural reservoir of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance and home to rare and endangered high-altitude flora and fauna. The park contains the "most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including threatened species of outstanding universal value for science and conservation".

The park is protected by natural barriers from all sides. It is contiguous with the 675 sq-km Pin Valley National Park in the cold desert of Spiti in Trans-Himalaya, the 503 sq-km Rupi-Bhawa Wildlife Sanctuary in Kinnaur, and the 61-km Kanawar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kullu. It supports a full range of western Himalayan biodiversity and protects other islands of biodiversity around.

The park is home to many species, making it a perfect groove for wildlife, medicinal plants and biological biodiversity in a small area. It supports species of subtropical, alpine, the south-east Asian forests, Siberia and the Asian steppes.

The flora shows affinities with the Mediterranean, Tibetan as well as cis-Himalayan region. The Himalayas have evolved a high proportion of their own endemic species like several species of balsams and Himalayan Tahr, which are well represented in the park.

The park remains free from human interference due to its inaccessible rugged terrain. This makes it as the biggest conservation unit in the northwest Himalayan region.

The Jiwa, Sainj and Tirthan rivulets and dozen other smaller ones — all feeding the Beas — run like the park's arteries. The catchment of the rivulets was notified as the GHNP in 1984. It lies between latitudinal range of 310 38'28" and 31054'58"N, and longitudinal range of 770 20'11" and 77045'00".

The GHNP is protected on the northern, eastern and southern boundaries as it meanders between permanent snow and steep ridges. About 5 km of the western periphery of the park has been declared as an ecozone. It spans a 265.6 sq-km area, but its legal status remains ambiguous as it is partially inhabited by about 2,408 families who have traditional rights.

"The park is unique and has an outstanding universal value," says Ajay Srivastav, former director of the park. To the east, it has the Himalayan mountains and forms part of the boundary between four ecological zones — the dry deserts of interior Asia and well-watered lowlands of the Indian plains, the Oriental and Palearctic faunal realms, the high plateau of Tibet and the jumbled Himalayan peaks, and the catchment of the Beas and Sutlej.

The park has no villages. Even the Tirthan sanctuary has no village inside it. But the Sainj sanctuary has villages of Shakti, Maroar and Shugard located on the bank of the Sainj Khad, a tributary of the Beas. Two major hydropower power projects — 100-MW Sainj and 1320 MW Parbati — are coming up in the Sainj-Parbati basin in the Sainj lower valley around the ecozone.

Traditional rights an issue

Local NGOs and the park authorities have locked horns as the world heritage status will bar entry into the park and forfeit the traditional rights of the locals under the Wildlife Protection Act. Dila Ram Shabab, a former legislator and a 91-year-old writer in Tirthan, says: "We have no problem with the heritage status, but the state government must ensure that our unemployed youth and entrepreneurs get a say in eco-tourism and management of the park. Village residents should be made stakeholders rather than porters to assist rich tourists brought in by certain dubious NGOs in connivance with certain forest officials who have made the park their own property."

Various NGOs like the GHNP's Committee for Protection of Forest Rights, Friends of Tirthan, Sahara and Himalayan Niti Abhiyan and Kardar Sangh of Devis and Devtas have joined hands and declared that they would seek a stay on the government's move to declare the park as a heritage site.

Ranjiv Bharti, president of Friends of Tirthan, says the government is unclear on the locals' religious and grazing rights in the buffer zone, Tirthan and Sainj sanctuaries and the park area. Shupi Kuni, Hans Kund, Shri Mahadev and Shaktisar are pilgrimage centres for "devis" and "devtas" and their "karkoons", who go there often for pilgrimage, he claims.

The villages of Shakti, Maroar and Shugaad in Gara Parli gram panchayat in the Sainj sanctuary have refused to move out as their lord of land, Brahma Rishi Devta, has been living there since centuries. "It is a question of life and death for us. We will not leave our villages," says Hira Lal, a village elder of Shakti. Even Athara Kalru, legend of 18 deities is born here, which flourished into 365 deities is worshiped by villagers all over the Kullu valley and are bought here for pilgrimage, he says. The villagers say they will continue to graze their cattle, collect fuel wood and herbs from the sanctuaries. "We live in the dark ages. There is no power and road connectivity as the areas is under the Wildlife Protection Act," says Liqt Ram, another elder.

The NGOs had submitted a memorandum to Dr Graeme during his visit in 2012 and later to the WHC director, but they have not received any communication yet. The NGOs have decided to move the High Court, seeking a stay on the government's move, says Guman Singh, convener of the Himalayan Niti Abhiyan. The Anderson report of 1864 was made the basis for the settlement of rights of only 311 families in the 1990s when the park was created. A majority of the villagers have got nothing till now, he claims.

BS Rana, the park's director, and GS Chandel, Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife, say the apprehensions are premature as the issue would be settled at a public hearing by the District Collector.

Ecotourism boom

The heritage status will trigger an ecotourism boom in Tirthan, Jhibhi-Soja and Sainj valleys. Angling in Tirthan and trekking, camping and birdwatching in the park have great potential that can add to the income of the locals. But the wildlife department has no blueprint on how it will make local entrepreneurs and NGOs stakeholders in the project.

Local entrepreneurs are protecting Tirthan and its tributaries as an exclusive habitat for the trout. "We are against five-star resorts and hotels which have already ruined Manali, Shimla and other hill stations in the state," says Raju Bharti, who runs a home stay unit in Gushaini, about 7 km from the park.

From Soja in the Jhibhi valley to Gushaini in Tirthan valley, the locals have set up camping sites, small home stay units and guesthouses. But the park doesn't draw too many eco-tourists as it has not been popularised among nature lovers across the world.

"It will protect the biodiversity in the park and boost eco-tourism, but where is the government's blueprint?" asks Bharti.

The government had banned hydropower projects in Tirthan in 2005 to preserve Tirthan as a destination for trout angling. "The wildlife department has not invited us for talks," says Sandeep Kanwar, who runs camping sites in the Jhibhi valley.

Poaching threat

The wildlife wing has set up a grid of 30 trap cameras to track the movement of animals and poachers, but not a single case was come to light. Poachers camp in the park's inspection huts and target rare animals and birds for their prized fur, feathers and meat during winter, when animals take a downward journey due to snow in the higher reaches, locals say.

Though the park authorities claim that these species have increased their number over the years, they have no scientific data to support their claims.

Herbal loot

The herbal mafia is allegedly having a free run. Promotion of medicinal plants among villagers remains on paper. Most funds are cornered by NGOs, societies and women self-help groups. Villagers get crumbs and are often hired by smugglers to collect herbs like naag chatri and patish.

Villagers strive hard for survival as NGOs and the park authorities have failed to reach out to them. Some dubious NGOs take tourists to the park area or the ecozone and earn 80 per cent profit, but nothing comes to the villagers. The park has collected about Rs 98 lakh since 2002 from the Medicinal Plants Board of India for the conservation and promotion of medicinal plants and herbs among villages in Sainj and Tirthan ranges.

The mafia is being run by herb collectors, many of who are from Nepal. Wildlife official Chandel says herbs have been planted in about 90 hectares with the help of NGOs. "The Biodiversity, Tourism and Community Advancement society brands its produce and sells them at its outlets. The ranges are open for collection as per the rights of villagers, but no case of smuggling has come to light recently," he says.

Rich gene pool

• The park is home to 377 documented species of fauna. The Wildlife Institute of India has identified 832 plant species belonging to 427 genera and 128 families of higher plants. Of these, 794 are angiosperms, 11 gymnosperms and 27 ferns.
• Himalayan musk deer (listed as near threatened); the vulnerable Himalayan tahr; the endangered snow leopard; Himalayan black and brown bears; and western tragopan (on red list of threatened birds) inhabit the park.
• Its forests consist of extensive stands of oak, blue pine, west Himalayan silver fir, spruce, and Himalayan cedar; broad-leaf forests contain horse chestnut, rhododendron arboretum, and pure patches of birch at higher altitude, yew, a rich variety of shrubs and patches of ringal bamboo, shrubs, juniper, berberis, cotoneaster, vibernum, rosa (at 3,700 m) and alpine flora above 4,000 m.

Scraping off the city sheen!

http://rantingsexpressionsandexperiences.blogspot.in/2014/03/scraping-off-city-sheen-like-typical.html?showComment=1395642965343#c7580808499223704578

Like a typical Punju, holidaying for me meant staying in luxurious hotels, air travel, and buying expensive stuff to take back home. And yes, how could I forget the high that came out of announcing before the whole class, when your teacher asked you, so what did you do in the vacations? With immense pride, I used to say names of fancy places each year. We punjus spend lakhs travelling to exotic locale and once there what is the first thing we search for? Any guesses? Yes, you got it right! All-time favourite dal makhani and butter chicken! Let’s move a little ahead in time. When last year in August, my family (not immediate) got to know I am going for a trek to the beautiful Tirthan Valley, I am sure they considered me mad. Staying in tents, pooping in open and no TV? And you will be paying for this? You must be kidding me? Is this is a holiday or self-imposed torture. For the patient person I am, I just smiled and said to myself, ‘you don’t have it in you so just eat your dal and stay happy’. Not much of an outdoorsy person, I wanted to give hiking a try. Once there, I adored the evening campfire and the clear sky with thousand twinkling stars. But hiking was another matter entirely. To others, it must be an easy stroll. To me it was a steep, winding climb that seemed never to end. When we finally reached the destination, I couldn’t wait to start back down. Sleeping in the tent by the river, I used to get up in the middle of night asking myself, what am I doing here? What went wrong in my head to abandon the confines of my comfortable city life to take up this? Am I just following what other people doing? I am not made for this adventurous stuff.

But when I began to explore the valley, a new sense of wonder and appreciation enveloped me. Walking atop logs and playing in streams made me feel young again. I have learned that you can’t compare yourself with anyone, or shy away from a challenge just because others might do it better. If I had kept thinking the way I did in my 20s, I would have missed a marvellous adventure. John Muir had it right when he wrote, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. A few days back, I read a blog which said that if you intend on marrying someone, go on a trek with him or her. The mask of the city wears off quickly and the real person surfaces while you are in nature. Interesting, isn’t it? I don’t know about marriage but yes, the mask does come off. The mask of make-up, fancy clothes, coffee shops, eating at fancy places is taken off by the nature and what comes out is how disciplined, considerate and cooperative are you? A late riser who has been lucky not to be working in a 9 to 5 job, getting up at six in the morning was an impossible task but I did it. So yes, I am disciplined (conditions apply ;)). Trekking is not easy. Complaining about food, location, tents is not an option. We were lucky that we were served delicious, fresh meals five times a day. (I should give a special mention to Panki Sood ( www.sunshineadventure.com )  for this. No matter how much I speak of the hospitality his team offers, it would be less.) The most important thing, how considerate you are toward the environment. If you on a trek and you litter around, and shout at the top of your  voice, sorry you are not meant to be there !

A visit to the Shangarh Village from the Tirthan Valley ( one day tour) in the bufferzone of the Great Himalayan national Park 

ARTICLE IN GUJRATI MAGAZINE ON THE GREAT HIMLAYAN NATIONAL PARK FEATURING SUNSHINE ADVENTURES BY CHANDRAHANS !

Sunshine WHS Presentation

Timple Lapse Great Himalayan national park-

Impermanence from Gautam Pandey on Vimeo.

UNESCO accepts Great Himalayan Park nomination for World Heritage Status

Nomination for declaring the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site had been accepted and it would be granted the prestigious status after an evaluation is done early next year, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal disclosed while presiding over a Wild Life Board meeting he presided over yesterday.

At the same meeting he also stated that redrawing of the state wild life sanctuary area would enable to bring out about 1.5 lakhs people in 775 villages from 33 sanctuaries and 2 national parks regions.

He said that the rationalization process was nearing completion and it would help to bring out people being affected by restrictions imposed in the wild life sanctuary areas

The 33 wild life sanctuaries and 2 national parks covered an area of about 7161 square kilometers, he added.

My First Trek into the Great Himalayan National Park

Trekking was in my blood being a mountain lad. Right from organizing day bunks into the pristine wilderness which surrounded the Bishop Cotton School ( Shimla) in the mid eighties and going on hikes, I have always drawn inspiration from nature and its elements. One of my first organized treks was to Chandertaal Lake in 1988 where we were led by our geography teacher to experience the sheer power of nature. It was tough for me then as I slogged the heights of Kunzum la in Spiti and was last to reach the camp. As I entered the camp all my trek mates clapped and my teacher “proudly said” Now you have become a man”. And this man never looked back. I was trekking in the dry desert of Ladakh doing valleys like Markha, Nubra and climbing peaks such as Stok Kangri. My adventures in Himachal took me to Spiti and Kinnaur where I became a hard core trekker.






As I got to spend more and more time with mother nature, I also started exploring my home valley. I came to know about a newly created National park but It was not unless April 2003 when I was invited for a trek by Mr. Sanjeeva Pandey ( Director GHNP) to explore India’s most newest national park ,”THE GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK”. Seeing such a pristine area right in my backyard made me such a GHNP addict that whenever I got the time, I was exploring the deep jungles of the park with my innovative mentors Payson Stevens and Sanjeeva Pandey. This park is one of the last remaining unscathed virgin areas of the western Himalayas. On my first trek to Dhela thatch, I was really mesmerized at the true wilderness which the park offered. Sparkling rivulets, crystal clear air, virgin forests with pine, oak and spruce that seems that they existed forever, this was truly like walking back at least 500 years into the time machine.






As we started from Neuli the road head in Sainj Valley we had to walk for over 22 km to reach the first camp at Shakti in the Sainj wildlife sanctuary. This distance though seems much lesser due to a very gentle slope as you go from 1500 to 2100 meters. The Shakti village in itself was great. Years of being alienated from the road with no electricity meant that they lived like this forever preserving their rich heritage and culture. The second day we started our accent towards the Dhel Thatch thus entering the Great Himalayan National park. It was awe-inspiring for me to see a pristine forest like this . Fuelled by inspirational talks about nature from Sanjeeva and Payson, I was at an all time high. As we camped near Humkhani midway between Shakti and Dhel, the magic of the forest came alive with calls of birds , animals and the wind all making the most amazing natural orchestra. The third day was one of the greatest as I was sanctified with the sighting of the Tragopan early morning along with Sanjeeva Pandey who had been the Director of the park for 5 years but had never seen it thus making us Tragopan Brothers. The western Tragopan is one of the rarest species of birds found in small pockets of Himchal Pradesh with the GHNP being one of the only national parks supporting a sizable population. The sighting of the Tragopan was one of first initiation into bird watching as I began to learn more as this trip enfolded into being one of my most out of the ordinary journeys of my life.






The Dhel Thatch was heaven. After a steep climb from Humkhani we came across this wide meadow giving us great views of Himalayan Vistas, pure fresh air and that feeling of being on the top of the world. A walk to the Jogini “Mountain Goddess “ gave us astounding views of the Sainj and Tirthan Valley. As I headed the way back towards Shakti it became quite evident for me that I have found my ultimate destination. As one of the founders of the GHNP, Tony Gaston writes “If you venture into the Himalayan wilderness, you run the risk of becoming a stranger in the common world. We who have been brushed by these places are forever changed; the goals of ambition and desire become muted when touched by the immensity and grandeur of the great mountains. To wander alone in these high places, however briefly, is to become a prey to yearnings that can never be extinguished or denied”.

Wilderness a celebration

A unique blend of dance, music, history , mythology, paintings , photographs and the Great Himalayan National Park.....all woven into one powerful presentations by one of the most talented couples in the world. In the words of Sanjeeva Pandey "There is so much to be done for conservation on this earth. Yesterday's show was a very nice offering to the cause of GHNP which is a very nice effort of nature conservation in the Western Himalayas. The commitment of Tony Gaston and Anne-Marie to nature conservation and particularly GHNP is indeed very praise-worthy.The GHNP is up for its final nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The application for doing so is now ready for submission."

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Pico Hydro Project in the ecozone of the GHNP

Project Title:

Phase I: Installation of Demonstration Pico Hydro Flour Mill in the Ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park through BTCA ( www.btca.org.in )
To introduce Pico Hydro technology to the Kullu District as an appropriate means of generating renewable energy and providing employment without negative impact on the environment.

One Pico Hydro unit installed in the ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park in October 2010 (there are several possible sites, to be decided in Feb according to results of surveys). The unit will have a dual function of generating 5kw of electricity as well as providing direct shaft power to grind flour. The unit will provide electricity to approximately 20 households.

Ecotourism in the GHNP- Planet earth

Article about Ankit and his Social Enterprise - Sunshine Himalayan Adventures -

Best Practices Adopted

This is what we can also plan : ( Adopted from The Mountain Cleaners )
Projects planned for next year include:-

• Environmental education and introduction of recycling facilities in schools
• Improvement program for waste and segregation area in Tirthan Valley
• ‘Holy Cow’ campaign – awareness raising, food waste collections and links to be set up between hotels and owners of animals
• Clean up and recycling model to be extended to villages, mountain camps, trekking routes, pilgrimages and tourist areas
• Green Book providing local info and facts about responsible tourism. To include where tourists can buy filtered water, popular treks, wildlife, plastic ban, recycling facilities, hotels and eco friendly services. All proceeds from sale to fund eco projects in the area.
• Sale of eco products including solar lanterns and chargers, water filtering and purifying solutions, cloth bags etc. Profits to subsidise eco products for those with a low income.
• Recycling collections for households, businesses, shops, hotels etc in Bhagsu.
• A range of community composting solutions
• Tetra Pak recyclin

The First Ever Photograph of the Western Tragopan

FIRST EVER PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WESTERN TRAGOPAN CLICKED IN THE WILD by Mr. Dhritiman Mukherjee and the Sunshine Himalayan Adventure Team .

Panki Sood headed a team of 8 persons for 20 days in the Great Himalayan national park to see some of the rarest pheasants and click the brown bear a very elusive animal. The team came out with some really exclusive pictures as Dhritiman Mukherjee is one of India's finest wildlife photographers. Check out www.dhritimanimages.com .

First Aid Course sponsered by GHNP

Himachal s First 10 Day Training Program in Emergency Rescue and First Aid

Mr. Ankit Sood successfully coordinated a 10 day program in Emergency Rescue and First Aid for members of Ecotourism team belonging to BTCA , staff of Sunshine Himalayan Adventures- an ecotourism company in the GHNP and the forest guards belonging to the Great Himalayan National park. Despite having no serious accidents in the GHNP , we became proactive in first aid as proper early measures may be instrumental in saving life and ensuring a better and more rapid recovery. The Wilderness Emergency Response course covered in-depth principles in medical aspects relative to injury prevention and care. Regulations and contagious/infectious disease, assessment, communication, anatomy and physiology, respiratory emergencies, cardiac arrest, circulatory, soft tissue and wound management, injuries to eyes, ears, nose, throat; burns, poisons, and environmental emergencies including other considerations in wilderness survival.

The course was sponsored by the Biodiversity Conservation Society ( GHNP) and was a 10 day residential course at Kullu Medical Center in A.B Kullu. Dr. Jitender Lal , Ankit Sood , Mr. Ajay Shrivastav, DFO Meera Sharma and Mr. Labh Singh were some of the dignatories present at the closing ceremony.

Tirath Trek

Lessons in Ecotourism

THE GHNP has been described as undoubtedly the most pristine mountain landscape in the Western Himalayas… and perhaps the planet. From the Andes to Nepal and Tibet, to the mountains of Eastern Europe and Western China - the pressures of a growing human population have left the landscape – even so-called “national parks’ - overgrazed, denuded of timber, devoid of wildlife and covered with signs of animals and their shepherds. Ironically, here in India, home to over a billion people, it is still possible to find vast virgin forests and endless fields of wildflowers and ranges of un-named, unclimbed summits. Blue sheep, Himalayan Thar, even bear and snow leopard abound.

At present, the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) comprises 750 sq km. It is naturally protected on the northern, eastern, and southern boundaries by areas under permanent snow or by impassable ridges. In addition, there are two wildlife sanctuaries adjacent to the Park: Sainj (90 sq.km.) and Tirthan (61 sq.km.). The total area under the National Park administration is 1,171 sq. km. The western boundary of the Park has historically supported communities that have had economic dependence on the designated area of the Park. Realizing the environmental pressures these villages would exert on the Park’s biodiversity, an area of over 250 square kilometers was set up as buffer zone. This Ecozone contains 160 small villages with a population of about 19,000 people. Almost 90% of the Ecozone is forest habitat which, when properly managed is leading to income generation of the locals without harming the environment. One such initiative is the community based ecotourism being practiced in the GHNP.

Community Based Ecotourism – Lessons 2005-2010

GHNP is also one of the major sites for studying community based ecotourism enterprise in the Western Himalayas. For over five years a private ecotourism company styled Sunshine Himalayan Adventures have been advocating and practicing ecotourism initiative along with a local NGO called BTCA (Society for Biodiversity Tourism & Community advancement). This initiative has increased awareness about the park and specifically ecotourism among ecozone residents themselves or those living near the zone providing balance in educating these important stakeholders realizing that the local community is going to be providing tourism services.

Amongst other initiatives are increasing public awareness of the GHNP and its ecozone among potential visitors and running programs which actually promote visitation to the ecozone or park structured carefully to avoid creating unrealistic expectations about the type of experience, available infrastructure and standards; care has been taken to develop the ecotourism “product” before marketing it.

We also work with the park authorities in matters like poaching, wildlife monitoring and improving roads and trails or other infrastructure , though realizing its a horse vs. cart problem: tourists must begin coming before they can express demand for better access and infrastructure. In my experience (unless a carefully designed large capital improvement program is initiated with national or international funding) this process will only slowly unfold, with more and more low- to medium-end tourists and activities eventually proving there is a demand for higher end activities and the infrastructure to support them. The process will go faster if there is effective communication between the park and regional stakeholders who influence capital budget decisions (especially for roads leading to the park).

Sunshine Himalayan Adventures realize that privatization (the role of private enterprise) is a complicated one and sometimes controversial means of stimulating and managing ecotourism in protected areas and buffer zones. In my experience the most successful examples are when there are mutually beneficial partnerships developed between private investors and community members and the relationships are supervised by an NGO to assure that neither partner takes advantage of the other. Since the protected area is generally providing the physical tourist attractions, the park must also be directly involved to assure that commercialization does not damage those resources.


NEED FOR AN ECOTOURISM AUTORITY

We have realized that at least in early stages these private/community partnerships will need protection from independent unsupervised operators such as low-qualified guides or food and accommodation services which do not favor local community members as labor. We are trying to develop an Ecotourism Authority where the “authority” of this enterprise has to be clear to prevent such independent operators from entering the market. In later stages the Authority may act to establish standards for independent tour operators, guides and other service providers in order to maintain a certain level of service. This establishment of an Ecotourism Society (better called Ecotourism Authority) with real decision-making authority and the ability to shorten implementation time and will be carefully designed with input from all the relevant stakeholders, including the Private operators such as Sunshine Himalayan Adventures , BTCA and the newly-formed tourism and home stay operators association called STDA( Seraj Tourism Development Association).

One is aware that it will be a huge challenge to avoid pressures to allow or even encourage large scale commercial tourism development especially in the ecozone. But there are dozens of examples in the world and even close by in northern India, (Corbett National Park, Ranthambore National Park) where such commercialization has failed to be a wise long term strategy because 1) it does not continue to be profitable; 2) it destroys the attractiveness of the area which prompted its commercialization; and 3) it loses essential support because it has betrayed original commitments to bring long term benefits to local communities.

Guided by zeal to create new models of ecotourism SHA & BTCA have a unique and exclusive relationship under the guidance of the park management. Our activities include promoting visits of friends from foreign lands to create a better understanding of the Western Himalayas, its people, religions and culture. The ecotourism program continues developing a paradigm wherein local villagers actually benefit from having their ancestral lands turned into a wilderness preserve. Our regular trainings with the local youths in various spheres of eco-tourism and trekking is empowering them to keep the wild nature preserved for posterity. This plan of simple elegance and sweeping implications requires patience and support, not only from the Government but civil society at large.

GHNP Blog at the official website of the Park

http://greathimalayannationalpark.com/ghnp/

Made by AVNISH KATOCH