Last month, the environment ministry’s forest advisory committee relaxed rules for ecotourism projects by allowing them to build “non-permanent” structures in protected areas without consent from the central government. However, experts apprehend that this move could cause developers of such projects to construct a rash of the same in the absence of a definition for “non-permanent”, something the committee is yet to decide on.
The decision that only building of permanent structures will be considered to be “non-forestry” activity needing prior approval of the central government, and that no central government approval is required for other eco-tourism activities involving non-permanent constructions was taken in a meeting of the forest advisory committee on February 17, as per the minutes of the meeting uploaded on the Parivesh website on Thursday.
FAC in its meeting held on April 23, 2020, suggested that only construction of permanent structures concerning ecotourism on forest land be considered as non-forestry activity, requiring prior consent of the central government. But the minutes added that two other clauses are still causing uncertainty. Experts said that building of temporary structures and trails in eco-sensitive zones will affect both wildlife and rights of forest dwellers.
A senior official from the forest conservation division of the environment ministry said, “It has been decided to consider eco-tourism to be a forestry activity. It will be considered a non-forestry activity only when it involves construction of permanent structures. We are yet to conclude what exactly is a permanent structure. It’s a subjective matter. For example, if local materials are used or bamboo structures are created, those are also eco-friendly in nature.”
Tags: Eco-tourism
