`Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the Tourism Industry'

One Week Training Course on “Eco-Tourism, Livelihood and Forest Conservation” started at Amity University

Noida, February 5, 2018: Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (ASNRSD) & Amity Institute of Global Warming & Ecological Studies (AIGWES) jointly started One Week Training Course on “Eco-Tourism, Livelihood and Forest Conservation” for IFS Officers sponsored by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt. of India at Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida Campus

The Training course is attended by 20 Senior IFS Officers from various states including Bangalore, Karnataka, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttrakhand amongst others.

Inaugurating the programme, Dr. V.B. Mathur, Director, Wildlife Institute of India said that there is an evident transition in Tourism industry and it is important for forest officers to understand the difference between Tourism and Eco-tourism. He shared that Eco-tourism has not only promoted environmental conservation but has large impact on social and cultural heritage preservation, economic development and enhancement of livelihoods as well. He stressed that with increasing number of human activities in the forest areas has led to increase in land pollution too and the requirements for a true eco tourism experience are becoming difficult to fulfill. Dr. Mathur apprised that such training courses are necessary to upgrade the knowledge of forest officers for further empowering and skilling them in the area of Eco tourism so that they can understand the linkages between eco-tourism, employment and conservation better.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University said that Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the Tourism Industry that has helped in environmental conservation, socioeconomic development and increase in employment and entrepreneurship at a local level. She remarked that with growing interest in eco-tourism, Government has laid down policies for re-forestation. Dr. Shukla emphasized that there is a need to create awareness amongst local people towards the promotion of eco-tourism with regards to culture and heritage also. She opined that partnership amongst local communities, educational institutions and forest authorities is required for better support of the concept of eco-tourism.

Dr. S.P. Singh, IFS (Retd.) Director, ASNRSD, Amity University; Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, IFS (Retd.) Advisor, ASNRSD, Amity University and Mr. J.C. Kala, IFS (Retd.) Hony. Advisor, AIGWES, Amity University were also present during the occasion.

During the day, various technical sessions were conducted on topics such as “Conservation at the Cross Roads: Issues, Challenges and Way Forward”, “Ecotourism Initiatives in Kerala” and “Ecotourism as Responsible Tourism, Issues and Challenges”.