Help Tourism

Help Tourism in association with WBFDC launches first-of-its-kind Tourism Peace Park in the country

Help Tourism in association with West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) has launched the first-of-its-kind Tourism Peace Park in Noam Chel Teesta situated near East of Teesta River and between Neora Valley National Park, Garumara National Park and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. This part of the said area, North of Oodlabari is mostly under the management of West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) and the South area is mostly managed by the Baikanthapur Forest Division, therefore a major concern is the conservation of the rich natural resources. This Park has been launched in order to promote Community Based Tourism (CBT) in the East Himalayas. This information was divulged by Supratim Raj Basu, Ecotourism Consultant, Help Tourism.#

In addition, CBT initiators have tied up with ten villages in the North of West Bengal where they provide various activities such as home stays, trekking, nature study, camping, cycling, forest drive, cultural encounters of six different communities et al for tourists visiting the Park. The main idea is to develop Community Based Tourism (CBT) and provide support to maintain peace and harmony among different communities existing there. They also provide various packages of six nights and seven days ranging between Rs 500-Rs 1,000 per person, per day. According to their brochure most villages situated inside the Park are not known and no modern development has been undertaken there as yet unlike other parts of West Bengal. The inhabitants find their livelihood from nature around them. The area is home to several animals like leopards and elephants etc.

According to certain sources, the initiative for developing the Tourism Peace Park was led by Pallab Basu of Oodlabari Tourism Development Association, officials of WBFDC and Help Tourism members. They had their first meeting regarding the same in December 2008 at a factory of Assam Bengal Veneer Industries (ABVI). The meet was attended by 61 local stake holders from the several villages.

Source: Travel Biz Monitor, www.travelbizmonitor.com
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 17:00 Hrs  [IST], By Anish V Punnackattu | New Delhi

Help Tourism, together with Expert Klaus Schaette took the initiate to address the
waste problem as in the pilot project in Lava, Neora Valley in 2008.

What is the waste problem?

As all over India, as well in the Sunderban Jungle Camp,
all the waste is burned in a smelling and hazardous procedure; half burned plastics,
Glass and metal pieces remain. This is not an environmentally friendly practise,
especially not for the fragile ecosystem of the Sunderbans.

Mr. Schaette introduced a simple system of waste separation to avoid smell and hazardous smoke;
only burning the “light plastic” (Plastic-bags and wrappers) with paper in a self-built incinerator.

Not for burning but for recycling are Water-bottles (PET), PVC,
hard plastics (Pots, carpets, cables, Flip-flops), Glass, tins, cans!

A Dumping Pit is necessary as not all is right for burning, nor recycling.

Batteries are for separate dumping only, as collection for recycling is rare in India.

Organic waste, especially dry leaves and straw should not be burned, because they give
excellent compost!

Now the Help Tourism Sunderban Jungle Camp has additional ecology features:

• to practise waste separation, avoiding the common habit, to burn all the waste in open fire,
  exposing smell and hazardous smoke
• using the kitchen waste, to develop compost for vegetable garden and trees in compound
  - to prepare its own organic vegetable garden
• the village community is now ready to copy the system.

A similar Campaign has been introduced to the new HelpTourism Camp in Chilapata, Dooars, as well
as in Chilapata village, in the Buxa and Jaldapara Reserve and in Sukna, a village near Silguri.

Today, we were featured in “The Telegraph” newspaper:

For visiting Dubai team, Dooars no less than Darjeeling
OUR CORRESPONDENT

The students make their way to Buxa fort. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Buxa Fort (Alipurduar), Feb. 24: The indefinite bandh in the hills may have deprived a group of school students from Dubai of a glimpse of Darjeeling, but they are not going back any poorer.

Twenty-four students from 15 countries, including the UK, US, Afghanistan, Somalia and India, are happy for they had not expected anything like Buxa Tiger Reserve. “True, we haven’t spotted any tigers, but we didn’t know that forests here were so beautiful,” said Scott Herrington, a teacher accompanying the group.

The students from American School in Dubai was scheduled to visit Darjeeling from February 21 to 27 but shifted their tour to the Dooars when they realised that the hills are shut for an indefinite period. The group of Grade VIII students consist of 12 girls, an equal number of boys, three teachers and one nurse.

Sahin Farnood from Afghanistan said he had seen many wild birds, monkeys and squirrels. “I even saw tang ghar (a temporary structure set up in the middle of the field from where villagers keep guard on animals), salt leaks for animals and trees like teak and sal. I am so happy. But I want to see wild elephants.”

“In the last few days, we toured Jainti, Pukri hill and the Mahakal temple. The students swam in the Jainti and practised rock climbing too. The trip is named Week without Wall since we believe that proper education is incomplete when it is restricted within the four walls of a classroom. Each student paid $600 dollars (around Rs 24,000) for the trip,” said Herrington.

He praised the hospitality of the forest staff at the lodge in Rajabhatkhaowa, 15km from Alipurduar town. “They were wonderful.”

As a goodwill gesture the students might paint the walls of a village school that they are going to visit tomorrow or distribute pens and books among children there. Before leaving for Dubai on February 27, the group will spend a day at Chilapata forest.

Each student has been named after an animal. All the “animals” are expected to discuss their life in the forest and their experiences. “We hope to know more about wild lives and the local culture by interacting with the villagers here,” Herrington said.

The students came to Buxa hill today (from Rajabhatkhawa) in five cars. On the way, as they trekked through villages, they greeted the local people with polite namashkars and kemon achhen (how do you do?)

Sanjib Choudhury of Sam Sara Travels, which has brought the group here, said the visitors were forced to change their plans because of the bandh in Darjeeling. “Since we don’t operate in the Dooars, we contacted Help Tourism. They selected the tiger reserve including Buxa hills. The students are happy. We never imagined that such a beautiful place existed in eastern Dooars.”

Raj Basu from Help Tourism said his firm was determined that the students should not go back disappointed. “We want the world to know about the Buxa reserve and the beauty of the Dooars.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080225/jsp/siliguri/story_8943344.jsp

The Outlook Traveller Magazine’s February 2008 edition highlighted “the best tourism initiatives in India”. And we are proud that our community tourism initiatives have been recognized as well:

More often than not tourism ends up being about large tour operators making profits. Help Tourism, which operates tours in Bengal, Assam, Arunachal and a few other Northeastern states, is one tour operator which has tried to change that by involving local communities in tourism initiatives. Communities are involved in the entire range of tours operated by Help Toursim – from wildlife tours to culturual and heritage tours. The greatest impact has been in the area of ecotourism. Help Tourism has worked with villagers in Buxa Tiger Reserve, Garumara National Park, at Bhalopahar in the Dalma forest range – helping them set up wildlife lodges. The most successful of those projects has been the Sunderbans Jungle Camp on Bali Island – which has provided local poachers-turned-conservationists with a livelihood, and has set an example for sustainable development in this fragile delta. Help Tourism has also set up the Association for Conservation and Tourism (www.actnowornever.org) through which they share their expertise in responsible tourism with others.”

We ourselves could not have described our vision and mission better. Thanks a lot, Outlook Traveller.