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H. DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM IN PAKISTAN-Shah Alam Khan

Economic Analyst Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism (Sports and Tourism Division) Pakistan

Nature-based tourism is economically important in many developing countries. In virtually all South Asiancountries, the attractions of natural assets are the major force for tourism. Ecotourism is defined as tourism thatinvolves travelling to relatively undisturbed natural areas with the specific object of studying, admiring and enjoyingthe scenery and wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural aspects found in these areas. In areas ofoutstanding natural attractions, ecotourism is often used as the primary justification for the development ofhotels/motels and other facilities, mainly because of socio-economic benefits. These benefits are particularly relevantwhere the land allocated for an ecotourism area has little or no value for agriculture or other industrial uses.Moreover, properly planned and managed, tourism is both non-polluting and renewable.

If ecotourism is to receive a higher priority in government plans, especially in developing counties, considerableeffort must be made to effectively involve local inhabitants in tourism activities. Usually, the rural populations livingclosest to ecotourism resorts are characterized by very low incomes, with few viable economic options. Ecotourismcan represent for these people a valid economic alternative, with the additional advantage that these inhabitants,through effective education and orientation, can be converted into efficient wardens and conservationists of thesenatural areas, since their economic welfare and quality of life depends on the preservation of the natural qualities oftheir environment. There is, therefore, a great need for educating the local populations about the hazards of carelesscutting down of trees and destruction of wild life, as this irresponsible behaviour, besides causing erosion of fertileland, will also adversely affect the natural scenery and ecology of the areas, which is the main attraction for tourists.

Ecotourism, also called "nature tourism", is a relatively recent phenomenon in Pakistan. Nature tourism isdistinguished from mass tourism or resort tourism by having a lower impact on the environment and by requiring lessinfrastructure development. Ecotourism includes a wide spectrum of options, ranging from serious, scientific studiesto casual visits to natural areas as weekend activities or parts of more general trips.

The annual tourist arrivals for Pakistan are still limited to less than half a million people.. Pakistan possessesseveral tourist attractions of immense potential. The diverse geography, deserts and lush green valleys, white-waterchannels and, above all, its high mountains are the main ecotourism attractions of Pakistan. Despite these attractions,the growth of ecotourism in Pakistan has grown relatively slowly.

Tourism authorities in Pakistan have classified the following attractions as the most important assets forecotourism in the country:

(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)

The natural scenic beauty;The Thar Desert of Sindh and Cholistan Desert of Punjab;The majestic mountain ranges for trekking and mountaineering;The lakes, glaciers and ski slopes;The facilities for marine sports and white-water rafting;The national parks (e.g. Khirthar National Park in Sindh, Lal-Sohanra National Park in Punjab, HazarGangi National Park in Baluchistan and Margalla Hills National Park in Punjab, etc.);The flora and wild life; andThe caves and mines.

(9)(h)At present, domestic as well as international tourism is centred around the country's natural attractions in the

Gilgit, Skardu, Chitral, Swat and Kaghan Valleys and the hill stations of Muree and Galiat. The three mountainranges in the northern areas, the Himilaya, Hindu Kush and Karakurom ranges and the northern areas beckon bothsophisticated and ordinary travellers equally. There are 730 peaks over 6,000 meters high; only 43 have beenclimbed. There are five peaks above 8,000 meters, including K-2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum-1 and II and BroadPeak. The Gilgit and Skardu valleys also have the largest glaciers outside the polar regions. These natural assetsmake these valleys a paradise for adventure-oriented ecotourism. Every year in the summer season, a large numberof mountaineers, trekkers and nature tourists visit these valleys. The legendary Karakurom highway, which passesthrough the Gilgit and Hunza Valleys, also attracts a large number of foreign and domestic eco-tourists. Domestictourism, however, is concentrated in the Muree, Swat and Kaghan Valleys.

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Unfortunately, tourism in these areas has been allowed to develop in an unplanned manner. These areashave seen unchecked growth of small hotels. The number of rooms in these valleys have more than tripled duringthe last ten years. Sadly, most of these small hotels and lodges have been built on the banks of streams or onreclaimed land on slopes where trees have had to be cut down. In the absence of proper land utilization plans,sewage treatment systems and studies on tourist-carrying capacities, the growth of tourism has brought negativeeffects in these places, and tourism is now criticized as a major cause of environmental degradation. Most of thehotels, motels and residential colonies established near streams discharge untreated sewage directly into streamscausing severe pollution, which adversely affects human and animal life.

The Pakistani government is aware of the drawbacks of unplanned and unsustainable growth of tourism. Atthe request of the government of Pakistan, ESCAP has sponsored a number of environmentally-oriented studies ontourism,

the most important being studies on the Environmental Impact of Tourism in Mountainous Areas of Pakistanand Cultural Impact of Tourism in Pakistan. These studies have recommended policy options and action plans formanaging environmentally-friendly tourism in Pakistan.

At the request of the government of Pakistan, the World Trade Organization, in conjunction with UNDP, hasagreed to prepare a Tourism Development Master Plan for Pakistan. It has been stressed in the objectives of theMaster Plan that the improvement of ecotourism, besides achieving economic benefits, should be well integrated intothe country's environment. In the development strategies, the emphasis has been laid on the promotion of ecotourism,desert tourism and winter tourism. The scope of the Master Plan will cover the following:

(a) Strategies for tourism development in Pakistan, including consideration and conservation of environmentaland cultural resources.(b) Inventory and evaluation of existing and potential tourist attractions with particular reference toenvironmencultural and special interest attractions.(c)

(d)

Identification of ecotourism development areas and related major and secondary tourist attractions,along with the transportation and service networks.Establishment of appropriate socio-cultural and environmental impact control measures.

Another study, on the impact of the development of tourism on the eco-system of the Swat Valley, will provideuseful information and data to understand the present and future environmental impact of development of tourism inthe area. The main objective of the project is to formulate a comprehensive environmental plan, assess the existingenvironmental impact of tourism and provide suggestions to minimize the environmental impact of future tourismdevelopment.

The study will provide a guideline for the assessment of the environmental impact of tourism on theeco-system of the area. The scope of the study will encompass the following:

1. Identification of the Environmental Problems(a)(b)

Assessment of actual environmental conditions in the Swat Valley.Collection of information on various elements causing environmental degradation in the Swat Valley and therate of pollution.

(c)(d)

(e)

Collection of information on the magnitude of water, air, noise and visual pollution in the Swat Valley.Collection of information on tourist establishments, local industries, residential areas, and the permanent andtemporary population which cause environmental degradation, with special reference to sewage and theemission of waste water into streams, which are also the source of drinking water.Identification of the most heavily polluted areas within the Swat Valley.

2. Measures and Proposals(a)

(b)

Suggestions for preventive, informative incentives, punitive enforcement and management measures to maintainand preserve the quality of the environment in the Swat valley on a sustainable basis.Suggestions for a time frame, with rough cost estimates, for the control of environmental pollution on asustainable basis.

(c) Identification of possible local/foreign sources of funding on a sustainable basis.

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(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)

(f)

(9)

3. Action Plan and Management AspectsSuggestions for short, medium and long term plans, with rough cost estimates, for control of environmentalpollution

through continuous funding on a sustainable basis.Indications of the nature of a suitable management mechanism and the nature of its liaison with local,provincial and federal agencies, in both the public and private sectors, on a permanent basis.Identification of linkages between policies and institutional structures in order to ensure proper implementationas

well as effective coordination among the collaborating agencies.Provision of draft legislative frameworks.Suggestions on the role of the public and private sectors for the successful implementation of the environmentalprogrammes,

at the same time ensuring sustainable promotion of tourism and improvement in quality of life forlocal people.Suggestions for action plans for a cohesive approach in conjunction with national, provincial, regional andinternational governmental organizations and NGOs for the control of pollution.Suggestions for monitoring systems to evaluate the effect of policies over time in order to consider the needfor

adjustments of ecotourism development, promotion and marketing for the betterment of the living conditionsof the local population.Two other projects on feasibility studies for the promotion of ecotourism and environmental management are

also under consideration, a study of the establishment of a tourism resort at Khanpur Dam and the preparation ofTourismDevelopment Master Plan in Northern Pakistan. Both will address environmental problems which may arise

from ecotourism.These are a few examples of the government's efforts to address ecotourism issues at the micro-economic

and macro-economic level. However, more efforts are needed to find ways and means of involving local peopleliving in and around potential tourism areas, so that they can be educated to respect environmental codes of conductand obtain increased social and economic benefits from tourism. In addition, in-depth studies need to be taken toaddress following issues:

(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)

levels of tourism for particular areas within the context of overall tourism in the country;themanagement of the natural values of individual areas;

appropriate objective-oriented tourism infrastructure which is sensitive to local ecological conditions;improved educational and interpretive services for visitors to motivate them to show respect for localenvironments;greater appreciation by visitors of the environmental values of these areas; andhow tourism activity in these areas can serve as a self-financing mechanism and, therefore, as a toolfor their conservation.

A number of parameters may be used to measure economic benefits of the ecotourism, including the following:(a)(b)

gate or royalty fee totals to estimate the economic value of tourism. These are also indicators of thewillingness of the public to pay for recreation and adventure privileges at various sites; andtotal income from recreational and commercial equipment, lodgings, food and transportation to estimatethe contribution of individual areas.

These economic benefits can be used as a factor to determine total ecotourism carrying capacity, i.e. the levelof visitor arrivals an area can accommodate satisfactorily with minimum impacts on resources. Tourism is essentiallya private sector activity and requires considerable investment. Despite the extensive capital infrastructure needed,and the environmental change that mass tourism brings, private sector entrepreneurs in Pakistan are seldomrequired by the government to produce either social or environmental impact assessments of the results of bringinglarge number of tourists into areas with tourist development schemes.

At the national level, there is a need to enact laws to ensure active private sector participation in thesustainable development of ecotourism. At the international level, there is a need for greater cooperation to protectthe environment and promote tourism which is sensitive to it. In order to achieve this objective, WTO, ESCAP, PATA,SAARC and other international and regional bodies can organize seminars, symposia and workshops to creategreater awareness of the need to minimize the negative impact of tourism development and can also come forwardto assist less developed countries in preparing studies which contribute to the promotion of environmentally friendlyecotourism.

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