The result of a unique collaboration by a private company, a regional forest department and the local community, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, high in the Indian Himalayas, boasts one of the last natural temperate broadleaved forests in the region as well as a unique range of localised ecotourism activities. By Dr. Priya  Bhalla.

Almora, India, October 2020. The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) offers an inimitable amalgamation of nature, culture, history and tradition, and has been attracting tourists from around the world to its spiritual, religious and nature-based tourism destination in Uttarakhand State. Situated under the two districts of Uttarakhand: Almora and Bageshwar, it is situated at an altitude varying from 1400-2500 metres and is considered of high conservation and ecotourism value, and well worth experiencing responsibly say its stakeholders.

Sundar Singh, a nature guide and owner at the Idyllic Heaven, Binsar says that ecotourism is the key attraction of the region. “Facilitating glimpses of nature-culture harmony to tourists through a homestay experience simply makes ecotourism,” he says. This approach, one of dedication to the environment and not just the pampering of tourists, marks out Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS) and its attractions from other run-of-the-mill IHR destinations, notes Singh.

There are five privately owned estates in Binsar; one Forest Rest House and one government owned Tourist Rest House. The private estates showcasing historical heritage since 1850 provide a mesmerising vintage-modern outlook; they include The Mary Budden Estate, Tree of Life Grand Oak Manor, Mountain Resort - Khali Estate, Nandadevi Estate and Binsar Forest Retreat. These were previously the only accommodation available within the sanctuary until the concept of homestays was introduced. Today, some ten homestays add to the accommodation available, all run through community participation. This means there is now a wide range of local Binsar accommodation, ranging from private to government to homestays, almost all of which are situated within the sanctuary.

The sanctuary boasts one of the last remaining natural temperate broadleaved forests in the Middle IHR, and offers key ecotourism attractions including nature guiding, trekking, mountain vistas, wildlife viewing, photography, birdwatching and homestays. These all originally started through the efforts of various local stakeholders to protect a fragile ecosystem, but also to increase tourist visits and generate livelihood opportunities for villagers struggling with hardship. By-products of the initiative were the ongoing reduction in outward migration of young people, and the reduction of local villagers’ direct dependency on Binsar’s natural resources such as timber and non-timber forest produce .

The protected area forms the focus for ecotourism destinations that are dedicated to retaining its natural characteristics and helping avoid any modifications as a result of human interference. “But, as with any tourism activities in otherwise untouched areas, impacts become inevitable,” says  Ishwar Joshi, secretary, Lok Prabandh Vikas Sanstha (NGO), Sunoli, Almora, Uttarakhand.

As part of the ethos of the area, there are no noisy jeep safaris within the sanctuary, only 90km of designated walking trails where visitors can trek as they do bird-watching and nature walks. The trails also connect different living villages and hotels within the sanctuary, making a forest tour well worth making. Ecotourism at Binsar aims to help conservation efforts, so for forest explorers and soundscape lovers, hiking is the only way to explore the forest of BWLS.

Favourite species within BWLS include the goral, muntjak, serow, yellow-throated marten, Indian porcupine and the common leopard. The sanctuary is also known for its large assemblage of Galliformes (such as the chukar partridge, black francolin, hill partridge, koklass pheasant and the kalij pheasant. As a gazetted Important Bird Area under Birdlife International, this soundscape paradise attracts tourists and bird lovers from around the globe. “I have grown up listening to the calls of birds and animals here. Now, I am earning a livelihood by interpreting them for tourists as a nature-guide,” says Santosh Joshi, owner of Dalar village homestay.

Several of the Binsar homestays and other types of accommodation showcase traditional art and craft work from across the region. For example, Aipan drawing is one of the traditional painting forms practised in almost every house within the region. It forms an important part of the social, cultural and religious life there. Apian is mainly drawn by the women of the house, using soaked and ground rice powder, on the main entry door of the house or in the front courtyard. Some of these artistic creations have great religious importance and are drawn only during particular religious ceremonies or auspicious occasions such as marriages, threading ceremonies, naming ceremonies and more. Most have a ritual role, while others revere a particular God or Goddess - and a few are applied simply for their aesthetic look.

Additionally, BWLS boasts the ancient Binneshwar Mahadev Temple, where villagers and visitors can worship and perform ceremonies, as well as a variety of festivals and fairs that are held across the region in different seasons to aid in better harvest seasons and prosperity, mainly associated with spiritual beliefs. Binsar also offers a nature interpretation centre at Ayarpani Gate to help explain both local wildlife and more of these local socio-cultural practices.

The BWLS managers are well aware that ecotourism can be considered a double edged sword, however, and they are keen to emphasise collective awareness of responsibly managed tourism. This in turn has led to the recognition of research as a key part of the project; the gathering of baseline information not only allows for early warning on impending impacts, but also enables timely management programs to be put into place for the safeguard of the ecosystem.

“This approach means that BWLS continues to offer a healthy ecotourism destination to its visitors while maintaining the natural integrity of an ecosystem on which ecotourism relies,” says Dr. Bhalla. The bonus is that this on-the-ground ecotourism data can also be used in long term monitoring impacts in other, similar mountain destinations as well as to predict and compare both positive and negative future impacts.

“This means that the … management of practicing ecotourism in a protected area can be used as lessons before replicating ecotourism in other similar sites,” added Dr. Bhalla. “As a visitor, one can contribute to ecotourism by just keeping a responsible travel mindset and a conservation attitude towards an existing ecosystem lived in by locals, in harmony with nature.”