Eco-tourism service providers prepare for approaching tourist season

GANGTOK, 30 Aug: The Eco-tourism Service Provider Association of Yuksam conducted its Annual General Meeting 2012 here at KCC office, Yuksam on 29 August which was chaired by senior members of Yuksam and adjoining village.
A press release informs that the general secretary of the association presented a brief progress report for the year 2011-12 and also presented the financial statement. He further deliberated on the key issues that need to be discussed among the members during the AGM.
The association formed and registered with the Government of Sikkim in 2007 has been taking up various welfare programs of its members along with other initiatives like trail clean up campaign, trail repair and also runs a pack animal insurance scheme within its members. A total of 51 members who are all pack animal operators and are actively involved in tourism have decided to contribute Rs. 200 per member for the death of one pack animal, the release informs.
So when a pack animal of a member dies in an accident, members usually will have to bear a loss of close to Rs 25,000 while a small portion is recovered through the sale of meat. Hence in order to compensate the loss of a pack animal which supports their livelihood, each member of the association has agreed to contribute a premium of Rs. 200 per household for one animal casualty. So the owner of the dead pack animal gets a compensation amount of Rs. 10400 from the association. This idea of self help has been found useful by the members.
Since its inception more than 13 pack animal deaths have been compensated from the association’s fund. During the meeting the committee members also distributed a cheque of Rs. 10400 each to 7 members who have lost their pack animals during the last few months, the release mentions.
The Association has also been repairing trails and maintaining them every year and this year with the heavy monsoon and the last earth quake, the trail has suffered major damages from landslides and blockage. The Association decided to carry out repair work soon before the next tourist season.
Like the previous year, the Association has also decided to place forward the request for financial support to various Associations, Institutes and departments. All members of the association would voluntarily help in the trail repair while the financial support received would be utilized for purchase of hardware items, utensils, expenditure for food and logistic including expenditure to hire skilled carpenter. Thus the Association would approach various the department, TAAS, SAATO, HMI, DC (west) and other agencies for various kind of support. 
Further the members of the association also raised their concern about the fodder storage facility at Dzongri, Tshoka and Thangsing. The local communities have sacrificed a lot for conservation, be it the removal of grazing from KNP, relocation of village from Tshoka, ban on grazing, ban on use of firewood, ban on collection of medicinal plant, aromatic plants or helping check bio-piracy.
Thus lot of conservation efforts have been supported by the local communities over the past many years, now with the perspective of reducing further pressure on the natural resource, the pack animal operators purchase dry fodder and transport it all the way to Tshoka, Dzongri and Thangsing to feed their pack animals during tourist season. This is expensive and requires hard work but this fodder needs to be stored in a safe place to support the fodder need of their pack animals through out the season. The pack animal operators have managed to create small storage facilities at Dzongri, Tshoka and also use the existing facilities to store their fodder which the department claims as illegal construction.
The association thus decided to appeal to the concerned department and submit a memorandum to the Government to provide storage facilities at this campsite and look into their concerns. While in the past, more than 2000 herds of yaks grazed inside the National Park but today only about 400 Dzo / horse which are used as pack animals are grazed, the release states.
The association also decided to request the concerned department to provide them with facilities and also support in the endeavour. The department has been supporting various initiatives like cattle immunization, tourism promotion in various places around KNP / KBR. Grazing inside Sanctuary and Reserve Forest is still prevalent in North and East district of Sikkim and thus the association has appealed the concerned department to support such cause which are genuine and need based for the pack animal operators.
The association has further thanked the concern Area MLA, DC West, various departments, Zilla Adakshaya, West, KCC, TMI, WWF, TAAS for providing various kinds of support.