Contribution of Forestry to Poverty Alleviation - APFNet

Innovative mechanism for resource generation
Apart from eco-tourism, the community was allowed to use the other local forest and river resources.
The relative contribution to livelihoods of tribals from different activities is given in Figure IV.3.The
JFM Committee helped provide many opportunities. A Self-help Group was started for processing
NWFPs, such as honey, dammar, resins and plant extracts. The processed NWFPs were packed and
marketed under abrand name and the sales outlet was strategically located near the waterfall. The total
value of NWFPs gathered from the forest in one year by all households was estimated at Rs400 000.
Figure IV.3. Income from different activities
24%
18%
4%
54%
Eco-tourism
NTFP
PFM
Other works
Before the ecotourism project was introduced in Vazhachal under JFM, the forest department used to
collect a small fee from visitors for the use of the picnic spots and the money (which was not a large sum)
was credited to the state exchequer. The people never cared about how much the government collected
or why it was collecting money, as they were not involved in the fund management. Later with JFM,
the community assumed the role of a “caretaker” and modified the tourist spots into a more regulated
and managed site. Consequently, the number of tourists more than doubled during the last 10 years
with 1.05 million tourists visiting the area in 2010. However, this also required more financial resources
for providing facilities and protecting the forests. The influx of tourists was leveraged to generate
additional resources through an innovative mechanism which helped provide enhanced livelihoods and
improved forest conservation.
A service charge of Rs 15 is now collected from visitors for the use of facilities and services provided in
the ecotourism area. Of this, Rs 4 goes to the government and Rs11 goes to the VSS to be deposited in a
corpus fund to be used for expenses related to tourism management, river protection, forest protection,
tribal welfare, improving livelihood, and infrastructural development. To date, the VSS has collected
about Rs 10 million. For visitors coming from far-away places, Rs15 is a very small amount compared to
their total expenditure. The general feeling shared by the community, forest department, and tourists is
that the service charge helps provide improved services for the enjoyment and safety of the tourists. By
providing alternative livelihoods to the poor tribal people, the pressure on the forests (and biodiversity)
has been reduced and the tribal community is gradually getting back a sense of belonging to the forests
and the ecosystem.
Voices of the people
The voices of the people from the field share an appreciation of the ecotourism initiative started by the
VSS under the JFM framework (Box IV.2).
An elder from the Kadar community added that it is not their tradition to destroy the forests, and that
they used to live in the wet evergreen forests since birth, owning very little land. He explained that
in other forest areas in the region, for example, Edamalayar area, the people are clearing the forests
to cultivate the land. The Kadars need opportunities to manage the forests entirely and not just the
activities related to ecotourism. He concluded, “We need a better hold in management.”
According to some nature lovers of the area, tourism activities should not be concentrated in the present
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