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India's first EcoTourism Society launched

Ecotourism society and WWF looks at creating a course in environmental law soon

ANUPAMA SUSHIL - New Delhi

This was first reported in Express TravelWorld (January 2008 issue). EcoTourism Society launched at the 2nd International Responsible Tourism Conference. The launch took place in the presence of S Banerjee, secretary, ministry of tourism and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, minister for tourism Government of Kerala.

Further, the EcoTourism Society of India that acts as a watch dog to protect and lay emphasis on the environmental related issues by organising awareness workshops and supporting different efforts in the similar direction is looking at creating a course in environmental law. The course will be open for all the corporates, property builders, and state government tourism departments.

The initiative will be taken forward with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), India in the country. “It will help the parties involved in tourism activities to know more about the law and how to abide by it by helping them understand different ways of protecting the environment of a particular place,” said Mandip Singh Soin, founder member, EcoTourism Society of India, while revealing one of the many plans of the society.

He further added that that this will help in creating a check and a balance system that doesn't really exist at this point in time. Also, it will help in reviewing the law that had been made several years ago, enabling to make required and necessary amendments that should be needed with the time. He suggested that in due course, the society will try and make the course mandatory and also try to achieve that the license of the party be renewed only if it has undertaken an environmental law course.

“The WWF would be conducting this course as a small part time programme that will teach people about the existing laws, conservation of habitat and induce in them the feeling as to how reduce the footprint, said Ravi Singh, Director, India - WWF. He further added that it will teach as to how to construct eco-friendly tourism infrastructure, and how to react and behave towards disposal etc. This would basically changing the outlook and the way you are. It might be a little challenging to get maximum numbers to participate as an interest has to be created first. As, it takes off it will surely be implemented at a larger scale,” he added.