Hopeful Climax to a Hard Struggle, 2001

On October 14, 2001, the Niti Valley issued a biodiversity conservation and ecotourism declaration. Drawing inspiration from both local history and international conventions, elected representatives, social activists, and citizens came together to proclaim their intention to develop a tourism industry free of human and natural exploitation. Two weeks later, Lata Village Council and Alliance for Development convened their long awaited community-based conservation and ecotourism workshop to provide substance to the historic declaration. Many organizations were represented at the workshop including the Environment and Human Rights Law Network, Indian People’s Tribunal, Kalpavriksha, Friends of Uttarakhand, and Equations, a Bangalore-based equity and ecotourism group. In three days of sessions, attempts were made to redress historic grievances by convening an Impact Assessment Team, plans for a Nanda Devi Ecotourism Development Authority were presented, a partnership concluded with Equations to further develop the ecotourism plan, and a coordinating body constituted to ensure follow-up from the workshop.

Dhan Singh Rana led the assembled guests on a field trip into the park, as he had done before during the Jhapto Cheeno protests. Moreover, the local communities saw the workshop as a chance to share their culture through traditional dance and celebrate their victories with the release of Sangarshnama, a book chronicling their struggles from Chipko and Jhapto Cheeno to the IMF affair.

The Situation Today

In the spring of 2003, the new director of the NDBR opened up the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) to limited tourism for the first time in 20 years. The government's official 2003 plan envisions balancing biological conservation, economic development, and sustainable eco-tourism practices. The new plan will allow 500 visitors to visit the reserve per annum, while maintaining exclusive management rights for the local villagers. A new 4-km trekking route will be extended into the core and the effects on the delicate alpine ecosystem will be closely monitored and future plans established accordingly.

The people of Nanda Devi now face the daunting prospect of managing a community-based tourist trade with few of the resources, experience, and expertise enjoyed by the big tourist agencies who they struggled to keep out in favour of local economic empowerment. Moreover, vigilance over the government's guarantees and enforcement of their policies will be key in ensuring that employment is generated for the local community. In this context, the struggle has moved into a decisive phase, where capacity building and training of local youths will be key in ensuring that the gains can be fully enjoyed by those who have fought so hard to see this day.