CONFERENCE BACKGROUND

Ecotourism activities have been expanding rapidly worldwide over the past two decades and further growth is expected in the future. There are increasing efforts to use ecotourism's potential to support the conversation of nature and to benefit local people, especially in developing countries. This rapid growth, however, has also given rise to concerns about negative (environmental, socio-cultural) impacts. 

Recognising its growing global importance, the United Nations designated the year 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE), and its Commission on Sustainable Development requested international agencies, governments and the private sector to undertake supportive activities. Along with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), officially designated as the coordinating organisations for IYE. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) has been given the mandate to hold six regional conferences in different parts of the world. Sikkim, India was the location for the South Asia Conference, and the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS) was the organiser along with other institutions in the region. ECOSS and the other organisers have a mandate to ensure that ecotourism goes hand in hand with conservation and preservation of culture, while contributing to economic development. 

In the quest for bringing some focus to South Asia's experience onto a common table, the conference was welcomed. The outcome will go into key policy decisions of South Asian countries. It will also see that there is some form of benchmarking of the levels attained by different countries in the region.

Conference Rationale

Over the past two decades tourism in SAARC countries has been and will likely continue to be a major area of growth. These countries offer a great range of destinations from marine to freshwater systems, hot desert to cool desert, and from tropical to alpine climates. All forms of adventure and nature tourism can be found in the region. Throughout the countries of South Asia, there are examples of ecotourism, but as a concept and strategy for linking conservation and development, ecotourism has received little attention. As a result, policies and planning at various operational levels lack clear guiding principles. There are success stories, but these have not been used to support ecotourism development nor in bringing out best practices into a wider arena from which others could learn and benefit. The purpose of the conference was in part to give a "Voice to South Asia' that can be heard in the wider global forum of discussion in the International Year of Ecotourism as well as beyond 2002.

Conference Objectives

The focal event of IYE will be the World Ecotourism Summit (WES) to be held in Quebec, Canada, in May 2002. There are four major objectives for the regional conferences:

• Provide a forum to local communities and ecotourism practitioners who otherwise may not have a voice at the WES and other related international events.

• Elaborate a strategic analysis, i.e. a comprehensive review and critical evaluation of ecotourism as it is currently practised in the region.

• Based on this, identify regional needs for action to be presented at the Quebec Summit and as a basis for further activities (during IYE and beyond) on both national and international policy levels.

• Create or reinforce active networks of regional stakeholders involved with ecotourism.

 Conference Process and Participation

The conference was designed to initiate a meaningful process of regional discussion and dialogue, strategic analysis and formulation of recommendations to be forwarded to the World Ecotourism Summit (WES). The conference sessions were organised so that there were opportunities for participants to work in small groups on selected themes and report to a larger stakeholder group. There would also be opportunities for those participating to learn from each other and to share experiences. The conference organisers sought to have multi-stakeholder representation from those working in ecotourism and related fields, e.g. NGOs, local/indigenous communities, private sector, government agencies, donors and people from professional backgrounds such as academics, consultants and advisors. A variety of stakeholders attended from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. There were 117 participants in total, 4 from community level organisations, 34 from national NGOs, 24 from international NGOs, 27 from the commercial private sector and 28 from state and national governments. However, there was no representation from Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives due to unforeseen circumstances and delays regarding entry formalities into India and prior commitments. The conference organisers have made a commitment to share the findings with those who were unable to attend the conference.