Itanagar: Indi Glow, the founder of eco-camp Lama Camp in West Kameng, has been awarded the Gold winner in the “Sustainability Champions: Pathfinders” and “Overall Winner” in the Outlook Responsible Tourism Awards 2023.
His unique high-income low-impact tourism model, targeted towards serious bird-watchers, has transformed the local economy and led to massive support for wildlife conservation in the Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve and Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.
Glow’s eco-tourism model provides only vegetarian meals to tourists and prohibits the use of single-use plastic materials. Tourists are also given a cloth bag for returning inevitable single-use plastic items on a security deposit basis.
Entry fees and vehicle fees are deposited with the community and are used for village development activities.
The fact that substantial incomes are generated due to the persistence of forests and wildlife in this landscape has led to massive support for the preservation of forests and its wildlife by all stakeholders in the area.
Glow’s tourism and conservation efforts have led to massive reductions in hunting and forest resource extraction. In addition, since 2012, Glow has been providing his tourism facilities and the services of his staff for free to host residential wildlife and conservation awareness camps for middle and high school students from ten schools in the area.
Over 600 students have attended these week-long camps, with some becoming passionate birdwatchers, expert bird guides, and voices for conservation in their respective villages.
Other villages in Arunachal Pradesh have expressed interest in replicating this model, with similar tourism initiatives having been initiated in the neighboring villages of Rupa and Shergaon.
The Bugun community has voluntarily declared 47 sq km of their traditional lands as a Community Reserve, encompassing the entire global range of the Critically Endangered Bugun Liocichla, a bird species discovered in 2006 and named after the Bugun community for their pioneering eco-tourism and conservation efforts.
The SBVCR-EWS landscape is also home to over 600 bird species, red panda, clouded leopard, Asiatic wild dog, Asiatic black bear, Asian elephant, and the Fairrie’s Lady Slipper Orchid.
The award was presented by Tamil tourism minister K Ramachandran, recognizing Glow’s outstanding efforts in sustainability and responsible tourism.
Glow’s tourism model has transformed Lama Camp from being a center of forest exploitation to the flagship eco-tourism center of the SBVCR-EWS landscape, with 300-400 birdwatchers visiting the area every year.
Also read: Revival of ancient tradition strengthens Nyishi-Apatani bond
