Shrinking tourism’s ecological footprint

Although not as popular as Chitwan, tourism has emerged as the backbone of Bardia’s economy, and visitor numbers are growing again after the pandemic slump. 

Even so, while traditional lodges and hotels along the buffer zone of Bardia National Park attract tourists, there has been no innovation in their style of operation and the need to fulfil new educational aspects of conservation for Nepali and international visitors. 

Eco-tourism today is driven by the need to see unspoilt wilderness areas, and the old jeep safari style is becoming outdated. The trend is away from big luxury hotels to minimum interference with nature, but with the highest standard of service, sometimes exceeding expectations. 

One such destination is Burhan Wilderness Camp in Bardia where the natural integrity of the area is maintained with world-class hospitality in the midst of jungles teeming with wildlife calls.  

Located near the town of Madhuban, the tented accommodations are comfortable yet intimately connected with nature. The approach to Burhan is through village and forest trails, crossing one of the branches of the Karnali on a raft or paddleboard. 

At camp there is a safety briefing and then the sundowner in a luxurious setup with campfire and barbecue bush dinner. Before sunrise, the next morning is a two-hour river safari or tiger tracking bushwalk followed by breakfast.

Read Also: Eco-tourism in Gadi Siraichuli, Carol Inskipp and Prem Thapa

Lunch is with the local Tharu community with its traditional food followed by a heritage tour. In the evening, guests gather around a bonfire and enjoy fascinating jungle tales from a Tharu wisdom keeper. There is even a short night safari around camp before dinner. Other activities include patrolling with a local community unit, visiting the Sonaha people to try one’s luck at gold panning.

Conservationist Manoj Gautam founded Burhan to try to do eco-tourism differently and more sustainably so that local people get most of the benefit. Burhan in the Tharu language means ‘wilderness’, and that is where they sought refuge when faced with calamity. 

Read Also: Tourism that treads lightly on the land

“People in the cities are prisoners of their routine, and they come to Burhan to escape from it, to de-stress and de-toxify,” explains Gautam, who discourages the use of electronic devices and loud music. “For us, guests are not always right. We educate them. Our focus is on nature, culture, and minimalist architecture. We maintain the natural integrity of the place.”

Besides the tents, the only building here is the tree house. This is the first camp run on a micro-conservancy style and hopes to set an example, inspire others. 

Indeed, because of its isolation, lack of crowds and noise the chances of sighting wildlife here is much greater. Visitors do not necessarily have to go looking for them, the wildlife is all around.

While this has allowed Nepal to achieve relative success in preserving its biodiversity, the efficacy and ethics of such ‘fortress conservation’ is being increasingly questioned. Nearly a quarter of Nepal’s land area is cordoned off for conservation.

Nepal has tried to move away from a narrowly understood ultra-interventionist, top-down conservation model. Nature preservation is vital, but disengaging the communities that depend on them can ultimately undermine the goal.

State-led conservation has hit Nepal’s indigenous groups particularly hard, undermining their traditional culture and knowledge systems. There is a history of eviction and landlessness as people were driven out to make way to national parks.  

Here in Nepal’s western plains, there has been a spurt in recent years in human-wildlife contact with fatalities from tiger and wild elephants.  Nepal’s tiger population has tripled in the last 12 years, ahead of the goals set by tiger range countries, and Nepal was hailed internationally as the first country to do so.

The victims of tiger attacks are mainly women who enter forests to collect fodder. Being a conservationist himself, Manoj Gautam is out to change this through a new approach to eco-tourism. Burhan is pricier than other resorts with the same facilities, but his idea is to create a high-value product with minimum investment and maximum returns for the local community. 

“It may be exclusive for guests, but it is inclusive for the community,” says Gautam, an Oxford graduate who once worked with the Wildlife Crime Task Force in Nepal, and Jane Goodall Institute in Nepal. 

In the past year, Burhan has hosted over 500 guests, and has injected funds into local homestays and restaurants. It trains and employs local youth in rescue units and jungle guides. 

Burhan also trains and employs local women nature guides. Sushila and Manju are known for their knowledge of the forest, and  Gautam hopes to train 100 women guides to empower and augment their income. 

Read Also: Wildlife-people coexistence in Nepal national park, Kunda Dixit

Hemanta Acharya of Bardia’s community-based anti-poaching unit (CBPU) values his cooperation with Burhan. “It is a different kind of establishment. They have a deep understanding of the conservation challenges in this area. We need to work more closely with the local community and the national park.”