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Tourism
In Andaman & Nicobar
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Jolly
Buoy Island: A Popular
Tourist Spot
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Presently, all the islands of the Andaman
& Nicobar archipelago, except the tribal reserve areas, are
open to domestic tourists. The foreign tourists are permitted in
Port Blair, Mayabundar, Havelock, Neil and Long Islands for 30 days.
The visits to Jolly Buoy, Red Skin islands in the Mahatma Gandhi
Marine National Park, Madhuban and Mount Harriet in South Andaman
Island are allowed. The Administration has ambitious plans to promote
tourism by opening up other islands to foreign tourists. Some more
areas have been identified for development of beach resorts and
golf courses. For golf courses, forest areas are proposed to be
cleared and exotic grass species introduced. This will cause major
problem for the ecosystem. The introduction of edible Giant African
snail by the Japanese during their occupation of the islands has
already led to disastrous consequences. They have become a serious
pest for agricultural crops, plantations and forests.
These islands have all those
things that attract a tourist -- natural beauty, unpolluted environment,
lush green tropical forests, and unique fauna and flora. Almost
all tourists visit the Marine National Park for snorkelling, scuba
diving, swimming or viewing live corals and other marine fauna.
These activities, if not properly regulated and managed, will lead
to large-scale destruction of coral and its associates. Presently,
most of the coral reefs around South Andaman are either struggling
to survive or are dead. Despite a ban, indiscriminate and excessive
collection of shells continue. It will further weaken the reef ecosystems,
make them susceptible to infestations, and lead to ecological disturbances.
The exploitation of commercially valuable shells are directly linked
to tourist inflow. The availability of turbo, trochus, giant calm,
cowrie and nancowrie shells has drastically fallen over the years
in the off-shore areas. Dugong (herbivorous marine mammal) was common
in these islands, particularly in the Dugong Creek areas of the
Little Andaman Island. Now it is scarce, and a few patches of its
habitat are left in the Ritchie's Archipelago and in the Nicobars.
Marine turtles and saltwater crocodiles, once widely found, have
been listed as endangered. Several species of mammals, birds and
reptiles, endemic to these islands, are now infrequently sighted.
The promoting of tourism will
have to be done within the parameters of preservation of these unique
ecosystems, their carrying capacity, balanced utilisation of natural
resources, national security and socio-economic conditions. The
problems of environmental protection are inextricably linked to
those of economic development. Development should not lead to environmental
destruction, and environmental protection should not lead to economic
stagnation. Development has to involve the creation of a liveable
environment. Therefore, the development of tourism in these islands
should focus on :
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Improved
transport facilities with the mainland and between the islands; |
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Easy
availability of food items; |
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Development of industries
to process fishery and forest items so that finished, value-added
items, instead of raw material, are exported; |
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Encouraging upmarket,
eco-friendly tourism; |
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Environmental
impact assessment of new areas proposed to be opened to tourists; |
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Restricting introduction
of exotic fauna and flora; |
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Strictly banning
coral and shell collection from sea and beaches; |
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Assessing long-term
effect on the ecosystem of increased tourism activities; |
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Selective and controlled
access to national parks and other sensitive areas; and |
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Restricting migration
from the mainland and other places. |
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Dr
K. CHANDRA &
BISWAJIT DUTTA
Andaman Prakriti Samsad
Port Blair
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