Those who visit national parks will have to follow the etiquette laid down for these reserves. Considering the pressure from mainstream tourism activity very close to them, these parks will undergo a swift change once the ministry of environment and forest's eco-tourism guidelines are finalized as per a report in the TOI.
The Karnataka forest department has recently replied to these guidelines. A key feature is a state-level eco-tourism strategy which will make sure that the facilities are not just `high-end, exclusive tourism' but also involve local communities. State rules and regulations will be modified to ensure adherence to these standards by tourist operators and hotels. All states will notify the state eco-tourism strategy by December 31.
Currently, all money earned through sale of tickets and passes to enter a protected area goes go to the revenue exchequer, but now it'll go to a new fund for protected area management. Each protected area has to prepare an eco-tourism plan by December 31 and put it in public domain for people to respond to it. Early this month, it was announced that state governments would also levy a local conservation cess as a percentage of turnover on all privately run tourist facilities within 5km of a national park. Within five years, permanent residential tourism facilities within critical wildlife habitat areas would be moved to revenue land.
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