Nature Tourism at Abu Hills (Rajasthan, India): Conservation and Livelihood

In line with the three pillars of sustainability, we developed globally applicable site-specific socio-ecological-economy models. One of our four models is called Abu Model. The idea behind this model was the protection of the Green Avadavat or Green Munia, categorized ‘Vulnerable’ in IUCN Red List.

Taking advantage of the interdependency of tourism and the environment, we focused on the flagship species of Abu Hills, consisting of the Green Munia and several other fauna and flora species. A group of local youth closely associated with nature was identified, including bird trappers and poachers. Their traditional local knowledge was valuable to modern scientific knowledge and empowered them. Thus, the nature related skills of the local youth were linked with the livelihood options. This approach fostered the conservation actions towards the protection of habitats and target species.

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