Professional and technical training need to be imparted to the local people to ensure their sustainable income from eco-tourism initiatives. The rapid and bewildering range of changes set into motion by displacement and relocation puts enormous strain on the coping capabilities of the displaced people. The systems governing resettlement and rehabilitation do not have any in-built checks and balances for providing necessary support for livelihood restoration, and few if any provisions for handling the socio-cultural and psychological impacts of displacement.
Therefore, STR management plans to collaborate with organizations (Governmental and nongovernmental) for providing sustainable livelihoods for the villagers who have relocated from inside the core zone. The first steps towards this have already been taken. With the same objective, STR management will also make efforts to collaborate with other expert agencies (e.g. The Nature Conservancy) in the future that can help provide sustainable livelihoods to the displaced villagers.
Trainings
Some initiatives taken are as under:
Guide Training: There is still scope for involving the host community in several activities, viz. owners of modest tourist accommodation, home-stays, catering (ethnic dishes), souvenir making, cultural events etc.
With the introduction of activities like walking and cycling, involvement of the local villagers can be further strengthened as guides. This can create opportunities for many individuals as every group of 4-5 tourists will be accompanied by a guide.
The Satpura Tiger Reserve organised a 6 day training programme for the 58 newly inducted guides at Pachmarhi from 2nd August to 13th August 2021 into two batches.
Highlights of Training
i) Total 60 inducted guides get the benefit of training.
ii) The total training schedule completed into two batches (First batches was trained from 2nd to 7th August 2021 and the Second batch was trained from 8th to 13th August 2021).
iii) In this training, guides are learn about--
• Tourism in India.
• Wildlife Tourism.
• History of Pachmarhi & List of 10 viewpoints of Pachmarhi.
• Communication Technique (Verbal & Non Verbal).
• They learned guest engagement, etiquette, grooming & guiding skills.
• They were given basic introduction about Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Butterflies and Common trees of Satpura).
• A brief history about Tiger Ecology (i.e., Territory, Breeding, Habitat).
• Rock Paintings of Satpura
• Hard ground Barasingha Relocation Documentry.
iv) An interactive season is also organise.
v) After training all guides enjoy a jungle safari organised by Satpura TR.
vi) After completion of training all guides are scanning through a test.
vii) The new guides were given a certificate & the newly released Satpura Field Guide at the end of the program.
Driving Training: Driving Gypsys also has good scope for employment of youths from target villages. The STR management also conducted a month (from 26th July to 25th August 2021) long driving training at the Ashok Leyland Institute of Driving Training in Chhindwara. The main objective of this training was to develop skills among local youth and helping to gain employment. 30 youths were chosen from relocated villages and from the periphery of Satpura Tiger Reserve for this training. Where 29 trainees get the benefit of training of LMV and 1 trainee gain training of HMV. After successful completion of training all the new driver trainee get their driving license.
Hospitality Training: The Satpura Tiger Reserve organised a 6 day training programme for cook & housekeeping in Madhai from 25th to 30th August 2021. A total of 20 youths are selected (where 10 candidates are male and 10 candidates are female) from buffer villages.
Training Goal:
i) Creating alternative earning source for the local villagers.
ii) Involve local support towards the park managers.
iii) Attach local peoples towards the conservation.
iv) Promote eco-tourism.
v) Promote women empowerment (given training of 10 female youth).
vi) Increase the knowledge level of local peoples