Download - Session8 02 Vineeta Hoon
Using SOCMON as a Tool to Involve Islanders in Develop-ing Community Based Tourism and provide need based training to foster product Enhancement
• Vineeta Hoon
• Centre for Action Research on Environment Science & Society
SOCMON SASOCMON SA
SMI
Sundarbans
Gulf of Mannar
Gulf of Kutch
Chilika
Andaman Islands
Lakshadweep
Islands
India
Maldives Sri Lanka Bangladesh
SOCMON STUDIES in South Asia
• Live in Biodiversity Hotspots - Coral reefs, Seagrass Mangroves
ecosystems.
• Anthropogenic pressures: High level of dependence on coastal and
Marine resources.
• Poverty and Limited employment opportunities
• Low social resilience
• The divide between local peoples knowledge of marine resources and
ecology and formal management
• issues related to climate change, ocean acidification and global warming
• Issues related to garbage disposal and bad fishing practices in some
areas
Key Learnings Island Communities
• Once a potential for tourism is speculated well established Hotel international chains move in develop the product and take over the market
• Local community who do not have the wherewithal of developing and marketing a product or capital to invest are left behind and treated as nuisances that have to be dealt with.
• The only jobs they can get are the ones lowest in the resort hierarchy.
• Land speculation and land grabbing which leads to the islanders losing their only valuable resource for the next generations.
• They have to deal with the disposal of tons of plastic garbage that tourism inevitably brings.
The issue
The issue
• The resort owners hoteliers usually from outside do not understand or care about the needs of the local community.
• For tourism to flourish equitably and sustainably an interface is needed to provide a level playing field where both parties that are needed to develop tourism can complement and work with each other
• SocMon is a set of guidelines for establishing a socioeconomic monitoring
programme at a coastal management site Level.
• The guidelines provide a prioritized list of socioeconomic variables useful to coastal
managers and other developers
• They are not rigid and can be tailored to each sites needs and purposes.
SOCMON as the interface
How SOCMON is used to Involve community
Discovery Phase:Understanding how the Community uses Coastal and Marine Resources for Livelihood Subsistence/Commerce, Recreation
Discovery- learning about marine resources and fishing practices
Dreaming: Visioning Better futures
• listing whats needed to reach the goal
• listing whats needed to change to achieve the goal and articulating what needs to be done to bring that change
• Listing training needs
The Way ForwardDoing: Once a livelihood is chosenGoal: Tourism to protect Natural and Cultural Heritage
• Strengths & Opportunities: man power, own land, marine area knowledge, cultural practices
• Threats & Weakness: Pollution, Marketing , Financial capital,
Conservation, Education, Enterprise, Livelihood
Suggested Solutions
• Govt Enabling Agency improve transportation services, agree to co-management of marine areas, support LLMAs, protect land ownership/sales
• Outside expert: Marketing, Management Training by doing, licences, certification
• Islanders Build capacity as owners, hosts, guides and managers over time
Together deciding on the eco-solutions for architecture, building materials for resort
www.socmon.org
Thank you