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