LocationsTourism is an alternative way of income for the well-being of nature conservation
October 21, 2022
Protected areas (PA) are designed to preserve natural wilderness areas for present and future generations. Therefore, in some PAs, such as nature reserves, any economic activity is prohibited, while in others, such as natural parks and biosphere reserves, certain activities are allowed. As a result, local people living on the borders of protected areas (or within protected areas, as in the case of National Parks) are unable to engage in certain activities, such as livestock or agriculture development.
In order to improve environmental protection, sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity of high mountain ecosystems of Uzbekistan, to reduce risks of conflicts between local population and protected natural areas, a number of trainings were conducted to increase skills and abilities of local people living in snow leopard landscapes in obtaining alternative sources of income to improve their living standards.
A preliminary analysis of the interests of the local population in various types of activities has shown that business planning, the development of horticulture and the provision of tourism services are in the highest demand.
To develop skills and competences in these areas, 12 training sessions were held in Tashkent, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya provinces, attended by 224 persons from 44 villages, including 64 women.
Development of business planning skills was the main focus areas of the training. The participants of the trainings got an insight into the preparation of business plans, analysis of their own available resources for entrepreneurial activities, setting goals for their business development, creativity, calculation of the cost of services and products, marketing, etc.
Despite the fact that fruit trees have been grown in these areas since ancient times and local people have certain knowledge and skills, this training covered modern horticultural practices, including organic farming, new fruit tree growing technologies, as well as modern international standards in the use and/or processing of grown products and their marketing.
Trainings on tourism business development and provision of tourism services generated a lot of interest among local residents (representatives of local communities). During the training, the participants learned about different types of tourism, how to create a tourism product, and how to offer different types of services (e.g. food, transport, guide services, etc.).
All participants of the training workshops received handouts in printed and electronic forms, and Telegram groups were created where local residents can ask questions and get a free online consultation from specialists.
These trainings workshops improved the knowledge and skills of the trainees in the relevant thematic areas and became a prerequisite for the development of alternative sources of income environmentally friendly way.
