Ecotourism-Strategy for Poverty Alleviation and Natural Conservation in Kashmir
Bilal Ahmad Khan*
Special Centre for the Study of North East India, JNU, New Delhi, India
*Corresponding Author: Bilal Ahmad Khan, Special Centre for the Study of North East India, JNU, New Delhi, India.
Published: September 22, 2025
Abstract
Ecotourism generate economic benefits at local to national level and create incentives to preserve the resources. Ecotourism is an effective tool for poverty alleviation and ensuring growth with its backward and forward linkages with other economic sectors. Kashmir has a vast potential to become one of the India’s best ecotourism destination and having numerous attractive and beautiful tourist spots. A balance between development and the environment should be created. Ecotourism helps in sustainable development and associated with various challenges. The study attempts to explore the potential sites of ecotourism for future development in Kashmir and would examine the correlation between ecotourism and natural conservation with regard to the perception of tourist and conservation agencies. The study is exploratory in nature but empirical tools are also applied to highlight the potential of ecotourism.
Keywords: Poverty Alleviation; Linkages; Environmental deterioration and conservation