Eco-tourism potentials in Qudang, Tibet
Eco-tourism potentials in Qudang, Tibet
By LIU Rongkun, Program Manager
From April 19 to 22, I went on a short trip to Qudang Township in southern Tingri County, where houses the world famous Karma Valley for its richness in outdoors activities. During this trip in addition to meeting with The Pendeba Society’s previous trainees who live in Qudang, I also tried to explore some tourism activities that could involve our past trainees from local communities. The participants of the eco-tourism English training program are very interested in guiding trips in their surrounding areas and I with them experienced some good trails which turned out very adventurous. There are many good outdoor activities that could be explored in Qudang such as rafting and mountaineering in addition to hiking and trekking. These trips are very good for experienced hikers and those who look for adventures in hidden Himalayas. However, to make it happen would require some facility support which The Pendeba Society may be of help in its future development. For example, as discussed in the 2nd council meeting, The Pendeba Society is thinking of setting up a “Karma Valley Pendeba Eco-tourism Collaborative,” where our participants could apply their learned knowledge in reality. In the future, The Pendeba Society could even provide local family guesthouses with small loans or grants, helping them improve their facilities to attract more tourists and increase their income.
From the conversation with the trainees, I learned that they usually start farming in spring from April to June. They are available for guiding tours in summer and fall from June to October. Some of them are working as part-time local rangers patrolling the valleys to prevent illegal deforestation and firewood collection in the area, and during the trip I indeed saw some trees cut down for firewood. In this respect, it is great that The Pendeba Society is training pendebas as the preserve’s wardens to protect the environment from turning into ecological disasters. On the other hand, I am thinking about eco-tourism advantage in the area. For example, tourists may want to patrol with these rangers as part of their hiking tour and learn how conservation is performed at local level. This would make a very nice eco-tourism project. Moreover, some of our trainees also work as carpenters and painters of traditional Tibetan furniture. They sometimes work at a mobile basis, i.e., if any family needs carpenters or painters, our trainees will go to the family and work from there. And tourists may also be interested in seeing how they work and perhaps try to learning something. Then the prospected “Karma Valley Pendeba Eco-tourism Collaborative” could facilitate workshops for interested travelers to spend some time with these craftsmen to learn how to make and paint small Tibetan wood items. Through this Collaborative, travelers will have an opportunity to observe how local Tibetans sustain their livelihoods while in return our local participants can increase their household income.
In my opinion, there are great potentials in eco-tourism given what Qudang has to offer, and I cordially welcome comments and suggestions on how we can put ideas into action and make it happen in the near future. If you have anything to say about it, please do not hesitate to contact me at pendeba.liu(at)gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
More Photos: Trip in Qudang