Ecotourism a Sustainable Development Approach: A Case Study of Bandipur Forest

Bandipur Tiger Reserve is geographically speaking, it is an “ecological confluence” since the Western and Eastern Ghats intersect here, making this region unique and exceptional in terms of its flora and fauna. The community land areas of all the border settlements as well as the nearby notified and unnotified forests have been included in the buffer of this tiger reserve. The scrub jungle along the park's eastern boundaries is made up of stunted trees, scattered bushes, and open grassland patches. The Eco-tourism activity is run in the two Ranges of Bandipur (54 km2) and GS Betta (28 km2), covering a total area of 82.00 km2, or around 9.40% of the Reserve's total size. From the above analysis, it could be concluded that the government should provide that there are administrative facilities, halting facilities, etc. just next to National Highway 67, which cuts through the eco-tourism region. Additionally, the village community people agree that the regions where some Private Tourist Resorts have situated border the Kundu Range's Eco-tourism area. The Reserve benefits from having almost year-round operations. The usual methods of stopping poaching, such as arresting and prosecuting offenders, have obviously failed; conservation education aiming at altering local attitudes will greatly reduce the ongoing threats to the integrity of biological systems in the Bandipur forest. Operationalizing sustainable ecotourism within protected areas ultimately relies on management and operations that maximize the industry's potential positive advantages while minimizing its negative ones.