Tribal youth to steer eco-tourism activity in Madurai

MADURAI: District forest officials have roped in 16 abled-bodied youth from Paliyar community in Kurinji Nagar near Thottappanayakkanur in Usilamapatti taluk as eco-guides in one of their eco-tourism activities.
The forest division has come out with various plans to utilise its forest areas to promote eco-tourism activities, including trekking. The department has demarcated three routes as of now.One stretch is from Sirumalai to Kutladampatti falls in Sirumalai region, another one in Kiluvamalai near Natham and third in Thottappanayakknaur near Usilampatti region. With their experience of trekking on these mountain ranges, the youth will coordinate the trekking expeditions, according to Nihar Ranjan, divisional forest officer, Madurai.
The eco-tourism development project includes multiple plans, which is aided by Tamil Nadu biodiversity greening project and tribal development scheme. The comprehensive eco-tourism package includes development of Kutladampatti falls, creating trekking routes and engaging tribal youth as eco-guides . It also involves utilising differently-abled women’s self-help groups to prepare food for trekkers. The department may likely launch the package starting from February and trekking routes have been thoroughly studied and are being prepared, forest officials said.
On Monday, tribal youth who were selected as eco-guides were trained in the Forest Campus. They were trained on how to interact, lead and coordinate groups taking out trekking trips inside the forest.
The fee collected from the trekkers will be given as remuneration to the youth. Paliyar community that lived in Sathuragiri Hills were repatriated to plains some decades ago, but they were finding difficult to cope with a life in plains. Highly exploited by local communities and struggling without a proper source of livelihood, the venture is expected will be a great boon.