ABSTRACTS:

    Arunachal Pradesh, the land of dawn lit mountains is very rich in flora and fauna. The forest type differs with the altitudinal ranges and is potentially rich in both eco-tourism as well as adventure-tourism. The state is yet to develop like other states of the country. Tourism is a major department for other states having larger source of earning revenue, but Arunachal Pradesh tourism department is in infant stage and is yet to pick up, for which it has to work hard considering its potential and can improve a lot in future. Many Government officials, PRI leaders and general public are praising its success story. At present the state is having eight wildlife sanctuaries, two national park, one orchid sanctuary and one biosphere reserve. Pakke Tiger Reserve contiguous with the Nameri Tiger Reserve of Assam is also an important habitat for the big cats, one of the most endangered species in the world. Pakke is also the only Hornbill sanctuary in India. The forest around this reserve harbors four hornbills species, the great hornbills, wreathed hornbills, oriental pied hornbills and the rufous-necked hornbills, listed 10 Schedule l of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), while the rufous-necked is a globally threatened bird species. The Pakke River lies to the east and the Bhareli River to the west and the north which provides this beautiful place a natural protection. The reserve is categorized under 'commercially unexplored hotspot', mostly many people have not even heard about Pakke Tiger Reserve. As Arunachal Pradesh is a home of about twenty six major tribes and number of sub tribes and community hunting is a sport where wild animals and birds are hunted. But now it is slowly developing its trends. Community service society has raised up, they are the local guardians of the forest they enforce customary laws, institute penalties against hunting and logging, aid in capacity building and spread awareness around Pakke Tiger Reserve. Yet there are a lot to do to make it a better commercial hotspot which is possible through successful tourism marketing strategies. On this backdrop an attempt has been made in this paper to identify the various issues relating to challenges and opportunities associated with Pakke, and if adequate care is given Pakke tiger reserve could be a major revenue generator on the tourism sector.

OBJECTIVES:

To identify the prospects of tourism
To give suggestions for the growth and development of the Reserve in economic and commercial perspective.

INTRODUCTION:

    Arunachal Pradesh is gloriously perched at the top of the north-eastern India among the seven states of north-east. The largest state among the seven states and the first place to greet the golden sun rays into India, so also known as the 'Land of the Rising Sun'. It shares a long international border with China in the north and the north-east, while to its west is Bhutan and to its east is Myanmar. Towards the southern end are the states of Assam and Nagaland. The geographical positioning of the state has kept it in isolation for centuries and has preserved its rich tribal culture. Arunachal Pradesh is a home of about twenty six major tribes and number of sub tribes flourishing in the state with their distinct identities, cultures and customs, but yet unknown to the outer world.
Pakke, also known as Pakhui is a Tiger reserve located in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The 862-sq km Pakke Reserve is a home to many rare and endangered wildlife species, such as leopard, wild dog, Himalayan black bear, elephant and many more. Though even its a Tiger Reserve, it is also a home to many other species of floras and faunas. Contiguous with the Nameri Tiger Reserve of Assam, it is also an important habitat for the big cats, one of the most endangered species in the world. Pakke is also the only Hornbill sanctuary in India. The forest around this reserve harbors four hornbills species, the great hornbills, wreathed hornbills, oriental pied hornbills and the rufous-necked hornbills, listed 10 Schedule l of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), while the rufous-necked is a globally threatened bird species. The Pakke River lies to the east and the Bhareli River to the west and the north which provides this beautiful place a natural protection. Apart from the four hornbill species one can have viewings of many other beautiful birds. The reserve is home to over 2000 species of plants, 300 species of birds, 60 species of mammals, 30 species of amphibians and 36 species of reptiles.
In India there are about 1300 species of butterflies and almost 970 species are found in Pakke. All the families found in India like Blues, Brushfooted, Swallow tails, Metal marks, Skippers and White and Yellows are found here. There are even many species of Moths and other insects found in Pakke, yet many more are still to be discovered.
As has been already mentioned in the above discussion that Pakke Tiger Reserve is still in the early stage in terms of economic journey is concerned. No matter there exist varied economic opportunities if truly harnessed. It has been noticed that the indigenous local communities of the region are putting their best endeavor towards the protection and conservation of the sanctuaries and its adjacent reserve forests and also seek mass community participation of the fringe villagers for development of the tourism sector in the region. With the development of tourism, infrastructure like good road connectivity, better transportation system, uninterrupted power supply etc. will automatically come up. Cultural exposure is also one of the most important outcome of having good tourist destination. if the endeavor of the wildlife authority and the concerned local community turns out to be successful, it will promote cultural exposure of the host and the visiting tourist. If the reserve is beautifully managed then no supernatural power can restraint flow of tourists into the hotspot which in turn shall double the money flow leading to social and economic development of the country.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

    The present study is descriptive in nature and the same is strictly confined to present situation of the wildlife sanctuary. For the purpose of the study both primary and secondary data has been used. To know the ground realities about the sanctuary as well as to generate observations and ideas about its commercial and economic prospects, observatory survey was conducted by the authors with the help of forest officials and staff. Besides, interview method was followed for personal discussion with the nearest stakeholders, these include the wildlife officials, officials from forest and the tourism department to get into the present situation the sanctuary is facing.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES:

    In state like Arunachal Pradesh which entirely a tribal state, it is a herculean task for the environment and forest and the wildlife department to protect and conserve the wild species what we generally termed as flora and fauna. It is because almost cent percent of tribal population are non-vegetarian. The history of tribal civilization also makes it transparent that animal hunting has been the tradition of the tribal people of not only the Arunachal Pradesh but of the entire north eastern states. Where community hunting still exist. There are festivals specifically for hunting of wild animals and birds of which “Dorung” and “Unying Aran” are common. Hence, it is observed that almost all the national parks, biological reserves, wildlife sanctuaries in the state face numerous threats that hampers the peaceful co-existence of flora and fauna. There have been many cases reported in the recent past from every corner of the state regarding the rampant hunting and poaching of wild animals for commercial purpose, reckless felling of trees for timber etc. Also other problems associated with the lack of infrastructure, lack of well trained personnel, lack of proper wildlife management plan and poor awareness on the part of the villagers of nearby villages on the importance of wildlife.
As has been already mentioned in the above discussion that Pakke Tiger Reserve is still in the early stage in terms of economic journey is concerned. No matter there exist varied economic opportunities if truly harnessed. It has been noticed that the indigenous local communities of the region are putting their best endeavor towards the protection and conservation of the sanctuaries and its adjacent reserve forests and also seek mass community participation of the fringe villagers for development of the tourism sector in the region. There is a good place for food and lodging just about 8 km from the Reserve. It is a Eco Camp known as 'Pakke Jungle Camp', run by community service known as 'Ghora Aabhe' they are the local guardians of the forest. The Ghora Aabhe society (a group of village chiefs) was formed in 2006. A group of 12 village heads, along with the forest department, supports conservation efforts around Pakke Tiger Reserve. Their work has been widely recognized, through several awards and articles in print media. The Ghora Aabhe enforce customary laws, institute penalties against hunting and logging, aid in capacity building and spread awareness around Pakke Tiger Reserve. The managing staff of Pakke Jungle Camp are mainly representatives from this group. The local community has joined hands with civil society and the forest department to protect Hornbill nests. More villagers could be involved in such programs and it could be a great help as hunting can be reduced as people would be involved in concerning about the reserve and also it could be a way of economic development. Also there is a privilege opportunity to adopt a Hornbill Nest Adoption Program, one can adopt a hornbill nest and go one step further towards conservation. Moreover, few areas have been identified in context to the opportunities and prospects of being a greater tourism hotspot. These are mentioned as under:

• Elephant Safari
• Taxi or Jeep Safari
• Water Sport
• Trekking
• Hiking

With the development of tourism, infrastructure like good road connectivity, better transportation system, uninterrupted power supply etc. will automatically come up. Cultural exposure is also one of the most important outcome of having good tourist destination. if the endeavor of the wildlife authority and the concerned local community turns out to be successful, it will promote cultural exposure of the host and the visiting tourist. If the reserve is beautifully managed then no supernatural power can restraint flow of tourists into the hotspot which in turn shall double the money flow.

FINDINGS:

    The present paper unveils numerous issues relating to opportunities and challenges associated with Pakke Tiger Reserve. It is found that so far infrastructural facilities like good road connectivity, better transportation system, uninterrupted power supply, more eco-friendly huts, eco-lodges are the major hurdles for the glory of the reserve. Moreover better involvement of the locals is beneficial for the reserve as they are the local guardians, and hunting will be reduced as more the villagers get involved with the reserve. No matter there exist varied economic opportunities if truly harnessed. It has been noticed that the indigenous local communities of the region are putting their best endeavor towards the protection and conservation of the sanctuaries and its adjacent reserve forests and also seek mass community participation of the fringe villagers for development of the tourism sector in the region. In this regards, the following suggestions can be offered:
It is necessary from the part of the concerned authority to improve infrastructural facilities.
Increasing the number of eco-friendly huts and eco-lodges.
The concerned authority must come up with more awareness programs and impart the knowledge regarding importance of bio-diversity and need to protect and conserve them for balance energy.
Increase in recreational activities.
Encouragement of community service like 'Ghora Aabhe' as they are the local guardians of the forest
Government should undertake measures for initiating more promotional awareness programs among the people.

CONCLUSION:

    It is crystal clear from the above discussion that the Pakke Tiger Reserve is having quietly giant potential in terms of tourism development especially eco-tourism. God has been very kind to it as the reserve has got everything from the nature. It is the human beings who are disturbing the serenity of the land locked reserve. The reserve if properly managed and well protected could become a great source of revenue for the state leading to economic development of the country.

REFERENCES:

Hussain, I., & Das, D. (2013). Study of Ecotourism: A special Reference to Assam. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 3(9)
Nag, A. (2013). A study of tourism industry of Himachal Pradesh with special reference to ecotourism. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Management Review. 2(4).
Weaver, D.B. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Ecotourism, New York: CABI Publishing.
Honey Martha,.PhD. (2008) Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, Second Edition: Who Owns Paradise?