THENMALA ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT    

  India's first planned ecotourism destination 

                Recently Government of Kerala has formulated a project for ecotourism which covers the southern part of the State. The objectives of this project are :

♣    To develop Thenmala and its surroundings as a major tourism destination.
♣    To promote ecotourism on the basis of sound principles of ecological   sustainability in the surrounding areas of Thenmala; and
♣    To have a well planned tourism destination with emphasis on sustainable tourism development so as to become a model or other destination development programmes. 

Thenmala Ecotourism destination has been designed and developed by the Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society (TEPS), a Government of Kerala undertaking, which was established in 1998. The society was formed to promote ecotourism activities at Thenmala and its surroundings with the co-operation of the Forest, Irrigation and Tourism departments.

    Thenmala reservoir 

The Thenmala Ecotourism destination is the result of sustainable forms of tourism. This project will strive to help man understand and appreciate the environment without disturbing the delicate balance of the ecosystem as well as enchance the biological features and integrity of the region. By providing nature education and employment opportunity to the local youth, the thenmala ecotourism project will bring about the harmonious existence of humans with nature. Located about 72 Km from Thiruvananthapuram, on the shencottah road, Thenmala is the nerve centre of a chain of 10 satellite ecotourism destinations scattered across the hill ranges of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta district. The Thenmala ecotourism destination is spread out over acres of evergreen forest, 500 m above the sea level. Thenmala (hills flowing with wild honey) is the natural habitat of diverse flora and fauna.

      Palaruvi water falls 

All tourists who visit an ecotourism destination may not be real ecotourists. Therefore we should cater to the needs of the general tourists also. In this project, Thenmala dam surroundings will cater to the needs of general tourists and the satellite spots surrounding (area within the forest) will cater to the needs of the real ecotourists. The crowd also will be dispersed according to the carrying capacity of the centres identified. The project aims to take note of the cultural and social aspects of the area also. The famous SABARIMALA, temple which attracts large number of tourists during thee months from November to January is situated nearby. There are other pilgrim centres nearby Thenmala which is having relation to this temple where large number of pilgrims visit annually. This can pave the way for ' Pilgrimage Tourism' in this area. But since this area is ecologically sensitive, the tourism activity should be based on sound principles of ecological sustainability.

The project envisages three major components, viz. general tourism, ecotourism and pilgrimage tourism. Facilities such as garden, boating in the reservoir, board walk, elevated walkway, rope way, suspension food bridge, amphitheatre, musical fountain, mountain biking, deer rehabilitation centre, environments education centre etc. will be provided at Thenmala. This place will be the focal point of the tourism destination.

                                                                                                                           Elevated walkway 

Ecotourism is planned in the surrounding forest area. The water body formed due to the construction of dam falls within the famous ' Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary'. This sanctuary is having high potential to promote ecotourism activities. Apart from that, a number of satellite spots are identified with a radius of 50 kms from Thenmala to have ecotourism centres.

Another aspect is the strategy for developing an ecopilgrimage circuit from Thenmala. The focus of this circuit is SABARIMALA, the famous pilgrimage centre situated about 100 kms from Thenmala. Around 100 lakh people visit this temple every year. The largest number of them are from the States of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. A major portion of these pilgrims would like to have a pilgrim package to visit all the Ayyappa temples. As per ancient belief, there are five Ayyappa temples located at Kulathupuzha, Achancoil, Aryankavu, Sabarimala and the last one does not now exist in full. It is aid that the fifth one is at Kanthamala or Devamala. The package pilgrimage tour combined with a visit to Thenmala can attract large number of visitors to this destination. Various package tours to satellite centers from Thenmala have been envisaged in the project. This may for a single day or may be of more than a day. In these satellite centers where the ecotourism is to be practiced, the development will be based on sound ecological principles.

 The facilities such as accommodation in tents, tree tops and caves will be provided in the interior forest without affecting the local environment. Tribal and local people will be involved as guides, helpers, etc. in fostering ecotourism activities here. It is expected that this will give a new dimension to the development pattern of rural areas adjoining these ecotourism centers. Proper environmental impact assessment and carrying capacity studies will be done in these sensitive areas. Environmental monitoring mechanism will be devised to constantly monitor the impact of the tourism activities.

The four zone at Thenmala offer a wide range of activities for the nature enthusiast. Construction has been kept to the minimum and every effort taken to preserve natural features of the land and the fragile ecosystem. Only temporary stays / visits are permitted so as to maintain peace and quiet of the undisturbed areas. Permanent tourism structures are restricted to degraded forests and close to habitation only. 

 Ecotourism Satellite Centres : There will be ten centers within 50 Kilometre radius of Thenmala: Palaruvi, Achancoil, Aryankavu, Arippa, Konni, Kulathuppuzha, Kochu Pamba, Pamba, and Umayar. 

 Deer Rehabilitation Centre: This centre will foster various species of deer. The Deer information centre provides the tourists, adequate information about the species. When the population reaches optimum level, they will be released into the woods. 

Boating	Mountain biking	Board walk	River crossing

Boating : One hour boating is possible in the Kallada reservoir of the Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary. Tourists are taken to the boat landing in battery powered road vehicles. This facility is provided to give visitors to have an experience of a water safari to discover the hidden fauna of the Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary.

Trekking : A unique trekking package is being developed to facilitate trekking activities. Local youth has been given training to work as tourist guides. One to Three day guided trekking tours can be arranged. 
Bird watching trails : Two day programme in Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary.

Source : Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society