Priya Bhalla | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (original) (raw)
I am currently working on my Ph.D. thesis on ecotourism impact assessment. I have a special interest in nature-based tourism management and currently focusing on ecotourism practices at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India.
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Papers by Priya Bhalla
The paper presents a comparative scenario of green space planning in Lutyens' Delhi, an old colon... more The paper presents a comparative scenario of green space planning in Lutyens' Delhi, an old colonial area, with the Dwarka sub-city of Delhi. A mixed methods approach using field based surveys and questionnaires for randomly selected residential areas, parks and roads was employed to understand the urban tree species distribution, its planning and management practices and the people's perception regarding urban forestry. Urban trees encountered in Lutyens' Delhi appeared quite diverse, with 125 species as compared to 26 species in Dwarka. In Dwarka, shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and jamun (Sygizium cumini) together constitute about three-fourth of the total population of the sampled avenue trees, whereas neem (Azadirachta indica) and imli (Tamarindus indica) constitute about half of the total sampled avenue trees in Lutyens' Delhi. Further, species selection is compromised in lieu of fast growing tree species. Though awareness related to benefits of urban trees was found high among sampled residents, low faunal biodiversity remains a bigger concern. Census and periodic monitoring of urban trees besides expansion of green spaces, while formulating infrastructure related policies can improve the urban forestry status of Delhi.
Travelling to relatively pristine or natural areas is rapidly growing among visitors worldwide, w... more Travelling to relatively pristine or natural areas is rapidly growing among visitors worldwide, which not only stimulates impacts on landscape and its wildlife but affects the visitors' experience-as well. Considering sound associated with anthropogenic activities as an impact causing indicator, the present study reports and discusses the result of monitoring sound levels in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, an ecotourism destination situated in mid of Kumaon Himalayas. The equivalent sound pressure level (Leq) was determined both in presence and absence of visitors, at key locations within high usage tourism sites of different zones of Binsar. The results indicated that the ambient noise level remains within the prescribed standard limit being stable around 50 dB in the absence of visitors, which increases up to 70dB in the presence of visitors. Using L N statistics five sites reported to exceed 50 dB of sound level for 10% of the recorded time. The outcome suggests non-violation of standard limits within sanctuary; however, it necessitates control of visitor activities by sanctuary management at locations where animal habitats exist, considering increasing visitation.
This article investigates how villagers’ participation in the homestay programme can influence at... more This article investigates how villagers’ participation in the homestay programme can influence attitudes and behaviours related to ecotourism objectives within a wildlife sanctuary. Initially, it
provides a historical context of the development of the homestay programme within the Binsar
Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Kumaon Hills of the Indian Himalayan region using a case-study approach. Based on interviews with each household head conducted within the Sanctuary, the paper explores the links between villagers’ homestay involvement and, attitudes and behaviours related to the Sanctuary’s ecotourism objectives. The findings suggest that contextual variable such as occupation significantly influences villagers’ attitudes towards the homestay programme while human–wildlife interactions additionally influence the villagers’ attitudes towards ecotourism development. Furthermore, positive attitudes towards homestays have been manifested as positive ecotourism-directed behaviours resulting in villagers’ engagement in
public–private partnerships, their involvement in tourism-related cultural programmes and willingness to contribute towards nature interpretation activities to support ecotourism objectives in the Sanctuary. While the homestay programme has encouraged local guardianship behaviour, opportunities to improve and expand conservation efforts with the help of communities in the region could be further developed, and require greater cooperation from concerned stakeholders in both public and private sectors.
The paper presents a comparative scenario of green space planning in Lutyens' Delhi, an old colon... more The paper presents a comparative scenario of green space planning in Lutyens' Delhi, an old colonial area, with the Dwarka sub-city of Delhi. A mixed methods approach using field based surveys and questionnaires for randomly selected residential areas, parks and roads was employed to understand the urban tree species distribution, its planning and management practices and the people's perception regarding urban forestry. Urban trees encountered in Lutyens' Delhi appeared quite diverse, with 125 species as compared to 26 species in Dwarka. In Dwarka, shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and jamun (Sygizium cumini) together constitute about three-fourth of the total population of the sampled avenue trees, whereas neem (Azadirachta indica) and imli (Tamarindus indica) constitute about half of the total sampled avenue trees in Lutyens' Delhi. Further, species selection is compromised in lieu of fast growing tree species. Though awareness related to benefits of urban trees was found high among sampled residents, low faunal biodiversity remains a bigger concern. Census and periodic monitoring of urban trees besides expansion of green spaces, while formulating infrastructure related policies can improve the urban forestry status of Delhi.
Travelling to relatively pristine or natural areas is rapidly growing among visitors worldwide, w... more Travelling to relatively pristine or natural areas is rapidly growing among visitors worldwide, which not only stimulates impacts on landscape and its wildlife but affects the visitors' experience-as well. Considering sound associated with anthropogenic activities as an impact causing indicator, the present study reports and discusses the result of monitoring sound levels in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, an ecotourism destination situated in mid of Kumaon Himalayas. The equivalent sound pressure level (Leq) was determined both in presence and absence of visitors, at key locations within high usage tourism sites of different zones of Binsar. The results indicated that the ambient noise level remains within the prescribed standard limit being stable around 50 dB in the absence of visitors, which increases up to 70dB in the presence of visitors. Using L N statistics five sites reported to exceed 50 dB of sound level for 10% of the recorded time. The outcome suggests non-violation of standard limits within sanctuary; however, it necessitates control of visitor activities by sanctuary management at locations where animal habitats exist, considering increasing visitation.
This article investigates how villagers’ participation in the homestay programme can influence at... more This article investigates how villagers’ participation in the homestay programme can influence attitudes and behaviours related to ecotourism objectives within a wildlife sanctuary. Initially, it
provides a historical context of the development of the homestay programme within the Binsar
Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in Kumaon Hills of the Indian Himalayan region using a case-study approach. Based on interviews with each household head conducted within the Sanctuary, the paper explores the links between villagers’ homestay involvement and, attitudes and behaviours related to the Sanctuary’s ecotourism objectives. The findings suggest that contextual variable such as occupation significantly influences villagers’ attitudes towards the homestay programme while human–wildlife interactions additionally influence the villagers’ attitudes towards ecotourism development. Furthermore, positive attitudes towards homestays have been manifested as positive ecotourism-directed behaviours resulting in villagers’ engagement in
public–private partnerships, their involvement in tourism-related cultural programmes and willingness to contribute towards nature interpretation activities to support ecotourism objectives in the Sanctuary. While the homestay programme has encouraged local guardianship behaviour, opportunities to improve and expand conservation efforts with the help of communities in the region could be further developed, and require greater cooperation from concerned stakeholders in both public and private sectors.