Jane Eyre Study Research Paper Example

Jane Eyre Study Paper In the novel, when asked if she is book learned Jane replies yes very explore how, despite her early experiences at Lowood and the attitude towards schooling for girls in the nineteenth century Britain, Jane manages to immerge as an educated, young woman by the end of the novel. At Gateshead as a child, Jane is a sensitive, loving, intellectual and thoughtful character, she is keenly aware of her status as an outsider. Jane accepts the disapproval of both John Reed and his mother for their cruelty towards her. No; you are less than a servant(page 14), Although Jane is ill-treated by John, she is mostly disturbed by the fact that she is abused without Mrs. Reed caring, moreover, if she does try to speak out she is directly abandoned or ignored, once again. In addition to this Jane shows some knowledge of history throughout her reading, especially when she expresses her feelings towards John Reed, throughout her anger. Wicked and cruel boy! (Page13) You are like a murderer-you are like a slave drive-you are like the Roman emperors! (Page13) Jane Eyre shows some understanding about the Roman history even though she is living in the nineteenth century and has never been to school. She is fully aware of what and how the Roman emperors were, and their cruelty towards most people. Also as Jane gains confidence from her reading, she can fight back to John immediately, this implies John has no knowledge therefore he has nothing to say back to Jane and is gob smacked. We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Janes personality does not fit into any of the Reeds preferences; so Bessie tries to persuade Jane into being the way the Reeds prefer her to be. But if you become passionate and rude, Missis will send you away. (Page 15) The message given Jane informs the reader that it is wrong to be passionate at this time during the Victorian period was it was considered improper to be passionate. Therefore everything about Jane is wrong. Furthermore Bessie sets the scene for another section of the novel as she ends her sentence saying,Missis will send you away (page 15) This obviously gives the reader a clue into whats going to happen next, as Jane follows her own opinions and does not take into consideration any of the Reeds demands as she shows no knowledge in the warning that Bessie tries to give her. Jane feels divided from the rest of the Reed family, and they definitely do not do anything to make her feel more comfortable. John Reed says to Jane: You have no business to take our books; you are a dependant, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg and not to live here with gentlemans children like us. (Page 12) John states that Janes family was from a lower class and implying therefore she has no right to contribute or receive her love from the Reeds. Jane breaks away her relationship that she has with Mrs. Reed before going to Lowood, her last words to Mrs. Reed were. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live,( page 38) Jane shows the reader that she is slowly gaining independence, as she knows that she most probably wont meet the Reeds ever again and probably wouldnt want to meet them ever again. Jane gives us a sense of need for love as she has never been given the love, her imprisonment in the red-room has rendered into being more emotional, and it is not until she speaks these words to Mrs. Reed that she feels her soul begin to expand. (Page 40) Meaning she gains more confidence in speaking her mind, freely. Furthermore, the opening of this novel depicts the importance of payback as Jane declares that she will Tell anybody who asks me questions this exact tale. (Page 39) Jane expresses her power over and against her harsh aunt, Jane knows that she will meet new people and her life will start again in a new place and a new world with questions to be asked and answered. Jane feels alienated as she arrives at Lowood. This is exacerbated when Mr. Brocklehurst arrives and makes his decree like announcement that Jane is a: castaway-not a member of the true flock but evidently an interloper and an alien. You must be on your guard against her; you must shun her example, . Even on Jane Eyres first day of school she is tormented and mentally abused. One of the themes in this area of the book depicts hatred. Hatred is shown both ways from which Mr. Brocklehurst has treated Jane by excluding her from involving and socializing with the other pupils and teachers. Furthermore Jane Eyre is starved on the first day of school and has been put on the spot. As we can see in the first quotation Jane is known as a castaway and not a member of a true flock, meaning that she has been separated from anyone and has a lower status than anybody in the school. To end with Jane Eyre is given a lot of hatred from her little relationship between herself and Mr. Brocklehurst. In addition Janes desperation for Love is over, as she finds two new people in her school life, Helen Burn, her best friend and Mrs. Temple a teacher who is just like a mother to Jane. To gain some real affection from you, or Mrs. Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken. (Page 71)In Lowood Jane Eyre, for the first time gets to express her love to her own loved ones. As she has never experienced love through friends, or a motherly like love through Mrs. Temple she is gradually building her confidence and is learning about relationships through her own ones. As Jane Eyres relationship strengthens with Helen Burns, suddenly, when she finds out that her best friend is dying, Jane has no reaction as Helen secures her. And I shall see you again, Helen, when I die? You will come to the same region of happiness (Page 83) For the first time in Janes life she feels the pain of losing a loved one; however she feels secure, as she knows Helen is going to go to a good palace, heaven. Jane also feels that when she dies she will be in the same place and meet her best friend once again. Before Jane leaves Lowood she assures her self of how Lowood was such a good place and the high standards of education she received. I had the means of an excellent education placed within my reach (Page 83). Jane has gained this satisfying eight year experience at school from which she has learnt so much, therefore she now believes in her self as an upwards independent educated woman. She may also be thankful to her aunt Reed for sending her to Lowood because without her aunts decision Jane would have never been to school, in addition to this Jane is ready to step out into the outside world as she is educated she probably would find a job quite easily. At Thornfield, Jane enters a new psychological state of being. She is no longer mistreated, abused, or ignored. Mr. Rochester would be glad if you and your pupil would take tea with him in the drawing room this evening (page 120). Jane feels secure and that she is well kept, she is told to do things in a polite manner and for the first time is treated with respect. Jane has never had this experience; therefore this would psychologically create a new state of being. Jane will gain an overwhelming amount of confidence and therefore she may also enhance her emotions and passion towards others. This is the first time Jane converses freely with a man. Apart from the social, historical, inhibitions that she communicates with, Jane also has her own unique sense of right or wrong. This means the portrait of Jane as a Victorian woman is inevitably one infused with morals and manners. Jane is very aware of her position as a subordinate; this leads her to restrict communications with her master. Jane over analyses almost every moment of every encounter with Rochester, this indicates that she is interested in him and has started to learn more about him. He made me love him without looking at him (page Janes relationship with Mr. Rochester gradually increases as she is having more debates and conversations with him. This shows us that not only is Jane learning to be independent and talk for herself, but she is also building on her relationships towards others and Mr. Rochester. Interestingly one of the reasons Jane has been looked down upon in her early years is a clear lack of unconventional beauty. This is perhaps one of the reasons Bronte makes it clear that Rochester too has such an appearance. Was Mr. Rochester now ugly in my eyes? (Page 148). Due to the fact that Jane is asking herself this question, we can see that there is some kind of correlation between her and her loves appearance. The message that Charlotte Bronte is trying to get across is that: love is not only about ideal appearances it is about the inner persons beliefs and the personality of the person. Charlotte Bronte uses very clever metaphors to describe Janes growing feelings. My thin-crescent destiny seemed to enlarge; the banks of existence were filled up; (page147). Jane has never given or received love from childhood. The sensation of love to Jane is indescribable as she has no experience, and probably doesnt know what love is. Therefore Mr. Rochester plays a big part in Janes life as he introduces her to love and teaches her to love and understand others. For the first time Jane undergoes jealousy over a man even though she cannot accept the concept of herself being jealous. But I was not jealous, or very rarely; the nature of the pain I suffered not be explained by that word. (Page 185) Janes jealousy overcomes her feelings as she admits that she is more than jealous. Again this goes back to Jane learning new ways to resolve her emotions and find her way around her work and social life. Jane is now mature and does not have any emotional effects whilst Mrs. Reed reveals why she hates Jane so much. I had a dislike to her mother; for she was my husbands only sister, and a great favorite with him: he opposed the family disowning her when she made her low marriage; and when the news came for her death, he wept like a simpleton. (Page 230). As a matter of fact Jane is quite grateful to Mrs. Reed for telling her about why she was always tormented in her childhood. In a way Mrs. Reed also shows a sense of humbleness as she now sees the burden fully grown up as a modest young educated woman. Charlotte Bronte uses beautiful personification to set the scene for the proposal. Had gone to bed with the sun. (Page 246) At the beginning of chapter twenty three, Bronte describes a fairytale like morning which also reflects on the feelings that Jane is going through at this moment. It describes a pleasant romantic time of day which introduces natural beauty. This may also be picking out on the purity of nature and how the place Jane is sitting in is very Eden like. Jane was gob smacked when she found out that Mr. Rochester was soon going to be married to Miss Ingram. This was a blow; but I did not let it prostrate me. (Page 248) Jane is so irritated but she wont let her emotions fall over her as she is still sitting beside Mr. Rochester in this wonderful romantic evening. Therefore this also means that Jane is learning to be a strong person and also learning to control her emotions which also tell us that she is now a young mature woman and doesnt need anyone to depend on. Through Janes experiences she learns to display her independence towards her love. I stood erect before him. (Page 252) Not only does Bronte use sexually describing word to create drama in the novel but she shows Jane as an upwards manly independent person who gives us the idea of herself doing what she thinks is right, and what her heart tells her to do. So basically she is under no pressure and no ones rights. Jane was delighted when she was told that she is to be the future Miss Rochester. I do and if an oath is necessary to satisfy, I swear it. This gives the readers a wow feeling as Jane and the reader is tricked by Mr. Rochesters sudden agreement of getting to married to her. Furthermore after the proposal there are many sexual verbs included in the novel. I ejaculated (page 253). This may refer to both of the characters knowing that they are soon going to married and as they are Christians they may have an understanding of sex after marriage is permissible so therefore this may give the reader the sense of them wanting to have sex probably straight after marriage. Jane is confused about two big decisions she has to make in her life. I must leave him, it appears. I do not want to leave him-I cannot leave him. (Page 296). As Jane is stuck and cannot make the decisions from what her brain and heart is telling her she has become a frantic panicky person and doesnt know what to do. This decision is also based on her learning throughout her life because its up to her to choose whats good or bad for her and her future. Charlotte Bronte has used a great amount of techniques to create tension between two characters. Erect he sprang; he held his arms out; but I evaded the embrace, and at once quitted the room. (Page 316). Bronte uses a good combination of alliteration to speed up the pace, create high anxiety and tension and also to emphasize feelings in a much quicker but detailed way. Jane Eyres desperation for God was intense. His omnipotence, I had risen to my needs to pay for Mr. Rochester. (Page 321). Jane gains a closer relationship with God, at this point she has time to reflect on what has happened and if it was for the good or not. The readers may think that at this time Jane may have a slight remembrance of her best friend Helen Burns as she was the one who taught, and helped Jane believe in God and ask him to help if the world turns Its back onto you. Once again Jane engages the reader through every step of her life. Do not ask me, reader, to give a minute account of that day; (page 325). Jane does not directly tell the reader about how awful that day was, but cleverly says it indirectly, to imply the dull, venomous, dark yesterday. This again catches the readers eyes because as the story telling goes on there are aspects of the novel which includes the reader so they also feel that they are in a part of this life experience. Jane carries on her journey only by following the path that her feet take her as she then reached the Rivers house in Morton. It is very well we took her in. yes; she would have been found dead at the door in the morning. (Page 335). At last there is some one that cares about Jane even though she doesnt know them at all. For the first time Jane has explored the outer world by herself and for once found herself sleeping in a warm comfortable bed with a nice little happy family. Janes relationship with the Rivers gradually grows as she no longer known as an outsider but as friend. Indicated to us the residence of you friends (page 342). Jane is slowly learning how to engage with people she doesnt know. As a result of her participation she has very quickly gained a family or even real close friends. She has rapidly built trust on these people and has treated them with respect so the obviously they do the same back. The message to the readers from this section of the novel is what goes around comes around therefore if you have caused no grief to others you most probably wouldnt receive grief from others. Janes old memories and hobbies are coming back to her in Morton. I like to read what they like to read. (Page 346). Even at this point Jane is learning new things and gaining higher education as she use to do in Lowood. In Lowood because Jane had nothing to do her hobbies would mostly be reading, therefore reading at this age not only gives Jane more education but it brings back childhood memories which may be a good or bad thing for Jane. Furthermore Charlotte Bronte creates a lot of competition between Jane and others throughout the story. I see now your habits have been what the world calls refined: your tastes lean to the ideal, and your society hast been amongst the educate ;( page 350). As Jane is educated many judge her due to the fact that she is a benefit to others living around Morton as there are not many schools or governesses in the area therefore people are fond of educated men and women that arrive in the village or town. Jane tries to hide the facts about the past. My home, then-when I at last find a home-in a cottage ;( page 355). Bronte uses excellent punctuality to create a sense of pauses, moreover to show a sense of hesitation and Janes Instability of her past. This tells the reader that not only has Jane ran away to keep away from Mr. Rochester but she ran away to forget about her past and start a new peaceful, elegant life. Janes new life as a school teacher was very pleasing. I began personally like some of the best girls; and they liked me. (Page 362) Janes new life was settling ad began to create new relationships with other students. After all, all that studying at Lowood did pay off in the end. Jane felt pleased with herself for the first time she did something that benefited her and other girls that were at the age of when Jane herself went Lowood For the first time after many years Jane comes out of poverty and receives her own money. Merely to tell you that your uncle, Mr. Eyre of Madeira, is dead and that he has left you all his property and that you are now rich-merely that. (Page 377). Jane finds out that has some type of relationship with her dads family but the bad thing is that one of them has died. Jane has learnt so much throughout her life that when she finds out about this money that she inherits, she straight away talks about sharing it with the rivers who are now her cousins. Jane goes melodramatic when she is proposed again my St John her half cousin. Nonsense, again! Marry! I dont want to marry. Jane will not accept this marriage because she believes that you have to love the man to be able to marry him and Jane doesnt love him therefore she wont marry him. The reader may also still think that Jane still has a lot of feelings for Mr. Rochester and will never be able to forget him ever again. To end of with she will purely not marry him due to the fact that he just wants a wife as a business partner and to travel with throughout there life, he also mentions that Jane is strong and has a good personality so therefore her hand in business would be very helpful. Even though Jane doesnt accept this marriage she still makes St John feel welcome. let us be friends. (Page 407). Jane is now mature enough, therefore she will try and make new relationships and resolve old ones. She makes St John feel comfortable as he hesitates to speak to Jane as she had disapproved the proposal. At the beginning of chapter thirty seven Brontes descriptions were very gothic. Characteristics of sad sky, cold gale, and continued, small, penetrating rain. (Page 425). This setting is the opposite to the setting that was described in the setting to the proposal of Mr. Rochester and Jane. Even though the descriptions may be gothic it still gives the reader an idea of a cold romantic winters evening. Jane only accomplished Mr. Rochester as her master. It was my mater, Edward Fairfax Rochester (page 426). Jane was delighted to see Mr. Rochester but in the same way still a bit angry for what had happened on there wedding day. Jane addresses Mr. Rochester by his full name, this may imply her respect for him and that her relation only goes as far as a governess and a master. Jane notices Mr. Rochesters sense of jealousy. You have spoken of him often: do you like him? (Page 435). Bronte makes a reverse in both characters, Jane and Rochester. Before Jane felt a sense of jealousy from Miss Ingram and now Rochester feels a sense of jealousy from St John. This collides with each other creating a little debate or two subjects that tease both characters if they are talked about. In the last paragraph of the novel Jane includes the reader. When his first born (page 446) the boy had inherited hid own eyes (page 446). Charlotte Bronte gives us an overview of what happened in the future, including the bit when Janes and Rochesters relationship and love or each other increases as they have a baby of there own and now can live as a happy family with no interruptions. My personal response I personally think that charlotte Bronte has created a really good and interesting novel. Also I believe that Jane Eyre has learnt so many new things in her life from living with child abuse to becoming a modest young women and even getting to the point of solving her relationship problems. I think that the most important thing that Jane has learnt is to love, most probably because she didnt know what love was, she never received any love from childhood and was never taught to love. Jane is an independent and well educated woman and I dont think she will ever drop again in life.

The Armenian; A forgotten people essays

The Armenian; A forgotten people essays In the world one lives in today, it occurs quite often to converse with people of all ages who do not know of Armenia and her proud people. Rarely does one know of the country, none the less of her mysterious and complex past. Armenia is one of the most difficult civilizations to describe and trace, because of the lack of archaeological proof and hence the many different opinions of historians, archaeologists and so forth. Even with a blurry past, the Armenian people have survived over the last three thousand years (approximately 1500 BC to present day). The Armenian people have survived through so much over these last centuries that one may wonder how they have made it alive today. Armenians have been under the power of so many empires (Urartians, Persians, Arabs, Romans, Parthians and so forth), and have survived through a genocide as a result of living in a place surrounded by neighboring countries opposing to such things as their values, religion and ways of life. The Armenian pe ople have persisted throughout these times because of their keen sense of survival, the love for their religion and their pride and unity as Armenians. Armenians have a very blurry and uncertain past. As mentioned above, with the lack of historical, geographical and archaeological proof, it is very demanding to accurately trace Armenia's history. Though history dates the beginning of Armenians back to around 1165 BCE, Armenians have legends, who to them helped forge their beginnings, at a much earlier date. For example such pioneers would be Haig (Hayg), Armenag and Harma (2350-1700 BC). Unfortunately, since they are only legends, it befalls quite normally that historians will not take into consideration these forefathers of Armenia. It is one aspect of Armenian history which will have to continue living on with her people. Armenians probably originated from Europe. Although there are many opinions on how Armenians migrated from Europe to Armenia, th...

Pro Merger And Anti Merger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

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Soybean Industry 5 Forces Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Soybean Industry 5 Forces Evaluation - Essay Example Monsanto is the leading producer of soybeans which controls a large portion of the marketplace due to their strategy of producing genetically engineer seeds. They have an advantage over another competitor because their seeds produce higher yield and the company has implemented strategies such as creating seeds that can be used for crops that will not generate new seeds, thus the buyer has to come back to Monsanto to purchase seeds for future crops. The strategy gives the company higher supplier power. Another opportunity for this leader soybean producer is the fact their seeds need a special pesticide which forces buyers to purchase the seeds and the pesticide from them. The soybean production takes place in China, India, the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. In South American particularly in Brazil, the soybean production poses a major threat to the natural habitat due to deforestation. The United States has several competitive advantages due to the subsidies offered to soybean farmers and the $1.00 per gallon incentive when soybean is used in the production of biodiesel or ethanol. Newer entrants into this industry outside the United States are not likely. An issue that poses a threat to new entrants is the rising prices of soybean are making this product less profitable than before. In a matter of a few years, the price of soybeans has gone from 22 cents a pound to the current price of 56.4 cents a pounds (Chapman, 2008). The final price of a biodiesel gallon utilizing soybeans is about a dollar and a half.

Overview Of Project Quality Management

Overview Of Project Quality Management Project Quality Management is a crucial element in 9 knowledge areas as the victory of any project is dependent on its quality and it is equally essential for Project Manager. In Project Management Domain, every person demands quality. The endeavor of this paper is to evaluate quality in project management domain by considering quality management in terms of following the quality planning, quality assurance and quality control processes by exploring the practices to success by maintaining cost, time and scope constraints. We will survey how quality affects the system and people associated with it and how to meet targets of any organization through better quality management. Keywords- Project Quality Management, Project Management Domain, Quality Planning, Quality assurance, Quality Control, Project Implementation. Introduction To Domain Project Quality Management is the most difficult knowledge area to define. The ISO defines quality as the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs (ISO8402:1994) or the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements. Different experts have different views about quality. In software project management, Research have shown that most common reasons behind projects failure are schedule overruns, over budgets and the scope creep, these triple constraints (time, cost and scope) are termed as quality angle by Microsoft and changes made to any of these three sides probably effects the quality as quality is not a side of a triangle but is a outcome of what you do with time, cost and scope therefore these angles must be met for achieving quality of any project in the project management domain. The reason for failure can also be measured to be the eagerness of project managers in adopting new methodologies, tools, techniques, skills and knowledge for achieving success of any project but not focusing on the quality itself. Quality has different definitions in different organizations depending upon its standards but a basic one is that whatever is delivered should be according to the customer or organizations expectations. According to Howard Gitlow and Shelley Gitlow Quality is defined as surpassing customer needs and expectations throughout the life of the product. The quality of any project can be judged from different viewpoints e.g. business and technical. From business viewpoint the focus is on completing the project on time, within specified budget and according to the needs. From technical viewpoint quality verifies that the project conforms to the business standards e.g. documentation, user interfaces and the naming standards and the system to be produced should be maintainable. Therefore, the main principle of Project Quality Management is to guarantee customer satisfaction. To understand quality of any project, the project team must spend time and build up good relationships with stakeholders to realize what quality is according to them as only customer can decide if product quality is acceptable. Problem Description Many technical projects fail because the project managers mostly emphasize on written requirements rather than stakeholders expectations. For example, the project manager and his team must understand the importance of delivering 50 Intel Laptops to customer successfully. Changes are unavoidable during any project implementation, which may have a major or minor impact on projects estimated schedule, budget and defined constraints if not planned accordingly; it can lead to project failure. A 2002 survey of IT organizations shows that about 67% of the disputes on the functionality of the systems were that they did not meet up to claims of the developer and 56% of the disputes were due to slipped delivery dates which eventually ended in litigation.[13] For the management of project quality, quality planning, quality assurance and quality control holds an important point in the management domain. Every project must have a quality plan as it is a basic input for quality assurance and quality control but many organizations dont bother to produce a plan because of its complexity which often results in undesirable product outcomes. Scope There are certain tools and techniques used in the project quality management area but the main processes to be followed for the achievement of quality products are the Quality Planning Quality Assurance Quality Control A concise analysis of these processes would elaborate various inputs involved with these processes and the tools and techniques used to generate the required outputs that lead to the accomplishment of better quality products. In this paper, the success of quality will be discussed in terms of meeting defined time, cost and scope and how quality management processes leads to achieve targets of an organization. Proposed Approach The systematic approach that would be followed to achieve quality in projects is the quality management processes and the Re planning of cost, scope and time depending upon which module is more constraint in a particular project. Process Project Phase Key Deliverables Plan Quality Planning Quality Management Plan, Quality Metrics Quality Assurance Execution Change Requests Quality Control Monitoring and Controlling Quality control measurements Quality Re-Planning Re-Planning Trade-off between Quality Angle Table 1: Quality Processes [12] These processes usually take place at least once in any project to maintain the projects quality as mentioned in PMBOK8 but plan should not be fixed in any case, it changes as the project progresses and is monitored in Quality control phase by getting the customer feedback and evaluating its conformance to requirements and fitness for use, Re-planning is done if the Quality assurance is not performed as previously planned. A brief elaboration of each process is given highlighting IT Projects Quality. Quality Planning Planning Quality involves implementation of organizations quality standards and policies which should be followed in that particular organization.[3] A quality plan needs to cover a number of elements: [3] What work needs to go through a quality check? Tools and Techniques for quality planning? When should it be carried out and what resources are allocated? Who is responsible for the required quality? What should be the output? What work needs to go through quality check? The Quality of deliverables of project are checked for example a requirements document is checked if it is according to the customer demands similarly the quality check is carried our for other deliverables. For the milestones or checkpoints, a standard is followed to check their functionality. For the project itself, it may be appropriate to have the project management practices reviewed for quality once the project is initially established. This may be useful to give the Sponsor and top management a level of confidence in the team. Tools and Techniques for quality planning? Cost gain study- This study assures that gain should overweigh the cost. The productivity should be high with lower cost which satisfies customer requirements. Benchmarking- The performance of the project is measured in terms of planned performance or by comparing its performance with other projects in same application areas [4][5]. Quality Diagrams- Different charts and diagrams help in predicting quality problems and build up methods to deal with them. [7] When should it be carried out and what resources are allocated? Quality measurements are held prior to the delivery of product when there are long development times for a deliverable and the resources required for the development of project are allocated such as human resources, financial and material resources. For example, if four milestones of the project are estimated to be completed in 8 weeks but after the completion of 2 milestones the time left is only 3 weeks, it may be worth holding the inspection after each milestone to identify any problems early and reduce rework by reshuffling of resources and optimization of plan. Who is responsible for the required quality? The developers of the product as well as the customer both are responsible for the quality. In fact customer requirements define quality, not processes. For example a customer goes to a garments shop for purchasing a jersey, he would typically check its fabric, color, size and price if its according to his requirements than he would say its of good quality. He will not consider what processes are used to make it and how much time it took. In other words, it is not what you do or how you do it but who uses it that counts. Using the quality example again you can make the best clothing that was ever made, using the optimum materials and applying efficient processes but if no body needs it than it is just a waste. Hence, it is not only the project manager but the one essential to project success. [6] What should be the outputs of quality planning? The output includes the understanding of implementing quality policy by project management team. The quality plan should focus on Quality assurance (Execution), Quality Control (monitoring) and Quality improvement (Re-planning) of the project. Metrics and the checklists are most common outputs. Metrics describes what something is and how it is measured by quality control process for example the project management team makes a detailed schedule of start and end of every activity in the form of metrics. Many organizations use standard checklists to measure quality of activities performed. Quality Assurance (QA) In Quality Assurance (QA), the quality of a project is guaranteed by performing all the activities that are being planned from design to servicing and documentation that satisfies customer demands. It is a process of ensuring that the project meets quality standards which is also defined as quality measurements. [6][7] Quality Audit- is an important tool for quality assurance. These audits help to improve performance of future projects by learning lessons from previous projects. Quality audits are performed by many engineering industries by first designing a quality metrics for a project and then analyzing the metrics throughout the project development. Quality Audits are usually performed by internal (in-house) auditors or external (third parties) customer involved in the project. Audits can be conducted on schedule basis for example, after each milestone or they can be performed on random whenever there is a need or as ordered by top management. The main goal of Quality Audits is to identify ineffective standards and policies used and replace them with best practices. Quality audit verify the execution of approved change requests, corrective and preventive action and defect repairs. [6] Quality Assurance Plan- Large projects usually involve thousands of activities which becomes complex for quality assurance to track them. So they should be collected in quality assurance plan for their efficient management. A standard for Quality assurance plan is developed for an organization and it is the responsibility of project team members to develop one which should include the following elements [6] WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) User Requirements and Specification Activity to be performed When to perform the activity Who will perform the activity Quality Assurance Output- Quality Improvement improves the value and usefulness of a project and provides benefits to the project stakeholders [6]. Quality improvement not only improves the quality of project management but also it improves the quality of a product by following a continuous cycle known as The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle [1] which is the source of Quality Improvement. As customer needs changes with time so this process helps to meet their new requirements by getting their feedback on regular basis, it may also help to reduce costs by providing long-term benefits for customer satisfaction. Plan a change in the right process for getting for improving it and getting beneficial results. Do apply the change as a test case to test if it gives the desired results. Check the effect of the applied changes in the entire system by analyzing it thoroughly. Act to apply the change to the entire system based on the result of test cases if it provides the desired result. [6] Follow the cycle for other processes for an improved change. Barriers to Quality Improvement- Quality improvement bring changes in a product to improve its quality but because of its complexity it is not always considered significant to be followed in every project. It is the responsibility of top management and due to the risk that an improvement change would not produce the desired results prevents the management from applying this policy. On the other hand, long-term benefits produce by the improvement would overcome the short-term risk. Quality control Quality Control is the process for monitoring specific project results to determine whether the comply with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance (comp. PMBOK3) [8] The Project results are usually monitored throughout this phase and if an inconsistency is observed in the planned specification and the actual results, the project team takes corrective actions to repair that variation and take precautionary steps to avoid this variation from reoccurring. These results are generally examined by Quality Audits and the Quality Assurance Plan and Activities are improved according to the requirement. [11] The Quality Control, therefore strives on the Project Results, checklists and the quality management plan for monitoring actual results. Various Tools are being used for the measurement of Quality control. Through the use of Inspection and Statistical Sampling, data about the performance of actual system is compared with the quality standards. Cause and Effect Diagrams provides knowledge about the reasons of any deficiencies. Many other tools are used to display performance data such as Control Charts, Flowcharts, Histograms, Pareto Charts, Run Charts, and Scatter Diagrams,[10] the data is not simply displayed but gives an insight of useful information about the products conformance to requirements and illustrates whether the quality standards are met. If the quality is not acceptable, a Change Request will be made. If the deliverables are acceptable, the output of Validated Deliverables goes to the Verify Scope process for final approval. [7] Quality Re-Planning The nature of Project Quality management must focus on the product of project as well as the management of project because severe consequences can result for project stakeholders from failure to meet quality requirements in any of these dimensions. [7] Re-Planning is done when the actual target about project management that is defined in the Quality Planning phase seems to fluctuate concerning scope, time and cost of the project which can be measured at anytime at the completion of any deliverables and milestones during the product development. It is the responsibility of Project Manager that he should balance both dimensions, the product goals and the management goals. The project team should not overwork to achieve product quality as it reduces the management quality by resulting in Employee turnover [7]. Similarly, the three elements of management dimension must be balanced by project manager throughout the development activity. For example, the information technology teamwork project has a preliminary scope of generating a sixty to seventy pages report and one and a half hour presentation on any twenty five prospective IT projects. The preliminary time and cost of this project is set as two months and $65,000. This estimation provides the targets to be achieved for scope, time and cost at the start of Project. Balancing them through the end of the project is fairly an ideal situation which is not always possible as a result trade-offs are made between these triple elements depending upon the importance of that particula r element in the given situation and the experienced project manager. For example, to collect at least twenty five good ideas about the IT teamwork project, a survey is planned online to be done within a week with a cost of approximately $4,000 and suppose the survey produced only few good ideas in the given time and cost. In this situation, the collection of ideas is most essential as it is the key input so the time and cost are adjusted for the achieving the desired scope [2]. Re-planning is therefore, changing the initial plans if it is desirable for the accomplishment of Projects Management. Fig 4. Managing Quality APPLICATION AREAS Enterprise wide Quality Management Systems Due to the latest developments in information technologies and system design, advance quality management software has been established with the ability to incorporate quality software applications with business processing systems. The open architecture and object-oriented technology is the source of these new systems, incorporated quality management can be attained by connecting system components to the enterprise management system. The modules are associated through a standard interface structure that enables different applications to exchange information. Integrating the quality management system with business automation systems can considerably affect profitability. Such integration reduces the time and effort related with data entry. An incorporated quality management system offers online access of data stored within each system component. Through associating this data into automated reporting systems, management can carry out assessments on serious processes that states a compan ys victory. [14] Automotive Industry Automotive sector has been active in inventing new manufacturing strategies having to current high level of competition. With this scenario the challenges faced by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) have also increased over the years. Due to this high level of competition, companies have indeed emphasized to increase the quality in all aspects of products and services within their management system. Therefore quality management (QM) has become increasingly popular as one of the managerial devices in ensuring continuous improvement as to improve customer satisfaction and to ensure its product or service quality. Another dare tackled by automotive industry is the stress to reduce delivery period and cost. Quality Management element with support for advanced features like TQM will help to uphold quality from basis. This receives importance owing to the continuous pressure exerted to cut cost and improve quality. [15] Airline Business The safety of airplanes in service is critical in the aviation business, both in terms of accident avoidance and economic performance. The recent valuation of consequences to the airlines by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has highlighted the challenges faced by the airlines. Lack of compliance tools and insufficient quality management is bullying an unparalleled crisis in the airline business. An operational program to handle FAA ordinance to be used by airlines business requires an incorporated, enterprise-wide quality management solution that includes a dominant acquiescence platform which provides strong domain expertise in airline and aerospace equipment. The best examples counted in providing world-class acquiescence and quality solutions is the Tata Consultancy Services and MetricStream which includes a best solution for airline business in the form of global corroboration and support services [16]. E-Service Quality Management Todays Society emphasizes more on the use of modern communication and information technologies. E-services is an example of modern computer application that provides access to online services. Quality Management Systems are required to offer a reliable way to select, analyze, rank and design the right eservices. The growing consumption of e-services has elevated the requirement to state principles and means to evaluate and assure quality. Investment in e-services is a significant step towards improving the quality of life in our vigorous society. A Quality Management Framework in the context of e-services has the following components: e-service as object (entity), e-service development and delivery process as process, business and consumer as users, specific service request as request as requirements, evaluation and measurement of the e-service to determine its quality. E-Service Quality Management Framework provides benchmarking capabilities and comparative assessment of e-services. It also supports making decisions in improving the quality of service and overall customer satisfaction. [17] POTENTIAL RESEARCH AREAS Improve Quality Management for modern development methodologies: RAD, Agile and Extreme Programming Rapid Application Development (RAD) refers to a type of software development methodology that uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The planning of software developed using RAD is interleaved with writing the software itself.[18] However, there can be real difficulties with this approach. Frequent change tends to corrupt software structure making it more expensive to change and evolve to meet new requirements. Progress can be hard to evaluate and problems can be hard to find because there is no documentation to reveal what has been done. Therefore quality of the software may suffer. Without a specification it may be difficult to validate the system. [19] Improve Quality through Customer Involvement Quality is not determined or defined by the producing company. Quality is determined by the customer. Thus quality of a product or a service is the customers perception of the degree to which the product or service meets his or her expectations. [20] New Techniques for developing a strategic quality plan Organizations face a continuous barrage of requests to improve quality. Every quality management plan can, and must be tied to key business process performance indicators in order to have any real impact on productivity and the bottom-line. However, strategic plans are rarely translated into the quality strategies needed to ensure overall performance improvement gains. [21] CONCLUSION Project Quality management is becoming a part of every project from information technology to enterprise and different industries for the achievement of high quality products and services. By following the quality processes in systems, the quality can be greatly improved and in order to attain efficient Project Quality Management, the concepts of Project Quality management are also incorporated with the quality processes. The project manager and team should have the clear conception about management for managing quality processes. The Proposed Quality Processes cover both aspects of Quality, the product of the project as well as the management of project in the light of scope, time and cost. Project Quality Management is suitable for applications related to IT and Management systems. REFRENCES Frank J. Koksis, Project Quality Management, November 15, 2006. Kathy Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management 4th Edition pp 289-337. Neville Turbit, Project Quality Planning in the Project Perfect White Paper Collection. June 2005 (Available at http://www.projectperfect.com.au ) Pawan Kumar, Quality Planning Tools PMI Westchester Quality SIG. November 2007. MJ ODwyer, Quality Planning tools and techniques in Quality Planning for a Project. April 23, 2010. Kenneth H. Rose, Project Quality Management Why, What and How J Ross Publishing Inc. 2005. pp 40-72. King Fahad University of Petroleum Minerals, Project Quality Management Virtual Course, Project Quality Management (Available at http://www.pmeducate.info_sample ) Microsoft Quality Angle (Available at http://www.maxwideman.com/musings/triangles.htm) TapUniversity, Perform Quality Control Process. June 15, 2009. (Available at http://blog.tapuniversity.com/2009/06/15/perform-quality-control-process/) Project Management Institute, PMBOK8 (Available at http://www.softwareresearch.net/fileadmin/src/docs/teaching/SS06/PM/PMBOK8.pdf) Project Quality Management in Project Management (Available at http://www.slideshare.net/guest4408ddc/project-management-3289318 ) Ian Sommerville, A brief overview of Software Engineering in Software Engineering-7th edition. 2004. Ned Greenberg and Leonard Hemphill, Enterprise Wide Quality Management Systems (Available at http://www.qualitydigest.com/feb99/html/body_enterprize.html ) Significance of TQM in price sensitive automotive industry in ERP categories (Available at http://www.eresourceerp.com/Significance-of-TQM-in-automotive-market.html ) Effective Safety and Quality Management in the Airline Industry for Improved Business Performance(Available at http://www.metricstream.com/webinars/webinar_05june08_TCS.htm ) Lorena Batagan, E-Service Quality Management in Software Analysis, Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods. (Available at http://jaqm.ro/issues/volume-4,issue-3/pdfs/batagan_pocovnicu_capisizu.pdf) Rapid Application Development as used in software development/management (Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_application_development) Agile Software Quality Assurance (Available at http://www.sqa.net/agile-software-quality.html) Total Quality management (Available athttp://www.promptpapers.com/free_term_papers.php?term_paper=2674386title=Total-Quality-Management) Develop a strategic quality plan (Available at http://www.bia.ca/strategic-quality-planning.htm)

Albert Einstein :: essays research papers

Albert Einstein   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Einstein was a German/American physicist who contributed more to the 20th century vision of physical reality than any other scientist. Einstein's theory of RELATIVITY seemed to a lot of people to be pure human thought, as did his other theories. LIFE Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Einstein's parents were nonobservant Jews. They moved to Munich from Ulm when Einstein was an infant. The family business was to manufacture electrical equipment. When the business failed in 1894, the family move to Milan, Italy. He decided to officially give up his German citizenship. With in a year, still not having completed secondary school, he failed and examination that allow him to follow studies that would lead to a diploma in electrical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (the Zurich Polytechnic). He spent the following year in Aarau where there were excellent teachers and an excellent physics facility. In 1896 he returned to the Zurich Polytechnic, there he graduated in 1900 as a secondary school teacher of math and physics. Two years later, he acquired a post at the Swiss patent office in Bern. While he was employed there from 1902 to 1909, he completed an extraordinary range of publications in theoretical physics. Most parts of there were written in his spare time. In 1905 he submitted one of his many scientific papers to the University of Zurich to obtain a Ph.D. degree. In 1908 he sent another scientific paper to the University of Bern and became a lecturer there. In 1914 Einstein returned to Germany but did not reapply for citizenship. He was one of only handful of German professors who was opposed the use of force and did not support Germany's war aims. After the war, the allies wanted the removal of German scientist from international meetings, but Einstein was a Jew and traveling with a Swiss passport, he remained an acceptable German delegate. Albert Einstein's political views as a pacifist and a Zionist placed him against conservatives in Germany, who labeled him a traitor and a defeatist. In Germany there was a rise of fascism, so he moved to the united states in 1933 and abandoned his pacifism. He unwillingly agreed that the new danger (the Germans) had to be brought down by force of arms. In 1939 he sent a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt that urged America to continue to develop an ATOMIC BOMB before the Germans did. This letter was one of many exchanges the White House and Einstein had. This contributed to Roosevelt's decision to fund what became the MANHATAN PROJECT.

Developing Ecotourism

Developing Ecotourism: The Prospect of Bakkhali Group Project prepared under Rajiv Gandhi Chair Preface This project has been prepared under the aegis of Rajiv Gandhi Chair in Eco -systems & Sustainable Development under the supervision of Professor Sarmila Banerjee by the Masters level students in Economics with specialization in Resource & Environmental Economics of the University of Calcutta. Prof. Banerjee has initiated us to the issues related to economy-environment interface and convinced us about the importance of the notion of ecotourism to help the entire process keep going.We are extremely grateful to Professor Banerjee for her active interest and caring support all throughout. In this backdrop we tried to collate information on different aspects of Ecotourism from our field trip to Bakkhali, a small part of the Sundarban mangrove forest ecosystem of West Bengal. We enjoyed our venture in this newly travelled terrain of environmental economics and learnt to search for infor mation from the internet, write brief descriptions of the issues, prepare presentation slides and fina lly to give an integrated shape to the entire project.Finally, it has been the collective contribution of all the students of this course of the batch 2010-2012. Semester IV Resource and Environmental Economics M. Sc. (Economics) University of Calcutta June 8, 2012 ii Table of Contents No. Contents Preface Table of Contents Ecotourism 1. 1 Different forms of Tourism in India 1. 2 Future prospects of Tourism 1. 3 Impacts of tourism 1. 4 Promoting ecotourism in India 1. 5 The principles adopted by those involved in Ecotourism 1. 6 Why ecotourism? Page No. ii iii – iv 1-8 2. Ecosystem Approach 2. 1 Ecosystem and its Importance . 2 Ecosystem Approach 2. 3 Implementation of Ecosystem Approach 9 – 11 3. Valuing Biodiversity 3. 1 Why value Ecosystem? 3. 2 Motivation for an economic evaluation of ecosystem services 3. 3 Biodiversity 3. 4 Valuation of Biodiversity 3. 5 Biodive rsity Mapping 12 – 15 4. People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) 4. 1 Objective of PBR formation 4. 2 Usefulness of PBR 4. 3 Information recorded in PBR 4. 4 Major ways of collecting data for PBR 4. 5 Interconnectedness in an Ecosystem 16 – 18 5. Sundarban – A Special Ecosystem 5. 1 Sundarban Eco – region: Introduction 5. 2Sundarban Freshwater Swamp Forests 5. 3 Sundarban Mangroves 5. 4 Sand – Dunes: Ecological Set – up 5. 5 Biodiversity of Sundarban 5. 6 Livelihood in Sundarban 5. 7 Utilization of Mangrove Resources Comprised 5. 8 Recent Developments & their Impacts 5. 9 Man-Animal Conflict 5. 10 Threats to Sundarban & Climatic Vulnerability 19 – 33 1. iii 6. Ecotourism in Bakkhali: A Fringe Part of Sundarban 6. 1 Bakkhali 6. 2 Accessibility 6. 3 Uniqueness 6. 4 Frasergunj, Henry Island & Jwambudwip 6. 5 Floral Diversity at Bakkhali & Henry Isand 6. 6 Faunal Diversity at Bakkhali & Henry Island . 7 Avian Diversity at Bakkhali & H enry Island 6. 8 Livelihood on Biodiversity 6. 9 Market Sharing 6. 10 Other Observations 6. 11 Threats from Tourism 6. 12 Our Suggestions iv 34 – 45 I. ECOTOURISM diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Tourism has become a thriving global indu stry with the power to shape developing countries in both positive and negative ways. Consequently, it is the fourth largest industry in the global economy and in India it contributes to a large proportion of the National Income – 6. 3% to the national GDP and 8. 78% of the total employment; thus generating huge employment opportunities (Wikipedia). 1. 1 Different forms of Tourism in India The Indian government, in order to boost tourism of various kinds in India, has set up the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. T his ministry recently launched a campaign called ‘I bl I !’ ff y f I .T trend is moving toward niche segments of tourism (as shown in figure 1 below). Figure 1: D ifferent Forms of Tourism in India 1. 2 Future prospects of TourismAccording to the latest Tourism Satellite Accounting (TSA) research, released by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and its strategic partner Oxford Economics in March 2009: 1 ? The demand for travel and tourism in India is expected to grow by 8. 2 per cent between 2010 and 2019 and will place India at the third position in the world. ? India's travel and tourism sector is expected to be the second largest employer in the world. Considering the ever growing importance of this industry it is necessary we look for ways that will be sustainable in the long run. wikipedia) 1. 3 Impacts of tourism Positive Impacts 1. Generating Income and Employment: Tourism in India has emerged as an instrument of income and employment generation, poverty alleviation and sustainable human development. 2. Source of Foreign Exchange Earnings: Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange earnings in India. This has favourable impact on the balance of payment of the country. 3. Preservation of National Heritage and Environment: Tourism helps preserve several places which are of historical importance by declaring them as heritage sites.For instance, the Taj Mahal, the Qutab Minar, Ajanta and Ellora temples, etc, would have been decayed and dest royed had it not been for the efforts taken by Tourism Department to preserve them. Likewise, tourism also helps in conserving the natural habitats of many endangered species. 4. Developing Infrastructure: Tourism tends to encourage the development of mult ipleuse infrastructure that benefits the host community, including various means of transports, health care facilities, and sports centers, in addition to the hotels and high -end restaurants that cater to foreign visitors.The development of infrastructur e has in turn induced the development of other directly productive activities. 2 5. Promoting Peace and Stability: Honey and Gilpin (2009) suggests that the tou rism industry can also help promote peace and stability in developing country like India by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting the environment, and promoting cross-cultural awareness. 6. Contributions to Government Revenues The Indian government through the tourism department also collect money in more far reaching and indirect ways that are not linked to specific parks or conservation areas.User fees, income taxes, taxes on sales or rental of recreation equipment, and license fees for activities such as rafting and fishing can provide governments with the funds ne eded to manage natural resources. Negative Impacts 1. Undesirable Social and Cultural Change: Tourism sometimes led to the destruction of the social fabric of a community. The more tourists come into a place, the more the perceived risk of that place losing its identity. 2. Increase Tension and Hostility: Tourism can increase tension, hostility, and suspicion between the tourists and t he local communities when there is no respect and f l y flf . T yf lead to violence and other crimes committed against the tourists. 3. Creating a Sense of Antipathy: Tourism brought little benefit to the local community. Moreover, large hotel chain restaurants often import food to satisfy foreign visitors and rarely emp loy local staff for senior management positions, preventing local farmers and workers from reaping the benefit of their presence. This has often created a sense of antipathy towards the tourists and the government. 4.Adverse Effects on Environment and Eco logy: One of the most important adverse effects of tourism on the environment is increased pressure on the carrying capacity of the ecosystem in each tourist locality. Increased transport and construction activities led to large scale deforestation and destabilisation of natural landforms, while increased 3 tourist flow led to increase in solid waste dumping as well as depletion of water and fuel resources. Flow of tourists to ecologically sensitive areas resulted in destruction of rare and endangered species due to trampling, killing, disturbance of breeding habitats.Noise pollution from vehicles and public address systems, water pollution, vehicular emissions, untreated sewage, etc. also have direct effects on bio -diversity, ambient environment and general profile of tourist spots. 5. Depletion of natural resources: Tourism development can put pressure on natural resources when it increases consumption in areas where resources are already scarce. 6. Destruction and Alteration of Ecosystem: Attractive landscape sites, such as sandy beaches in Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu; lakes, riversides, and mountain tops and slopes, are often transitional zones, characterized by species-rich ecosystems.The threats to and pressures on these ecosystems are often severe because such places are very attractive to both tourists and developers. Examples may be cited from Krushedei Island near Rameswar am. Moreover, habitat can be degraded by tourism leisure activities. For example, wildlife viewing can bring about stress for the animals and alter their natural behaviour when tourists come too close. Safaris and wildlife watching activities have a degrading effect on habitat as they often are accompanied by the noise and commotion created by tourists. Figure 2 shows the same impacts classified under many other categories.Thus, the value of the very environmental and socio cultural assets that attract travellers can erode over time. This is particularly the case where tourism development is unregulated, blinkered by volume growth, and focused only on short -term economic benefits. This is â€Å"unsustainable† and â€Å"irresponsible† and completely unacceptable in the 21st century. Tourism in India should be developed in such a way that it accommodates and entertains visitors in a way that is minimally intrusive or destructive to the environment and sustains & support s the native cultures in the locations it is operating in.Moreover, since tourism is a multi-dimensional activity, and basically a service industry, 4 Figure 2: Classification of Impacts of Tourism it would be necessary that all wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary organisations become active partners in the endeavour to attain sustainable growth in tourism if India is to become a world player in the tourism industry. Also, Eco tourism needs to be promoted so that tourism in India helps in preserving and sustaining the diversity of the India's natural and cultural environments. It can simply be summarized as shown in picture 1. 1. 1Promoting ecotourism in India Fundamentally, eco-tourism means making as little environmental impact as possible and helping to sustain the indigenous populace, thereby encouraging the preservation of wildlife and habitats when visiting a place. This is the respons ible form of tourism and tourism development, which enc ourages going back to natural products in every aspect of life. It is also the key to sustainable ecological development. The International Eco tourism Society defines eco-tourism as â€Å"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. † ( wikipedia) Pictue 1: Eco-tourism – simply described The key players in the ecotourism business are governments at levels, the local authorities, the developers and the operators, the visitors, and the local community. Each one of them has to be sensitive to the environment and local traditions and follow a set of guidelines for the successful development of ecotourism. 1. 2 Principles adopted in Ecotourism The principles that are adopted by those who are involved in Eco -tourism can be listed as shown below: ? To minimize the negative impacts on environment. ? To build environmental and cultural awareness and respect ?To provide positive experienc es for both visitors a nd hosts ? To provide direct financial benefits for conservation ? To provide financial benefits a nd empowerment for local people ? To raise sensitivity to host countries' political, en vironmental, and social climate ? To support international human rights (www. ecotourism. org/what-is-ecotourism) 6 and labour agreements Scientific and research institutions and non-government organisations can also play some roles in promoting ecotourism: (i) Create awareness, among all concerned, about the importance of sound eco -practices in tourism development; ii) Motivate the local communit ies to increase their involvement in sustainable tourism activities; (iii) Organise training programs to prepare the local people to take up various vocations related to ecotourism (www. ecotourism. org/what-is-ecotourism) All these principles are summed up in figure 3, where their linkage is also shown with the arrow-heads. 6. Emphasizes the need for planning and sustainable growth of the tourism industr y 1. Avoid negative impacts on natural & cultural environment 2. Educates the traveller on the importance of conservation PRINCIPLES OF ECOTOURISM 5.Stressing the use of locallyowned facilities and services. 3. Directs revenues to the conservation of natural areas and the management of protected areas 4. Brings economic benefits to local communities Figure 3: Principles of Eco -tourism 1. 3 Why ecotourism? Most wilderness areas across India are fragile ecosystems that provide a whole host of ecosystem ser vices to local residents and people living downstream; and continue to remain important tourist attractions. However, unplanned tourism in such landscapes can destroy the very environment that attracts such tourism in the first place.Hence, there is a need to move towards a model of tourism that is compatible with these fragile landscapes. Such tourism is low impact, educational, and conserves the environment while directly benefiting the economic development of local communities. It has the 7 scope to link to a wider constituency and build conservation support while raising awareness about the worth and fragility of such ecosystems in the public at large. It also promotes the non-consumptive use of wilderness areas, for the benefit of local communities living around, and dependent on these fragile landscapes.Thus, tourism can be developed along with the conservation of the ecosystem. 8 II. ECOSYSTEM APPROACH 2. 1 Ecosystem and its importance Ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plants, animals & micro-organism communities & the non-living environment interacting as a functional unit. And it is this interconnectedness that forms the striking feature of such a system. Healthy ecosystems are essential for human well-being, as they provide inva luable functions and services including sustaining living resources. The health of ecosystems is therefore not only essential to the environment, but also important to the existence and l y. T b f â€Å"E y A †. 2. 2 Ecosystem Approach Ecosystem approach is basically a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes not only conservation but also sustainable use in an equitable way. It is based on the application o f appropriate scientific methodologies focused on levels of biological organization, which encompass the essential structure, processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It recognizes that humans, with their cultural diver sity, are an integral component of many ecosystems.However, till date, it has not been possible to identify any particular form of this approach. Ecosystem approach is based on some principles which consider the economy to be anthropocentric. And since ecosystem is a rich resource for human society, the integrated management of the biotic and abiotic components must ensure sustained use so as to secure it for future generations. These principles state that the objectives of management of land, water and living resources are a matter of societal choice and management should be decentralized to the lowest appropriate level.This approach should be undertaken at the appropriate spatial and temporal scale because time and spatial dimensions are equally important. This approach should also consider all forms of relevant information including scientific, traditional and local knowledge, innovative 9 practices and most importantly, it should be open to changes. Finally, this should involve all relevant sectors of so ciety and scientific discipline s. 2. 3 Implementation of Ecosystem Approach The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) identifies three steps for the implementation of ecosystem approach.These steps are in accordance with the above mentioned principles (Figure 4). Let us describe these steps in more detail. Figure 4: Major Steps for Implementation of Ecosystem Approach (Adapted from R. Costanza et al. â€Å"The value of the Worl d’s ecosystem Services and Natural Capital†, Nature vol. 387(1997) Step A It deals with the most difficult issues of defining an ecosystem area; identifying th e stakeholders and developing a relation between the two. It is best to work simultaneously on defining the ecosystem area and determining the stakeholders who will support the selection and management of that area.Whether we start with area or with stake holders, 10 it will take substantial time and effort to achieve a workable fit. Howover, this step qualifies as the most important step because a proper management of the ecosystem by the stakeholders and a mutually beneficial relationship between the two can not only bring desirable results but also ensure harmonious coexistence. On the other hand, an improper management might lead to exploitation due to overuse and significant endangering of the ecosystem, disrupting its sustainability for future generations . Step BThis stage involves characterizing the struc ture and function of the ecosystem, and setting in place mechanisms to manage and monitor it. The most productive way involves scientists and local inhabitants working together , as the traditional and scientific knowledge are likely to be complementary, though different. Step C Step C essentially deals with reducing market induced distortions on ecosystem. Valuation in case of environmental good has always been a problem since these are non marketed goods. Hence market distortion should be corrected at an early stage.Here we may apply the concept of derived market to arrive at a proper valuation using correct market instruments-Mekong river basin case study showed overvaluation of dam and irrigation schemes. This should be corrected using best possible knowledge. The interlink age between the components should be properly identified while making the cost benefit analysis. Care should be taken to avoid over extraction of resources. Proper incentive should be created among the people for wise use of biodiversity. One may bring political will in necessary issues. 11 III. VALUING BIODIVERSITY 3. 1 Why to value Ecosystem?The services of ecological systems and the natural capital stocks that produce them l f f E ’ l f -support system. They contribute to human welfare, both directly and indirectly, and therefore represent part of the total economic value of the planet. For the entire biosphere, ,the current economic value of 17 ecosystem services for 16 biomes, based on published studies and a few original calculations, is estimated to be in the range of US$16–54 trillion per year, with an average of US$33 trillion per year. Because of the nature of uncertainties, this must be considered as a minimum estimate.Global gross national product total is around US$18 trillion per year. For example, the average forest benefit in the Med region amounts to about 1% of GDP. Indirect use value such as water-shed protection, contributes about 35% of total estimated value. ( Source: Adapted from R. Costanza et al. â€Å"T l f W l’ y S N lC l† N l. 387(1997)p. 256 table 2) 3. 2 Motivation for an economic evaluation of ecosystem services ? Ecosystems provide a wide array of goods and services of value to people. ? Provision of ecosystems services often is not factored into import ant decisions that affect ecosystems.Distortions in decision –making damage the provision of ecosystems services making human society and the environment poorer. (Valuing Ecosystem services—advantages & disadvantages of existing methodologies and application to PES by Daniel Perrot Maitre (Seminar on environment services and financing for the protection and sustainable use of ecosystem Geneva,10-11 October 2005;IUCN ) 3. 3 Biodiversity Variation in the living part of ecology is called â€Å"biological diversity† or â€Å"biodiversity†. This term is most commonly used to replace the more clearly defined and long established terms , species diversity and species richness.Biologists most often define 12 biodiversity as the â€Å"totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region†. An advantage of this definition is that it seems to describe most circumstances and presents a unified view of the traditional three levels at which biological variety has been identified . (www. portal. gsi. gov. in/) There are three forms of biodiversity: Ecosystem diversity: It refers to the diversity of a place at the level of ecosystems ; the variety of species and ecological processes that occur in different physical settings.Species diversity: It is the effective number of different species that are represented in a collection of individuals (a dataset). Genetic diversity: It refers to the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species (www. portal. gsi. gov. in/) Biodiversity is indeed a major contributor to the economy through the provision of many ecosystem goods and services. It is in trinsic to the values of beauty and tranquillity. Many Australians place a high value on native plants and animals, which contribute to a sense of cultural identity, spiritual enrichment and recreation.In fact, biodiversity is central to the cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There is also a link between biodiversity and livelihood. This is because a person's livelihood refers to â€Å"means of securing the necessities of life†. Th is extends to include social and cultural means, i. e. â€Å"the command an individual, family, or other social group has over an income and/or bundles of resources that can be used or exchanged to satisfy its needs. † For instance a fisherman's livelihood depends on the availability and accessibility of the diversity of fish.Therefore valuation of biodiversity is very important in our daily life. (www. portal. gsi. gov. in/) 3. 4 Valuation of Biodiversity The Value of Biodiversity (Figure 5) Includes both Use Values and Non-Use Values:? Use values include direct use (both consumptive and non-consumptive), indirect use, and option values 13 Direct-use Values: Hunting, direct -consumption (e. g. collection of berries, mushrooms, b l ll â€Å" ) ll â€Å" †; b y tourism †. – Indirect-use Values: Ecosystem services such as pollination, habitat for other species, sustaining food chains, and other uses are indirect -use values. Non-use values include bequest values and existence values (http://www. biospherenursery. com/pages/whatisabioscape. html ) Value of Biodiversity Present use value-market based Future use value-option value Direct use value -conscious Existenceexistence value Non use value -ignorant? Figure 5: Fragmented Value of Biodiversity 3. 5 Biodiversity Mapping Biodiversity mapping denotes the link between biodiversity and human diversity. It is recognizes the role- played by human diversity in biodiversity conservation.Cultural biodiversity also exists in towns as people use traditional medicines, eat traditional food, wear traditional cloth and can also have an intricate knowledge on culture and biodiversity. Categories of Biodiversity Mapping Bioscape: The term Bioscape f â€Å"l ff b lz l †; including human habitat (http://www. biospherenursery. com/pages/whatisabioscape. html). Landscape: Landscape ecology is described as a science that examines the appearance and patterns of land as a result of the interactions with its ecosystems. The relatively new 14 iscipline of landscape ecology provides insight into both landscape diversity and species diversity and suggests a theoretical and practical basis for conservation planning . Timescape: Timescape is the change in pattern over time. It documents landscape pattern, occurrence and exploitation of biological diversity and the dependence of community on the natural resources. IV. PEOPLE’S BIODIVERSITY REGISTER (PBR) P l’ B yR (PBR) is a documented register containing compr ehensive information on the availability and knowledge of the local biological resource, their use and traditional folklore associated with them.It is one of the significant steps for conservation of biodiversity through sustainable management using indigenous knowledge. 4. 1 Objectives of PBR formation ? To claim justified benefit sharing by the local people for any commercial use of their BD resources. ? To explore enterprises based on their BD resources ? To develop exhaustive data base to help effective intervention for development & conservation Along with this information, the Register will also contain extensive annotations on the landscape of the area, present land use pattern, and some over timescape. 4. 2 Usefulness of PBR Preparation of Biodiversity Register is an attempt to realize the bio diversity at Local Self Government level, States and the whole Country. ? This will also provide information on the current utilization patterns of biodiversity, its economic benefits to the local communities. 4. 3 Information recorded in PBR 15 The information contained in PBR is not only confined to a list of species available in an area but a comprehensive report on the species, their habit, biological produce, their associated market price, harvesting & transport of the produce, regulation on harvesting, technology, l’ y f ocal level management, landscape related data, over a time span and so on. These information are being documented under landscape, lifescape, peoplescape, and t imescape. Thus, f l’ biodiversity register includes: ? knowledge of local biological resources, their traditional knowledge associated with them, ? data about the local aid & practitioner uses of biological resources, ? details about biological resources & knowledge. 4. 4 Major ways of Collecting Data for PBR ? Interviews of individual ? Group interviews ? Few observation by volunteers and technical support group ? Existing official document 4. Interconnectedness in an Ecosystem 5. PAYMENTECOSYSTEM SERVICES 4. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES 1. BIODIVERSITY ECOSYSTEM 3. LIVELIHOOD DEPENDENCE 2. ECO-TOURISM Figure 6: Interconnectedness in a Ecosystem 16 Humans are now most concerned with the exploitation and preservation of the biotic constituents for commercial harvest and recreation. To achieve these goals, we must be aware of the interconnectedness of the ecosystem which exhibits not only the characteristics of its components, but also characteristics of its own which arise from combinations and interactions of the components (as shown in figure 6).The interconnected mesh can be more clearly explained as: b iodiversity is the living part of ecosystem – with biodiversit y eco-tourism can be developed – eco (tourism) is a major source of livelihood – ecosystem also provides various kinds of services correspond to livelihood and biodiversity – thus payment for ecosystem services – this in turn can help in preserving the biodi versity. 17 V. SUNDARBAN – A Special Ecosystem Map 1: Sundarban Eco-region 5. 1 Sundarban Eco-region: IntroductionThe Sundarban Delta Complex (map 1), having geo-genetic link to the tectonic Bengal Basin, geographically extends over the eastern India (40%) and Bangladesh (60%). It is characterized by prolific growth of rich and diversified mangrove vegetation and forms an integral down drift coastal part of the Bengal Delta Complex that overlies huge thickness of Tertiary marine sediments of the actively subsiding Bengal Basin. It is a cluster of 102 miracle islands, form the largest mangrove delta complex on the globe in 18 he estuarine phase of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers, and constitute a unique Biosphere Reserve in the coastal Bay of Bengal. The deltaic complex was declared a reserved forest in 1875-76, under the Forest Act, 1865. A Forest Division was created in 1879 with headquarters in Khulna. The Reserve Forest has been nominated for recognition as a Ramsar Site (A Wetland of International Importance). (www. portal. gsi. gov. in/) â€Å"Sundarban† literally means â€Å"beautiful jungle or forest† in Bengali language. The name Sundarbans may also have been derived from the Sundari trees (dominant species) that are omnipresent in this region.This is a region of transition of fresh Ganga water and saline water of Bay of Bengal. Sundarban ecoregion features two characters — forest ecosystem and sand dunes. The forest ecosystem can again be divided into two clusters: freshwater swamp forests and mangroves. 5. 2 Sundarban freshwater swamp forests The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lay between the upland lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests and the brackish-water Sundarban mangroves bordering the Bay of Bengal. These are tropical a nd subtropical moist broad-leafed brackish swamp forests.The fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use for centuries, and the eco-region has been mostly conv erted to intensive agriculture, with few enclaves of forest remaining. This eco-region is nearly extinct due to large-scale deforestation and settlement by human. 5. 3 Sundarban Mangroves Mangrove forest (picture 2) is a woody community that can be periodically submerged in sea water of the inter-tidal zone of tropical regions . They are the second highest source of primary production next to rainforests. They produce high detritus and release nutrients which are a food source of variety of organism.Mangroves provide homes to variety of marine and terrestrial organisms. They act as nurseries and feeding grounds for many fish, shrimp and crustaceans and non-resident fish enter the mangroves to feed at high . M l y 19 f fb ’ . They not only provide a wealth of b yb l f l’ food web. As with most ecosystems, an intricate relationship exists between mankind and mangrove. Many indigenous costal residents rely on mangroves to sustain their traditional cutlass. They have been sustainably used for food production, medicines, fuel wood, and fishery and construction materials.They are important inter tidal estuarine wetlands along the coast line of tropical and sub-tropical region; are exposed to autersopogenic contamination fro m tidal water, river water and land based sources and Sundarban mangrove ecosystem being no exception. Picture 2: Trees of Sundarban Mangrove Special Feature of Mangrove Ecosystem 1. Adaptations to low oxygen : Red mangroves, which can survive in the most inundated areas, prop themselves above the water level with stilt roots and can then absorb air through pores in their bark (lenticels).Black mangroves live on higher ground and make many pneumatophores (specialised root -like structures which stick up out of the soil like straws for breathing) which are also covered in lenticels. These â€Å"breathing tubes† typically reach heights up to thirty centimeters, and in some species, over three meters. There are four types of pne umatophore — stilt or prop type, snorkel or peg type, knee type, and ribbon or plank type. Knee and ribbon types may be combined with buttress roots at the base of the tree. The roots also contain wide aerenchyma to facilitate transport within the plant. 2.Limiting water loss: Because of the limit ed fresh water available in salty intertidal soils, mangroves limit the amount of water they lose through their leaves. They 20 can restrict the opening of their stomata (pores on the leaf surfaces, which exchange carbon dioxide gas and water vapour during photosynthesis). They also vary the orientation of their leaves to avoid the harsh midday sun and so reduce evaporation from the leaves. Anthony Calfo, a noted aquarium author, observed anecdotally a red mangrove in captivity only grows if its leaves are mis ted with fresh water several times a week, simulating the frequent tropical rainstorms. . Nutrient uptake: The biggest problem that mangroves face is nutrient uptake. Because the soil is perpetually waterlogged, there is little free oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria liberate nitrogen gas, soluble iron, inorganic phosphates, sulfides, and methane, which makes the soil much less nutritious. Pnuematophores (aerial roots) allow mangroves to absorb gases directly from the atmosphere, and other nutrients such as iron, fro m the inhospitable soil. Mangroves store gases directly inside the roots, processing them even when the roots are submerged during high tide. Evolution of MangrovesFrom low tidal mudflat via high tidal mudflat with mangroves to shrimp pond, sandy silt content is lightly increasing. The content of macro elements and minerals is almost unchanged after depth as results of fairly stable, sedimentary source chronologically. Geochemical sedimentary evo lution is visually reflected in the regularly changing in geochemical indices, the content of nutrients and heavy metals. Mangroves often take shape in high tidal mudflat of estuaries, in where, sedimentary environment with fine grain is favourable for mangrove seeds to be stored, spring up and photosynthesiz e.In return, the formation and development of mangrove forests, as a sedimentary trap, make the sedimentary environment more favourable for depositing of fine grain sediments rich in clay minerals. Sedimentary deposition rate in mangrove forest tends to be higher than in Thus, these processes are natural companion of the environmental transform from low tidal mudflat without mangroves (permanently being under water) into high tidal mudflat covered with mangroves (alternatively being under water). The evolution is depicted in the figure 7 below. 21 Figure 7: Evolution of MangrovesThe transform of low tidal mudflat without mangroves into high tidal mudflat is characterized by a little increase in content of Fepyrite, Statal, Spyrite, Sreduction. The raising in amount of sulphurs can be understood as consequence of higher amount of mangrove root, which is the main sulphur source. Th e content of sulphurs increase after sedimentary depth in low tidal mudflat is more intensively than that in high tidal mudflat. This may also relate to increasing sulphur source in tidal mudflat. In addition, var iation coefficients of sulphurs content in mangrove forest sediment are higher than those in low tidal mudflat.Thus, the transform process through these two environments leads to stronger sulphurs differentiation. Under the right conditions like the formation of a mud -flat, growth of mangroves is initiated. Stabilization of mud-flats is a preliminary process in the establishment of mangroves. Pioneer plant species initiate this process. The roots of these plants help in binding the soil and also help the establishment of micro -organisms which further help in stabilizing the area. Stabilization starts from the land side and gradually shifts towards the sea.The pioneer plants are spec ies like Porterasia coarctata and some members of the Cyprus family. These are slowly rep laced by other mangrove plants and then these mangroves gradually spread towards the sea. Once mangroves grow, the submerged banks are fully stabilized. Then the plant s slowly reach a stage which is called the climax vegetation. A climax vegetation of mangroves is represented by the complete circle of life where there are different species of plants, animals (both terrestrial and aquatic) and micro -organisms forming an ecosystem called the tropical salt marsh or the mangrove ecosystem.In case the sediments are not 22 stabilized, submerged banks are washed out. Thousands of deltas are formed and washed out every year before they can be stabilized. In the Gangetic delta this situation is quite common. Zonation in mangrove 1. Proximal Zone (Front mangroves): This zone is towards water front, subject to regular tidal effect where intensity of soil accumulation and inundation is a continuous process. The mangrove species in this zone are specially adapted with stilt roots, prop roots f or stability and anchorage. Main species with these features are Rhizophora apiculata and Rhizophora mucronata.On rocky and coral reef substrata, Avicennia Spp, Sonneratia Caseolaris are also found. Both Avicennia and Sonneratia produce pneumatophores. 2. Middle Zones (Mid mangroves): Above the Rhizophora/ Avicennia line luxuriant group of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, B. Cylindrica, Lumnitzera racemosa, L. littoralis, Ceriops tagal and Aegiceras corniculatum occur. Ceriops and Bruguiera develop a strong hold fast in the form of knee roots or bent roots as a special adoption for supporting the erect bole. 3. Distal Zone (Back mangroves): Towards island area mangroves like Excoecaris agallocha, Heritiera littoralis and Xylocarnus spp occur.Both Heritiera and Xylocarpus produce buttresses. Generally the salinity is on lower side in this zone occurring towards hill sides where run off of fresh water is for a prolonged period. The duration of tidal submersion is low in this zone compared to fr ont mangroves. However, the zonation in mangroves is not so simple and varies from place to place. Every species has its own level of salinity tolerance. Estuaries on east coast show distinct zonation. The high salinity range on the east coast estuaries may be the principal reason for distinct zonation there.The range and force of tidal action also play a determinant role in creation and maintenance of zones as distribution of seeds or propagules is influenced by tidal action. Also, tides do influence the salinity in an estuary. Land Formation in mangrove ecosystem 23 During high tide silts take a way into the creeks. And when low tide starts the water recedes but the silts are deposited. This is the natural way of sedimenta tion. In this way the land is formed in mangrove ecosystem (figure 8 (a)). But the newly formed land is fragile in nature. Additionally the seeds of mangroves fall on this area and there they grow up.The roots of mangrove with its special characteristics hold up the soil. This prevents soil erosion and holds up the land. And the settlement grows around that. This is used for cultivation also. When embankment is built artificially to cultivate and to protect the land from being flooded the natural process o f land formation is hampered. Silt deposition does not take place. Also the mangroves which used to be there die down. The land becomes more fragile and during high tide or during flood the water table increases more than it would previously. The purpose of embankment fails here.It hampers the natural land formation and also destroys the mangrove ecosystem (figure 8 (b)). (a) (b) Figure 8: (a) Natural Land Formation and (b) Land Formation Due To Embankment in Mangrove Ecosystem 5. 4 Sand-Dunes: Ecological set-up At the most basic level dunes are simply piles of sand. Wind and waves transport sand onto the beach forming dunes. It results from stabilization of transported sediment, sea weed, debris by vegetation. It is also related to tida l fluctuation. Further accretion results in beach elevation. Migrating dunes helps to keep habitation being exposed to sea.Dune ridges are formed by surface wind w ith velocity more than 4. 5 m/s when sand sized 24 particles move by siltation. Travelling dunes bury areas in eroding coast. In stable coast dunes stabilize 90o to wind direction. Sand tends to be blown from the windward face and to accumulate on the leeward side. Dunes (picture 3) are found in Sundarban ecosystem which help protects mangroves. Tidal flow causes the formation of the mangrove and the formation of the sand dunes is caused by the wind flows. Thus tidal flow and wind flow works together in Sundarbans and creates the special features of this region, i. . , mangroves and sand dunes which lead to the formation of the beach. The beach here is rich in biodiversity and Sundarban is developing a very good kind of beach-centric ecotourism. Picture 3: Sand-dunes of Sundarban Eco-system 5. 5 Biodiversity of Sundarban A brief account of the floral and faunal diversity in Sundarban is shown in the picture 4 below. Some common mangrove species can be jotted down as: ? Hatal(Phoenix paludosa) ? Genwa (Excoecaria agallocha) ? Dhundul(Xylocarpus granatum) ? Kankra (Bruguirea gymnorrhiza) ? Champa(Bruguiera parviflora) ? Dhani ghas (Porteresia coarctata) Garjan (Rhizophora apiculata) ? Keora (Sonneratia apelata) ? Sundari tree (Heritiera fomes) ? Golpati( Nypa frutcans) (www. portal. gsi. gov. in/) 25 There are also many faunal species in this region: (www. portal. gsi. gov. in/) BENGALTIGER (Panthera tigris tigris): At present there are about 250-300 tigers in Sundarban. This is the nominate species of the eight sub-species of tigers found in the world. Tigers are the apex predat ors of this mangrove eco -system. They are right at the top of the food chain. The Sundarban t igers are extraordinary beasts.Perfectly at home both on land and water, it is known to cross more than one river at time to find food. The Sundarban tiger preys mainly on cheetal or spotted deer, wild boar, goats and livestock. It is a nocturnal and ambush predator. Picture 4: Sundarban Ecosystem Biodiversity JUNGLE CAT (Felis chaus): This is a stout bodied cat found in Sundarbans. It is a nocturnal animal which preys on small animals. This cat is often met with in Sundarbans. It is a good climber and an ambush predator. LEOPARD CAT (Felis bengalensis): This cat is an agile climber and a good swimmer. It preys on birds, bats, hares and fawns.FISHING CAT (Prionailurus viverrina): This is a powerfully built cat. It is a nocturnal predator and an expert swimmer. It is known to dive in water to catch fish hence the 26 name. It also preys on small and medium size animals such as wild pigs and cheetal fawns. WILD BOAR (Sus scrofa): This animal is often seen in Sundarbans. This is a heavily built animal. It is basically a herbivore but is also known to take small animals, insects and even carrion. This animal also a cts as a prey species for the tiger. CHEETAL OR SPOTTED DEER (Axis axis): This is the only deer found in Sundarban.It is also the most common deer in India. It is a herbivore. This animal is the major prey for the tigers. It is commonly seen near water holes. COMMON KRAIT (Bungarus caeruleus): This is the most venomous snake in India. This is strictly nocturnal snake. It feeds mainly on snakes. BLACK CAPPED KINGFISHER (Halcyon pileata): This is a common bird of the Sundarbans. Seen frequently on river banks. It feeds mainly on fish and crabs. GOLIATH HERON (Ardea goliath): This common bird of Sundarbans is huge in appearance. It is a solitary creature. It feeds mainly on fish and frogs.LESSER ADJUTANT STORK (Leptoptilos javanicus): Normally solitary. Feeds on fish, frogs and reptiles. BRAMHINY KITE (Haliastur indus): This is a raptor which is often found besides water bodies such as lakes, pools, ponds and rivers. It feeds on fish, frogs, snakes, small mammals and bats. In addition to this Sundarban has few species of sharks the most common being the INDIAN DOG SHARK (Scoliodon laticaudus): There are also dolphins to be found in Sundarbans the most common being the Gangetic dolphin (Platinista gangetica) to name a few. COMMON KRAIT (Bungarus caeruleus): This is the most venomous snake in India.This is strictly nocturnal snake. It feeds mainly on snakes. 27 BLACK CAPPED KINGFISHER (Halcyon pileata): This is a common bird of the Sundarbans. Seen frequently on river banks. It feeds mainly on fish and crabs. GOLIATH HERON (Ardea goliath): This common bird of Sundarbans is huge in appearance. It is a solitary creature. It feeds mainly on fish and frogs. LESSER ADJUTANT STORK (Leptoptilos javanicus): Normally solitary. Feeds on fish, frogs and reptiles. BRAMHINY KITE (Haliastur indus): This is a raptor which is often found besides water bodies such as lakes, pools, ponds and rivers.It feeds on fish, frogs, snakes, small mammals and bats. INDIAN DOG SHARK (Scoliodon laticaudus). There are also dolphins to be found in Sundarbans the most common being the Gangetic dolphin (Platinista gangetica) to name a few. 5. 6 Livelihood in Sundarban Agriculture is the main occupation of the local people. Rain-fed, mono-cro â€Å" † paddy is grown in t his area. Before the introduction of HYVs, they cultivated salt tolerant varieties of rice like Paknai, Barhal, Talmugur, Gopalbhog, Gulshi, Bolan etc. Occasional inundation of paddy fields by brackish water gave rise to a paddy-cum-fishery system.During agricultural lean period, locals get involved in fishing, honey collection. 49% of the households directly extracted forest resources for their livelihood, including 98 % of the landless forest fishers. Almost all remaining households depended partly on the forest resources. The forest fishers, traders and some of the labourers directly depended on forest resources, earning money from either selling or processing these resources. Most of the farmers and service holders depended on forest resources indirectly because they used forest resources for their households (for food, fuelwood, building materials etc).It was a clear trend that the higher the household income, the higher the dependency on forest resources. Main livelihood percent of households: Fishery-32, Farming-25, Labour-15, Trade-13, Service-5, Other-10. Some livelihood forms are shown in picture 5. 28 C Picture 5: Some Livelihood Forms in Sundarban 5. 7 Utilization of mangrove resources comprised †¢F :F †¢F l †¢ F y ll †¢B l y b .; from various trees; ; l :G l ( y l) b . There are some medicinal plants in the mangroves, but t hese are not utilized. Most of the households depended entirely on fu el wood for cooking.This demand causes rapid depletion of forest and consequently the ecosystem, as well as air pollution and health problems. Once upon a time logging was practiced in felling mode, but now in selective mode. When carried out in felling mode, t he result can be er osion of the exposed ground and impoverishment of the soil within the affected area. In se lective mode, as carried out at present, the removal of many valuable species can still damage the ecosystem, and in this mode, the space of the removed individual tr ees may be taken by other, less valuable, species. In either case, the forest resources become less valuable.Fish is the potential source of protein of the people of Bangladesh. Many people of the Sundarban households totally depend on fishing, usually by nets that are very effective but catch all fishes. Sometimes po isoning is applied, with severe environmental impacts. Tourists can enjoy the sight of fishing by trained otters. Shrimp cultivation is profitable business, and is totally dependent on natural fry. People collect fry from the river by nets of small mesh, with severe consequences to a multitude of other species. 5. 8 Recent Developments and their impacts 29Recent introduction of HYV seeds has led to increased dependence on chemical fertilizers, pesticides & external sources of seeds dominated by corporate sector. M f HYV’ b f f. Occurrence of recent cyclones made them realise the need for preservation & cultivation of indigenous species. Lack of alternate emplo yment opportunities, loss of land, population pressure & poverty increases the dependence on forest for timber & Non-Timber Forest Produces (NTFPs). Destructive capture method of tiger prawn culture has replaced the traditional aquaculture in paddy fields. Corporate sector is making money, Meendharas are being employed.Over 1000 juveniles of other fish species are destroyed to catch a single tiger prawn seedling (DISHA, 2006). W f l b b ’l l b en subjected to uncertainty. What they could obtain for their livelihood from the forest easily, is now restricted. This poses a difficulty for their subsistence. So they get involved in illegal cutting which adversely affect the ecosystem. 5. 9 Man-animal Conflict Local people in Sundarban are immensely dependent on the forest for their day to day activities and also for their living. Honey collectors, wood cutters, leaf collectors and fishermen are sometimes killed by tiger inside the forest.Sundarban tig er treats human as a normal prey in forest. Every village in fringes have large number of widows of tiger . T f y ‘B b b ’ (picture 6) ‘D k y’ irrespective of all religions. To reduce potential tiger attack, t hey experiment with Human Masks (picture 7) at the back of their head. 30 Picture 6: Bonbibi Picture 7: Human Masks 5. 10 Threats to Sundarban and climatic vulnerability ? Recurrent coastal flooding (picture 8) due to climate change (global warming) causes changes in sea level (rise in sea level). 26 Picture 8: Effects of Coastal Flooding Reduced flow of sweet water into Sundarban mangrove system. ? Extension of non-forestry land use into mangrove forest. ? The Barrier: a) Man-animal conflict: Straying of ti gers into villages. b) Human-human conflict: Villagers Vs. foresters. ? Population pressure and increased demand for small timber and fuel wood for local consumption. ? Poaching of tiger, spotted deer, wild boar, marine ? Uncontrolled collection of prawn seedlings. ? Uncontrolled fishing in the water of Reserve forests. 31 turtles, horse-shoe crab etc. ? Continuous trampling of river/creek banks by fishermen and prawn seed collectors. Chemical pollution through marine paints and hydrocarbons & also agricultural run-off containing chemical fertilizers & pesticides. ? Lack of employment opportunities in the forest fringe areas, locals moving to adjacent states for jobs, girl trafficking. ? Organizational and infrastructural deficiencies lead to corporate extortion in agriculture & aquaculture. ? Tourism can be viewed as one such threat to the ecosystem. Tourism has its negative impacts on the ecosystem which are pressure on carrying capacity of the ecosystem which may sometime leads t o deforestation & destruction of endangered species.Environmental pollution & depletion of natural resources are seen almost everywhere with more tourist visit. 32 VI. ECOTOURISM at BAKKHALI: A fringe part of Sundarban 6. 1 Bakkhali Bakkhali is a coastal area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India (map 2). It is located on one of the many deltaic islands spread across southern Bengal. This small island juts out into the vast expanse of the Bay o f Bengal. It has a 7 k m long beach stretching from Bakkhali to Frasergunj, a twin beach with gently rolling waves. Casuarina trees line up the beach like guarding wall, which adds up to the beauty of the beach. wikipedia) 6. 2 Accessibility By road Map 2: Bakkhali, a small part of South-West West Bengal It is 125 km by road from Joka tram terminus. The road runs through Diamond Harbour and Kakdwip to Namkhana, where the car o r bus has to be transported across the Hatania-Doania creek in a special ferry. The ferry service is av ailable from 7AM -11PM except from 12 noon till 1:45PM (lunch hour). The fare for crossing a Car/Jeep is approx Rs 160 + Rs 30 toll (including loading/unloading). 33 By bus WBSTC has regular bus service from Esplande to Bakkhali(150 kms).One starts at 7AM in the morning from Esplande and reaches Bakkhali at around 11:30AM and leaves from Bakkhali after half an hour for Kolkata (Esplande). By train The nearest rail station is at Namkhana. There are regular trains from Sealdah via Lakshmikantapur and Kakdwip to Namkhana. The first train starts at around 4AM from Sealdah. Train fare is around Rs 22 and the journey takes around 3 hrs. From Namkhana station you will get a van rickshaw to reach the place from where you need to cross a narrow creek in a small boat. Van fare is Rs 5 per head or Rs 30 if you reserve a van and for crossing the creek you need to pay Rs 1.Then from the bus stand one can get buses for Bakkhali which take around 45mins to 1hr and their fare is Rs 13. The Bakkhali bus stand is very close to all the hotels and just a 5 min walk from the beach. This place is competing with other beach tourist spots – Digha, Mandarmani, Sankarpur. It is good for overnight stay. 6. 3 Uniqueness The slope of Bakkhali is towards the sea hence it is less prone to tidal waves. It is not difficult to observe various invertebrate species like crabs, sea animal, starfish etc. , which were observed along the shore line.While bigger crabs live in the dry sand further away from the sea, the smaller ones live in the muddy shores nearer to the sea. Various species l k ‘S of m ’ ‘H l’ ‘G l ’ ‘H j ’ ‘K k ’ K ’ ‘G ’ . found here. Due to its sandy habitat, Xerophytic vegetation is found here. Also because of its unique flora and fauna, Bakkhali attracts many migratory birds. Its mud banks provide the birds a perfect ground for foraging on the marine invertebrates. For all these natural b iodiversity, Bakkhali attracts lots of tourists. 34 The Forest Department maintains a mangrove trail which is also a source of attraction for tourists.This growth of lucrative tourism again attracts not only private Picture 9: Notable Features of Bakkhali Beach investment (hotel business) but also migrants (some people who work in hotels, sells fast food near the beach etc. ) from fringe areas. Such in surge often creates ecological imbalances. Most of the inhabitants in Bakkhali are migrants settled from Midnapore and Bangladesh (although quite a large no of people can be found as aborigine). Both spring & neap tides are observed in the region, though the duration of high tide is only a few hours in a day.Coastal landforms include: back dunal mudflats, back-swamps coast-parallel older stabilized dune ridges & younger mobile dunes. Low gradient supratidal and inter-tidal beaches with mud bank, tidal flats etc. & offshore bars develop locally in patches in the moist and depressed are as. The sand dunes serve an important function by acting as a barrier between the sea and the habitat near the sea thereby protecting them. These notable features of Bakkhali beach are shown in picture 9. 6. 4 Frasergunj, Henry Island and JwambudwipFish trawlers anchor in Frazergunj Fishing Harbour (picture 10) as co-operative fishing is carried out here under Benfish. Dominant species that are harvested in winter are prawn, promfret and marine bhetki. Marine bhetki is the most valuable species because of its consumption and medicinal values (liver oil and capsule coating are highly demanded by pharmaceutical industries). Entry fee is imposed to restrict entry in Henry Island (picture 11). Fresh water aquaculture (â€Å"b †) .T f we can get an overview of the mangrove canopy. Jambudwip is a deserted island where drying of fishes is practiced (sutki industry).This is mainly an export industry which leads to high export earnings. 35 Picture 10: Frasergunj Picture 11: Henry Isla nd 6. 5 Floral Diversity at Bakkhali & Henry Island (picture 12) Name Scientific Name Location Characteristics Use-Values Gewa Excoecaria agallocha Leaves become orange when rather mature. The timber is used for making wood-charcoal and fire-crackers. Kankra Bruguiera gymnorrhiza Rhizophora apiculata Blume Aegiceras corniculatum West Bengal Govt. Forest Range, Bakkhali. Do. Do. It has breathing roots. Do. It bears small white flowers. Do. Pneumatophores are prominent. Three types of Baen: a) Piyara Baen. b) Kalo Baen. ) Sada Baen. Garjan Kholshi. Baen. Avicennia alba Blume(kalo baen) Avicennia marina (Forsk. ) Vierh. (piyara baen) Chionlata. Goran. Do. Hargoja. Acanthus illicifolius Do. Hental. Phoenix paludosa Roxb. Casuarina sp Famous for good-quality nectar, yielding good quality honey. Source of animal fodder. In humans, it has medicinal use as an antidiabetic. Do. Eucalyptus. Ceriops tagal (Perr. ) Robinson(Motth goran) Eucalyptus obliqua Do. Jhau It has red flowers. It has lon g and thin thorns. Types of Goran:Motth Goran,Jelly Goran. Exotic species from Australia. It has a long, white trunk. Do. It is a shrub having small and sharp thorns.It has thin and long thorns, looks like a short palm. It has long slender leaves. Do. 36 Used in paper & textile industry, also has medicinal values. Provides a camouflaging background for tiger. The dry leaves are used as fuel for cooking. Golpata. Nypa fruticans (Thunb. ) Wurmb. Do. Looks like a short palm tree. Leaves are used as thatching material. Picture 12: Floral Diversity at Bakkhali & Henry Island 6. 6 Faunal Diversity at Bakkhali & Henry Island (picture 13) Name Scientific Name Category Location Characteristics Green Bee Eater Rufous Treepie. Whimbrel. Avifauna (Aves) Do. Green in colour with a long slender beak.White-throated Kingfisher. Spotted deer Estuarine crocodile. Hermit crab. Do. Sea Beach, Bakkhali. W. B. Forest Range, Bakkhali. Sea Beach, Bakkhali. W. B. Forest Range, Bakkhali. Do. Do. Do. Axis axi s Mammal. Reptile. Arthropod. Red Crab. Ocypode sp. Do. Sea Beach, Bakkhali. Do. Sand-bubbler crab. Fiddler crab. Dotilla sp. Do. Do. Uca spp. Do. Marine worm. Diopatra cuprea Annelid. Sea Beach, Bakkhali. Star fish. Jelly fish. Asterias sp. Metridium sp. Echinoderm. Cnidarian. Do. Do. 37 Long tail with black, brown & white colours. Curved beak, white & brown in colour. Colourful (blue,red) with red long beak,built for catching fishes.