Odisha's Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary best ecotourism destination in India: G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant

Bhubaneswar: India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant hailed Odisha's Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary as the "best ecotourism destination" in the country.

Kant, a former NITI Aayog CEO, visited Debrigarh on Wednesday and interacted with the forest officer and personnel engaged in the management of the wildlife sanctuary.

"I visited Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary @Debrigarh in Odisha today and was delighted to see the wonderful work done in terms of community participation. This is by far the best example of the local community operating and managing the ecotourism project," Kant wrote on X, while sharing some pictures of his visit to the sanctuary.

Later, he held a meeting with the local administration at Sambalpur.

Speaking to reporters in Sambalpur, he said, "I saw the wonderful work done by the DFO. I have visited all ecotourism projects across India, and Debrigarh is the best project." The best part of the Debrigarh ecotourism project is the active involvement of the local community, he said.

During his visit, Kant interacted with the community members of the Debrigarh ecotourism project and appreciated the model functioning in the wildlife sanctuary.

Around 85 forest-dependent families are earning their livelihood from different ecotourism activities. Jungle Safari, Hirakud cruise, trekking, hiking, kayaking, storytelling sessions on wildlife and bird-watching activities are being organised by these community members for tourists, a forest officer said.

Besides, 20 cottages for the night stay of tourists are available at Debrigarh, including six stargazing rooms with glass roofs. Each community member working at Debrigarh earns around Rs 13,000-15,000 per month, she said.

The officer said 40 per cent of those employed at the ecotourism site are women, and some are even in roles of safari drivers and guides.

Habitat management work has strengthened the wildlife population with big herds of Indian Bison being slighted by tourists daily along with Sambar, deer and bear, she said.

In the financial year 2024-25, Debrigarh earned the highest revenue among the ecotourism sites in Odisha, at Rs 5.11 crore, the officer said.

According to ecotourism guidelines, 35 per cent of the revenue is shared among the local community as wages, 25 per cent is utilised for recurring expenses, 10 per cent for infrastructure development, 10 per cent for village development, and 20 per cent goes to the corpus fund of the forest department's wildlife wing for training and capacity building of community members, the officer said.

So, 100 per cent of the revenue generated goes back to the community. This makes the local community a major stakeholder in ecotourism which strengthens protection and conservation of forest and wildlife, she added.