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With the ever-increasing vulnerability of the Himalayan ecosystems owing to climate change and other social factors, there is a pressing need to augment resilience of the Himalayan people through sustainable livelihoods. The focus of the study is to intervene in rural villages that have not been reached by tourists and do not understand tourism beyond convention and as a means of social betterment. The clusters of Uttarakhand is near conventional tourist spots but have not benefitted socially or economically by the activity. The area of focus for our study was Kamad and Thandi village of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand; where agriculture is the primary source of income. This region shows a ghastly state of affairs where environment pollution and degradation are highest. Hence, this study involved the affected communities in understanding the cause and effects that forge such situations to propose better interventions. Key areas explored include Livelihood, Sanitation, and Education and Institutional power dynamics. Among these, it was concluded that there is a need for alternative sustainable livelihood opportunities involving women and youth along with promoting the traditional indigenous knowledge of Garhwal. This report is the compilation of the methodologies adopted and the corresponding data analysis results.
Keywords: Himalayan ecosystems; livelihoods; homestays; ecotourism
