Overview

SMDS-XI

Harnessing tourism for sustainable mountain development The main theme for SMDS-XI is ‘Harnessing tourism for sustainable mountain development’. Tourism activities are closely interlinked with every section of society, especially in Ladakh and the IHR region. Thus, changes in the sector reverberate across cultural, social, and environmental systems and vice versa, Mountain regions are especially vulnerable to such changes as their social and ecological systems are more fragile and vulnerable to challenges such as unplanned development, resource depletion, climate change and environmental degradation. At the same time, tourism has immense potential to empower local communities, conserve natural resources and achieve sustainable development.

The most relevant framework for sustainable tourism integrates Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the broader 2030 Development Agenda developed by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It has proposed five central pillars on which tourism must stand to make a significant and lasting contribution to achieve sustainable development goals. These include:

sustainable development agenda including in mountain regions. SDFL has adapted this framework for SMDS-XI by rearranging the five pillars into four categories: Economy, Society, Environment, and Peace and Security. In addition, related issues such as implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for improved waste management and the complex issue of plantations in the mountains are also included in the deliberations of SMDS-XI.