Key Components:

• • Capacity building training for local community members on eco-tourism management, hospitality services, nature guiding and cultural programming.
• • Development of an eco-friendly stay facility for tourists on the island, providing a comfortable base for responsible tourism.
• • Organization of guided mangrove plantation experiences, allowing visitors to actively contribute to ecosystem restoration.
• • Promotion of kayaking tours through tidal creeks and mangrove channels, offering immersive nature experiences.
• • Regular cultural and folk performances by local artists showcasing the island’s traditional music, dance and storytelling.
• • Integration of sustainability principles in all aspects of eco-tourism, with a focus on low-impact tourism and community benefit-sharing.

Impact So Far:

• • Enhanced skills and confidence among 200 islanders, particularly youth and women, to manage eco-tourism operations.
• • Strengthened community ownership of conservation-linked tourism.
• • Diversified livelihood options in an island highly vulnerable to climate-induced displacement.
• • Improved visibility of Ghoramara’s unique biodiversity and cultural identity among domestic and international visitors.
• • Restoration of local mangrove cover through tourist-supported plantation drives.

Vision:

SEED envisions Ghoramara Island as a model of community-led eco-tourism, where local people become guardians of nature while securing sustainable livelihoods through responsible tourism. The project demonstrates how conservation, culture and community empowerment can go hand in hand to build resilience in the face of climate change.