SJC scores well on so many fronts and should be considered one of HELP Tourism’s flagship projects. The bottom line is that goals of sustainability, social responsibility and conservation are all served well by the camp.

The camp’s location is perhaps the best among these — proximity to the forest provides the opportunity to get to viewing locations early and quickly and who doesn’t like going on daily boat journeys? By educating visitors about the importance of the forest and its conservation work already in progress, HELP Tourism is doing a bang up job in bringing added conservation awareness to its guests.

The other big story here is the people. Local staff is more than pleased to sit down and tell you their story: most of them used to poach animals from the forest, and sometimes even hunt for fun. This is surprising given that most people usually imagine that it’s poverty that drives locals to poach animals from the forest. Sadly, one quickly learns that it is consumer demand that is the real problem here. At any rate, the importance and role of local people in the conservation battle is highlighted prominently by the fact that former poachers are now the resort staff, well aware that the rupee-wielding tourist is here to experience what they used to destroy.

During the peak season, work is also outsourced to the local village. Tasks such as laundry washing and cleaning are often provided to village women, many of whom would have little other opportunities to earn an income.

In short — the camp and Sunderbans easily qualify as must-see for any Kolkata/West Bengal visitor with a bent for travelling responsibly.

Being Environmentally Responsible
Gray water is first filtered by a special filtration system for which they hired a consultant to design for them. The water then eventually ends up in the nearby ponds to help decorate the place. In this pond, they have planted some natural materials such as plants in an effort to clean that water.

The have installed a solar panel in each cottage so that during the wintertime, when the temperatures are cool enough, there is no generator required. Otherwise there is no connection to the main electricity grid, so they need to use a generator during some evenings to keep batteries charged or lights on. They also make food choices that save gas and require less cooking time. For instance, many things are pressure-cooked at the camp.

Some vegetables are grown at the camp but there is not quite enough to meet the needs of all of tourists. However, they have supported some of the local villages to grow the food they require, and the practices they use are naturally organic by virtue of the fact they cannot afford chemicals and pesticides.

They separate most of their waste into recyclable, compostable and non-recyclable, before it is given to local villagers who can then try to sell the material. After separation, all of their food waste is composted and then used for fertilizer in local food projects in the nearby village. They serve mineral water at the camp that comes from big, recyclable jugs that are shipped along with the boats. As for plastic water and/or beer bottles these are collected and then recycled because people in the local villages can recycle this material for money.

Transportation in and out of the Sunderbans is a unique challenge because part of the journey must be taken by boat and special permits must be requested ahead of time. By offering a complete package of transport from Kolkata to Sunderbans they hope to achieve efficiency within our operation and also minimize the amount of extra transport required.

HELP Tourism’s philosophy is all about supporting eco-friendly products/services and where this doesn’t exist they move to create these practices on their own. Their suppliers also get briefed on their practices and as a result their philosophy cascades into the people who support them. In the case of the Sunderbans Jungle Camp, they chose to ally themselves with the Wildlife Protection Society of India and support them directly by setting up the camp adjacent to their office.

The whole experience of Sunderbans is a nature-based experience. They are here to show the tourists and travellers the beauty and diversity of Sunderbans. They have also chosen a location that used to support poachers and other people who were destroying the forest. By offering them alternative livelihoods through tourism, they help to protect the forest as well. The 18 staff, mostly local villagers, has been involved in this project from the very beginning. In each and every task they do, the staff is the benefactors of environmental awareness plus they also become the agents of conservation. They also involve the staff in our other community development activities - these include the monthly medical camps and education initiatives that they have brought to the local villages. Their staff, as locals, also sees things that the company cannot because they are more familiar with local conditions. So if they see something wrong happening in the forest, they can also raise the alarm.

Being Socially & Economically Responsible
All employees of the camp are local people except for a single manager who makes sure the operation is running smoothly. Most of these employees also used to be poachers of the Sunderbans, and rather than try to hide this fact they are proud to share that with their guests. In this way, the tourists get informed about the positive benefits the company is trying to bring to Sunderbans and its local people, plus the local people benefit because learn alternative ways of making a living.

Working with local villagers brings a set of challenges to work but they have found that they are actually very keen to learn the business of tourism and to access its opportunities. By working for this project they receive training on the requirements and needs of tourists, plus they are also exposed to the conservation aspect of our work. They also maintain a small school in the nearby village and hold monthly medical camps, in an attempt to improve the social fabric of the community they work in.

Many of the materials are produced locally, such as the thatched rooftops of the accommodation or its mud walls. As much as possible they use locally produced materials as it saves money.

At SJC we are directly aligned with the Wildlife Protection Society of India, as their office is within the camp land and they encourage guest to poke into the office and learn about the WPSI’s tiger conservation work. The entire SJC experience is meant to demonstrate the importance and value of conservation work in the Sundarbans, and also to communicate the positive development work that comes as a result of tourism. Guests are told about their medical camps, their education initiatives and they are more than welcome to volunteer or support in greater ways if they wish. 

Being Culturally Responsible
Buildings are constructed of brick on the inside and then plastered with mud on the outside. Bamboo-thatched roofs are also part of the design. The designs help the camp blend in with the village surroundings as opposed to standing apart from it. Locals were involved in the construction of the buildings, and local techniques were applied in constructing the facades and doorways.

The legend of Bonobibi is a folk-tale known to both Muslim and Hindu Bengalis on both sides of the border. By asking local villagers to do a performance of the tale for guests they help the actors and musicians who perform the tale preserve this age-old story.

Village cuisine is legendary among Bengalis, and the chefs are all taken from the local village. The cuisine offered is healthy, prepared from local ingredients as much as possible, and a big part of the SJC experience.