Addressing Climate Change Loss and Damage: Promoting Ecotourism for the Sustainable Economic Development of Tribal Communities in Odisha

The Odisha region of India is facing a major challenge of climate change that is threatening the lives and culture of tribal people in the region. Eco-tourism has been found to be a community based and sustainable strategy to mitigate these impacts and boost economic development and conservation of biodiversity. The research paper explores how eco-tourism has been utilized in two major tribal areas- Similipal, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar by case study with secondary data and thematic analysis. The results indicate that eco-tourism helps in the adaptation to climate change through the adoption of sustainable land use, minimizing deforestation, and environmental stewardship. The level of community participation, particularly the grassroot initiatives at Keonjhar is central in the decent development and preservation of culture. Whereas Similipal has shown a state-based model which gives focus on the conservation process which is controlled, Keonjhar has shown a participatory model which is community owned. The two examples emphasize the potential of eco-tourism as a multi-faceted tool of ecological sustainability, cultural sustainability and economic empowerment. Nonetheless, infrastructure discontinuities, inaccessibility to the market and institutional barriers need to be overcome to ensure that its long-term benefits are maximized. The paper ends by giving policy intervention, capacity building and inclusive governance recommendations to enhance eco-tourism as a climate-resilient developmental option to Odisha tribal communities.

Climate change, Tribal communities, Eco-tourism, Sustainable development, Cultural heritage, Community participation

1. Ahluwalia, A. S., Sharma, B. D., & Kour, D. (2025). Forests and forest resources for livelihood security and poverty alleviation with special reference to the West Himalayas. In Forests for Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth (pp. 241-250). Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Ahmad, M., Ahmad, W. S., Ahmad, S. N., Jamal, S., & Saqib, M. (2024). Tracing the roots of wetland degradation in India: a systematic review of anthropogenic drivers, ecological consequences and conservation strategies. GeoJournal, 89(1), 24. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Behera, R., Naik, P. K., Padhi, M. K., Kumar, D., Swain, B. K., Mishra, S. K., Sahu, A., & Beura, C. K. (2023). Challenges and Future Prospects of Livestock and Poultry Farming in Indian Coastal Ecosystem - An Overview. Journal of the Indian Society of Coastal Agricultural Research, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.54894/JISCAR.41.1.2023.126458 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Beriozovas, O., Perkumienė, D., Škėma, M., Saoualih, A., Safaa, L., & Aleinikovas, M. (2024). Research advancement in forest property rights: A thematic review over half a decade using natural language processing. Sustainability, 16(19), 8280. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bhuyan, K. N., Naik, R., & Khangarot, G. (2025). Wellness tourism: nurturing nature and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) while travelling. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1-32. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Brooks, W., Manz, A., & Woolston, C. (2019). Evidence Mapping: Investigating the Social and Ecological Impacts of Conservation in Mangrove Ecosystems (Doctoral dissertation, School of the Environment, Duke University). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Dandabathula, G., Chintala, S. R., Ghosh, S., Balakrishnan, P., & Jha, C. S. (2021). Exploring the nexus between Indian forestry and the Sustainable Development Goals. Regional Sustainability, 2(4), 308–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2022.01.002 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Dhal, S., Baliarsingh, R. K., & Patnaik, B. (2025). A Theoretical Approach Towards Territorial Sustainability Conceptualizing: A Case Study in the Context of Climate Change in Odisha. In Utilizing Technology to Manage Territories (pp. 71-100). IGI Global. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Gade, J., Johnpaul, M., & Miryala, R. K. (2024). Tribal Tourism (pp. 169–183). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6260-0.ch012 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Hariram, N. P., Mekha, K. B., Suganthan, V., & Sudhakar, K. (2023). Sustainalism: An Integrated Socio-Economic-Environmental Model to Address Sustainable Development and Sustainability. Sustainability, 15(13), 10682. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310682 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Jena, B. M., Nanda, B. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on travel and tourism industry in India. In Hospitality and Tourism Industry Post Pandemic Challenges and Opportunities (Chapter 1, pp. 1-6). Bharti Publication. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Kumar, A., Devi, J. P., & Mohanasundari, T. (2025). Climate change impact assessment on livelihood vulnerability of tribal communities: a systematic review. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 30(5), 37. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Lemy, D. M., & Pramono, R. (2022). Acceleration of Environmental Sustainability in Tourism Village. International Journal of Sustainable Development & Planning, 17(4). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Majhi, B. K., Jena, P., Prusty, B. A. K., & Mishra, A. K. (2022). Directive Strategies for Conservation and Threat Mitigation in Similipal Biosphere Reserve. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 48(6), 801-815. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Mohanty, P. P., Rout, H. B., & Samal, A. (2019). Community based sustainable tourism development-A tool for fostering and promoting peace: A case study of Odisha, India. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 8(1), 1-15. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Mondal, Dr. J. (2024). Sustainable Development and Ethno-Inhabitant in Mangrove Ecology of India: A Case Study on Governance Policy in Sundarban. Proceeding of the International Conference on Political Sciences, 2(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.33422/politicalsciences.v2i1.593 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Nag, A., Kumar, V., Choudhary, V., Kumar, A., & Sharma, R. (2024). Nurturing Nature and Local Well-Being in the Hills of Himachal Pradesh (pp. 157–168). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6260-0.ch011 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Patra, S., Saikia, P., Kumar, A., Lei, X., & Khan, M. L. (2025). Forests and their role in achieving United Nations sustainable development goals. In Forests for Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth (pp. 3-14). Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Priyadarshini, P., & Abhilash, P. C. (2019). Promoting tribal communities and indigenous knowledge as potential solutions for the sustainable development of India. EnvironmentalDevelopment, 32,100459.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2019.100459 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Pujar, S. C., & Mishra, N. R. (2024). Delivering sustainable livelihoods to indigenous communities through ecotourism: insights from Western Odisha, India. International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 9(3), 181–200. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTA.2024.138898 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Raj, A., Jhariya, M. K., Banerjee, A., Meena, R. S., Khan, N., & Yadav, S. K. (2022). Ecological wisdom for natural resources management and sustainability. Natural resources conservation and advances for sustainability, 219-241. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Ramaano, A. I. (2024). Environmental change impacts and inclusive rural tourism development on the livelihoods of native societies: evidence from Musina Municipality, South Africa. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 40(3), 495–525. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-04-2023-0089 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Ramakrishnan, R., Rajendrakumar, S., & Kothurkar, N. K. (2024). Regional sustainability of the Kattunayakan tribe in Kerala, India through the enhancement of agricultural, livestock, and livelihood options. Agricultural Systems, 217, 103929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103929 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Rana, J. C., Bisht, I. S., Mathur, P., Fadda, C., Mittra, S., Ahlawat, S. P., Vishwakarma, H., & Yadav, R. (2024). Involving Rural Youth in Agroecological Nature-Positive Farming and Culinary Agri-Ecotourism for Sustainable Development: The Indian Scenario. Sustainability, 16(21), 9417. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219417 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Samal, R., & Dash, M. (2023). Ecotourism, biodiversity conservation and livelihoods: Understanding the convergence and divergence. International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 11(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgeop.2022.11.001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Singh, R., Sharma, R. K., Bhutia, T. U., Bhutia, K., & Babu, S. (2021). Conservation Policies, Eco-Tourism, and End of Pastoralism in the Indian Himalaya? Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.613998 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in India
• Issues Involved in Digitalisation Special Reference to Indian Tourism Growth
• Relationship Marketing and Customer Loyalty in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Industry in Nairobi County
• Financial Literacy or Financial Inclusion? Which is Which, What is What—To Achieve Uganda’s 10-Fold Economic Growth By 2040
• Harnessing Natural Gas for Economic Transformation: Overcoming the Regulatory and Infrastructural Bottlenecks in Nigeria