Conflicts between eco-tourism projects and the land rights of indigenous communities near protected areas are rising. Suggest a governance framework to reconcile them.

At Ingle Pathar, on the edge of Kaziranga National Park, indigenous communities have opposed a luxury hotel for four years because they fear losing land and livelihoods. Their protest leader, Pranab Doley, was detained under the NSA until the Gauhati High Court quashed the order in November 2026 [1]. Such conflicts need a rights-first governance framework, not coercion.

Why conflicts arise

• Unsettled rights: individual and community claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 are often still pending when projects are cleared [2].
• Consultation gaps: four years of local opposition at Ingle Pathar shows decisions taken without the community's agreement [1].
• Ecological fragility: Kaziranga's integrity depends on links with the Karbi Anglong hills and a southern buffer [4]. That is the same edge zone where resorts get built.
• Criminalising dissent: protest leaders are detained when their grievances should be heard [1].

A governance framework

Settle rights → Gram Sabha consent → Eco-zoning → Benefit-sharing → Grievance redress Fig: Step-by-step approval process for tourism near protected areas

1. Rights before projects: finish FRA rights recognition, including community forest resources, before any land is handed over [2].
2. Gram Sabha consent: follow the Niyamgiri (2013) precedent, where the Supreme Court let gram sabhas decide on community, cultural and religious rights [3]. This matches free, prior and informed consent under UNDRIP [7].
3. Science-based zoning: notify site-specific Eco-Sensitive Zones under MoEFCC's 2011 guidelines, which list prohibited, regulated and permitted activities [5]. Keep animal corridors free of large buildings.
4. Community-owned tourism: homestays, local guides and cooperatives, with a fixed share of revenue going to village funds. Conservation then becomes a source of local income.
5. Fair dispute resolution: set up a district committee of forest, revenue, tribal-welfare and community members, and hold public hearings. Ordinary law should come first; preventive detention is not a tool for land disputes [6].
6. Accountability: publish yearly social audits and carrying-capacity audits (how many visitors a site can take without damage).

To reconcile eco-tourism with indigenous rights, rights, consent, ecology and benefit-sharing should be handled in that order, not traded against each other. Communities that co-own tourism become a park's strongest guardians. This upholds the right to livelihood under Article 21 and advances SDG 15 (Life on Land).