Women-led mangrove safari puts Vengurla on India’s eco-tourism map

Based out of Vengurla in Maharashtra, the Swamini Self-help Group has brought tourism to its sleepy village, waking up locals with smiles on their faces. The group, which consists of nine women and one man, started the Swamini Mangrove Safari, offering a glimpse of the biodiversity of the lesser-known Mandavi creek. “My husband, who is a part of this group, taught the rest of us how to row a boat in the creek where the mangroves are located, and the United Nations Development Programme gave us funding and training that helped us set up several income-generating activities, with the mangrove safari being the flagship programme,” shares Shweta Hule, a senior member of the group.

Since 2016, this lovely little group has been taking nature-loving tourists on a mangrove safari using the two boats they own, for sessions that last about an hour. “On each safari boat, we take six people, and four of us from the group conduct the safari. One rows the boat while the other three act as guides. We tell visitors about the mangroves, their biodiversity, the need to conserve them as protectors of the coastline, their medicinal uses, and also point out the wildlife we spot,” she shares. Egrets, herons, storks and cormorants are among the many birds spotted in the creek.

The boat safaris are conducted at different time slots throughout the day, depending on the tide level of the creek, which usually has shallow water. As a ripple effect of the mangrove safari bringing tourists to this lesser-known creek, visitors have also begun signing up for homestays, homemade meals and local cuisine experiences. Plus, seeing the success of this tourism model, several other self-help groups from Sindhudurg, Devgad and Malvan learnt from them and have replicated it.

Durga Thigale, Former UNDP and Mangrove Foundation consultant, shares, “Through the mangrove safari and conservation project, these women have set an example of how biodiversity conservation and income generation can go hand in hand. They are the true heroes for protecting mangroves and educating tourists, students and locals. In true sense they are living with mangroves and for mangroves.”

Durga Thigale, Former UNDP and Mangrove Foundation consultant, Individual Consultant and Educator, and Mangrove and Marine Conservation and Livelihood shares, “There is so much to learn from the coastal communities, especially from the groups like Swamini. All of them are very good examples of how a woman can change perspectives of societies, can take all the responsibilities, can be an advocate for ecosystem conservation, can earn for family, can help many women work in harmony for years together, can have her own identity and inspire other women to be like her. Shweta Hule being a very dynamic leader has molded all of them into entrepreneurs and naturalists. Through their Mangrove Safari and Conservation project, they have set an example of how biodiversity conservation and income generation can go hand in hand. They are the true heroes for protecting mangroves and educating tourists, students and locals. In true sense they are living with mangroves and for mangroves.