Graduate Student Looks at Culture and Conservation in Northern India

From Global Eyes- Spring 2010
by Chantell LaPan, NC State University Office of International Affairs
photos by Christopher Serenari

Culture and Conservation in Northern India

Christopher Serenari, a graduate student in the [NC State] Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, is taking a new look at how conservation and pro-environmental behavior is conceived in developing countries. Christopher is a Master’s candidate (who successfully defended his thesis on March 8th) and will graduate with his M.S. in Natural Resources at the end of the semester.

In the summer of 2009, Christopher traveled to Northern India to participate in two study abroad courses and complete the research for his Master’s thesis. He spent a total of 7 weeks in the breathtaking landscape of the Garhwal division of Uttarakhand in the Himalayan mountains interviewing guides and observing guide behavior

Under the advisement of Dr. Aram Attarian, and funded by the American Alpine Club and College of Natural Resources at NC State, Christopher’s research examined beliefs and attitudes towards pro-environmental behavior held by Garhwal-based whitewater and trekking guides.

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior, the research sought to apply a cultural and cognitive framework to understanding the introduction of American outdoor ethics among populations with different conceptions of nature and conservation. With the assistance of his three Gahrwal-based guides, Raja, Vivek and Denzel, Christopher was able to administer questionnaires to a sample of guides in the municipalities of Uttarkashi, Rishikesh, and Joshimath. He also participated in a two-night Ganges River rafting expedition and a four night trekking expedition to Gangotri National Park to observe guide and porter environmental behavior.

In his first year as a Master’s student, Christopher made plans to study in Garhwal under the advisement of Dr. Keith Bosak, an expert in nature-based tourism and international conservation and development at the University of Montana. He planned to stay on an additional five weeks and complete his Master’s research. In the Spring of 2009, Christopher enrolled in the Anthropology of Ecotourism and Heritage Conservation (ANTH 533), with Dr. Tim Wallace. This course took what Christopher had assumed was a universal view of nature, and in his words "turned this on its head". Christopher learned that the "leave no trace" style of outdoor ethics (as put forth by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics), which he had come to view as standard were, arguably, a Eurocentric view of nature conservation. Dr. Wallace helped him to see that a host of other factors, including cultural and religious beliefs, could strongly impact an individual’s view of nature and conservation. Armed with this new perspective and course training, Christopher embarked on his journey to the Himalayan mountains.

Christopher departed Raleigh, NC in May of 2009 and met up in Newark, New Jersey with the group traveling from Missoula where they flew together to New Dehli. From Dehli, they made the long trip, by taxi to Uttarakhand. Christopher was immediately struck by the sheer number of people, the narrowness of roadways and also the amount of trash that had accumulated by the roadside.

Shortly after arriving, Christopher fell ill with an infection and was unable to physically complete the trekking as required by the Study Abroad programs in which he had enrolled. Though he was able to fulfill his course requirements, Christopher was ordered to two weeks of bed rest and missed out on much of the course activities. He used this time to study Hindi, the most prevalent language in the region, and was able to teach himself enough basic terms to get by when his guides were unavailable.

During the seven weeks that Christopher spent researching environmental behavior in the Gahrwal region, he learned many things. He learned how to purchase children’s books in Hindi for his wife to use in her classroom and he learned that the legacy of imperialism and a well-developed caste system will continue to shape relationships between humans and the environment in Northern India. Christopher’s research on culture and pro-environmental behavior in the Garhwal region will be submitted for publication later this year.