The objective of this article is to assess the socio-cultural impacts of camping on the river beach and the white-water rafting development on the river Ganga in Uttarakhand. This paper largely relies on primary survey and secondary data collected from different government departments.

In the blazing afternoon heat, a group of Van Gujjars listened solemnly as speaker after speaker spoke about the hardship people face when they are displaced from their traditional habitats to make way for special economic zones, special tourism zones, national parks, sanctuaries and dams. The Van Gujjars are a Muslim pastoral community.

Green revolution in India has bypassed the remote places like hills. Farmers who are struggling for survival under unfavorable conditions like hills need focus. In Uttarakhand, only 13.62 per cent is the net cultivated area. Agriculture in Uttarakhand is primarily confined to lower and mid hill regions and is basically subsistence in nature.

The term bioprospecting has been widely used to assess the economic potential of different plant species and their value-addition. Our folklore with embedded cultural heritage has tremendous possibilities and potential for bioprospecting. Among the over 8000 species of flowering plants growing in the Himalaya, nearly 4000 are identified from the Garhwal Himalayan region. This part of region enjoyed a significant place throughout its history.