The Union territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh is situated between 320 10′ – 360 35′ N latitude and 730 15′ – 800 18′ E longitude. The total area of the Union territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh are 22,22,236 km2 and the population is about 10.1 million (Census, 2011).
The union territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh is divided into two divisions I,e Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh. All the divisions of Union territory offer different attractions to the visitors in terms of diverse biodiversity, environmental landscape & also the cultural diversity. The union territory of Ladakh and Kashmir are worthy to praise for its unique natural landscaping. The Kashmir valley is surrounded by mighty Himalayan mountains and is blessed with evergreen coniferous forests, number of lush green meadows, diverse wildlife and are endowed with the number of pristine freshwater bodies in the form of rivers, streams, lakes and springs.
The Union territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh have large numbers of tourist destinations like Gulmarg (The Valley of Flowers), Pahalgam (Valley of Shepherds), Sonamarg (The Meadow of Gold) and a large number of Mughal gardens ( Asia’s Largest Tulip Garden) and beautiful lakes like Dal Lake, Wular Lake, Gangabal Lake and Tso Moriri Lake in Ladakh. However, these attractive places are under the continuous threat of mass tourism hence indicating many negative environmental impacts like water pollution, soil erosion, disturbance of wildlife and loss of vegetation cover.
The tourism is one of the main sources of the economy of the union territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, but unfortunately, this sector also creates a lot of problems like water pollution, soil pollution due to unsustainability. While it is high time to embrace the concept of ecotourism which not only will boost the economy of the union territory but also will conserve and protect these fragile and beautiful places for a sustainable future.
A formal definition of ecotourism by the international ecotourism society (TIES) is that ecotourism involves travelling to natural areas that help to conserve the environment and promote the wellbeing of the local people. The North Kashmir of the union territory is endowed with a lot of tourist attractions and are: Bangus Valley, Lolab Valley, Neelum Valley, Baramulla (A Gateway to Kashmir), Shrunz Fall, Gulmarg, Baba Reshi etc.