The resorts near Jim Corbett National Park have become a threat for the wildlife in the sanctuary. A study conducted by the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa in Delhi has found out that around 70 per cent of the resorts in the 10 km periphery of the national park are venues for weddings, parties and bike races rather than for visitors to the national park.

Koustubh Sharma, a conservationist with the Snow Leopard Trust, says an audit of the impact of these resorts on the local resources should also be carried out. The river use by these resorts and the garbage being dumped in the same area can disturb the ecological balance of the area drastically.
The whole idea of having resorts near a sanctuary is to attract visitors to the park but if they are disturbing the wildlife then stricter norms should be in place. A clearance from the environment ministry before setting up such a resort should also be made mandatory.

The biggest threat is to the tigers of Corbett, says S.P. Yadav, Joint Director, National Tiger Conservation Authority. Mushrooming of these resorts has blocked the tiger movement even to the Kosi river. But these areas are beyond the control of the forest department, he says. There should be a mechanism where every resort coming up needs to have a no-objection certificate before it can start construction.

There is also an increase in man-tiger conflict in the area because of these resorts, Yadav added.