Ecotourism is a type of travel focused on nature. It aims to protect the environment by having a small effect on it. It also helps with conservation and teaches people about the environment. Sometimes, ecotourism is described as helping local communities earn money or making conservation efforts possible. Different groups may define ecotourism in various ways, and experts were still discussing the best definition as of 2009. Some organizations that offer nature-based travel use the term "ecotourism" even if they do not focus on helping the environment.
Since the 1980s, environmentalists have considered ecotourism important for protecting nature. Groups that promote ecotourism often help conserve the environment directly or indirectly, or use practices that reduce harm to it. However, according to Buckley, very few groups actually help the environment more than they harm it. Ecotourism has also been criticized for using the same methods and buildings as regular tourism, just with a different name. Like most long trips, ecotourism often uses airplanes, which contribute to climate change.
Ecotourism usually involves interacting with living parts of nature, unlike geotourism, which focuses on geological features. Compared to general nature tourism and sustainable travel, ecotourism aims to help tourists understand natural habitats, the dangers they face, and local cultures. Responsible ecotourism programs reduce the negative effects of regular tourism on the environment and support the traditions of local people. In addition to caring for the environment and culture, ecotourism includes actions like recycling, saving energy, conserving water, and creating jobs for people in the area.
Risks and benefits
Ecotourism is a type of sustainable tourism. It should help protect the environment while also supporting the economic, social, and cultural needs of communities near ecotourism areas.
Even though ecotourism is often seen as a responsible way to travel, it can still cause problems. The possible benefits and risks for the environment, economy, and culture are described below.
Ecotourism activities or the presence of visitors in a region might harm the health of protected natural areas. Local communities can also be affected. For example, ecotourism might cause conflicts between tourists and local people. It could also raise costs for rent, taxes, and property prices, making it harder for local residents to live in their homes.
Ecotourism can create health risks for tourists, local people, wildlife, and ecosystems. Travelers might bring germs to sensitive natural areas, endangering wildlife and communities. Ecotourism activities might also put travelers at risk of illness or injury.
Ecotourism can also have positive effects on the environment. These include:
– Encouraging protection of natural areas
– Helping to restore damaged environments
– Providing money to manage and grow protected areas
– Helping maintain and improve habitats through ecotourist actions
– Allowing ecotourists to act as protectors when the environment is in danger
– Teaching local people new skills from ecotourists
- Exposing people to ecotourism can increase awareness about protecting the environment
- Communities may change their attitudes and behaviors toward the environment
- Protected areas for ecotourism offer environmental benefits
- Improving the long-term well-being of local people
For some leaders, economic benefits are more important than environmental benefits when deciding how to use natural resources. Possible economic benefits of ecotourism include:
– Creating income and jobs directly related to tourism
– Offering economic chances in areas far from cities
– Generating more economic activity and jobs indirectly
– Supporting cultural and heritage tourism, which works well with ecotourism
A complete approach to ecotourism should support social, cultural, economic, and environmental practices. The direct and indirect social and cultural benefits include:
– Helping communities stay stable and healthy through economic support and local involvement
– Providing beauty, spiritual value, and enjoyment for both locals and tourists
– Making ecotourism accessible to many people
When considering the positive effects of ecotourism, it is also important to note that it can cause unintended harm. These negative effects can be reduced through rules and guidelines that clearly explain how visitors should behave.
Terminology and history
Ecotourism is a new word created in the late 20th century by combining "eco-" and "tourism." The Oxford English Dictionary says the word "ecotour" was first used in 1973, and "ecotourism" was first used in 1982, likely after "ecotour."
"Ecotour" refers to visiting places of ecological interest, often with an educational purpose. Later, it also meant trips designed to cause little harm to the environment or to help protect nature. "Ecotourism" means traveling to natural areas, especially those that are wild or at risk, to support conservation and observe wildlife. It also means visiting endangered environments in a way that causes the least harm.
Some sources say the terms may have been used earlier. According to the Contra Costa Times, Claus-Dieter (Nick) Hetzer, an academic and adventurer from Berkeley, California, created the term "ecotourism" in 1965 and led the first ecotours in the Yucatán in the early 1970s.
Ecotourism Australia defines ecotourism as "tourism that is ecologically sustainable, with a focus on experiencing natural areas to help people understand and protect the environment and local cultures." The Global Ecotourism Network (GEN) says ecotourism is "responsible travel to natural areas that protects the environment, supports local communities, and teaches visitors, staff, and local people through education."
Ecotourism is sometimes misunderstood as any nature-related travel, such as jungle tourism. Some people think simply creating natural destinations makes it ecotourism. However, some scholars argue that ecotourism should focus on showing the beauty of nature and the need to protect ecosystems. Others say the term is debated, and some organizations use words like "green" or "sustainable" in marketing without proper environmental action, causing confusion.
Although there is no clear agreement on who qualifies as an ecotourist, estimates suggest over five million ecotourists, mostly from the United States, with others from Western Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Many countries, including Costa Rica, Australia, Kenya, Estonia, and Sweden, have created national ecotourism certification programs to ensure responsible practices.
Sustainable tourism includes caring about economic, social, and environmental issues, while improving tourist experiences and meeting the needs of local communities. It aims to protect the environment, promote fairness, cultural diversity, and a strong economy that creates jobs and prosperity. Sustainable tourism is linked to the idea of sustainable development. There is general agreement that all tourism can be sustainable if planned and managed properly. Tourism organizations promote sustainable practices to reduce negative impacts, such as environmental harm.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization supports sustainable tourism as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable tourism connects to several SDGs, including goals for fair work and economic growth, responsible use of resources, and protecting life in the oceans. Tourism plays a role in achieving these goals by helping create a sustainable economy.
Improving sustainability
Ecotourism in land and ocean areas can help protect nature, but only if challenges related to history, culture, and the environment are carefully handled. Catherine Macdonald and others say that successful conservation depends on several factors: protecting animals and their homes, reducing or managing conflicts between people and wildlife, teaching local people about the benefits of ecotourism, working well with groups involved in the area, and using money from ecotourism to protect the environment. They say ecotourism works best to protect animals like predators when the tourism industry is supported by governments and the public, and when it is watched over by local, national, and international groups.
Sometimes, rules for ecotourism are not followed properly. This can lead to harmful activities, like underwater hotels or helicopter tours, being called ecotourism even though they harm the environment. This makes real ecotourism businesses struggle to compete.
To stop harmful activities, strategies like setting limits on how many visitors can go to an area, building structures that protect the environment, using designs that help the planet, and teaching visitors about how to act responsibly are used.
Many environmental experts say a global standard is needed to help identify which ecotourism businesses are truly protecting the environment. A group with members from governments, hotels, tour companies, and conservation groups could create and enforce rules. If a business does not follow these rules, it would not be allowed to use the ecotourism label.
In 1998, Crinion proposed a system called the Green Stars System. This system checks if a business has a plan to protect the environment, helps local communities, uses small groups for tours, teaches visitors about nature, and trains staff. Visitors could trust that a business with a high star rating truly supports ecotourism.
In 2008, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council created a set of rules to guide sustainable travel. These rules help destinations, hotels, and tour companies meet standards for protecting the environment. A third-party group checks if businesses follow these rules and gives them official recognition.
Environmental impact studies can also help approve ecotourism projects. Scientists study how a project might affect the environment and suggest ways to build infrastructure, set limits on visitors, and protect nature. This method is better at considering the unique needs of each area.
Some countries have their own ecotourism certification programs. For example, Costa Rica has the CST program, which checks how a business affects nature and local communities. It also looks at how well a company helps improve life in the area and contributes to national goals. The program gives businesses a score from 0 to 5, with 5 being the best.
More than 50 ecotourism labels exist worldwide. Examples include the Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism, the Asian Ecotourism Standard, and the Ecotourism Australia program.
To protect the environment, it is important to help ecotourists understand how their choices affect nature. More efforts should be made to teach people about environmental issues and how to care for the places they visit.
Tour guides are a good way to share this knowledge. They know the environment well and can explain how visitors’ actions might harm nature or local people. In Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park, training for guides has helped reduce damage to beaches where endangered sea turtles nest.
The theory of underdevelopment tourism describes how large companies from other countries control ecotourism projects and take most of the profits. This can harm local communities by limiting their control over natural resources and causing cultural loss. In places like Zimbabwe and Nepal’s Annapurna region, over 90% of ecotourism money goes to foreign countries, leaving less than 5% for local people.
Today, challenges in ecotourism have led to interest in small, slow-growing projects run by local communities. These projects are better at protecting the environment and helping communities in the long term. Local people care more about their environment and are more responsible than large companies, even though they get few profits. Problems like environmental harm, cultural loss, and unfair profit sharing are bigger than the benefits of large ecotourism projects. Cultural loss can also happen when local traditions are turned into products for profit.
When local communities manage ecotourism, they create jobs and reduce environmental problems linked to poverty and unemployment. These projects do not need to follow expensive Western tourism rules, making them cheaper to run. Using local materials and labor helps the local economy grow more, as money stays in the area. In Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Park, ecotourism brought over half a billion dollars in indirect income and created thousands of jobs.
Natural resource management
Natural resource management is a special way to help develop ecotourism. In many places around the world, natural resources are plentiful, but human activity and habitat changes are causing these resources to run out. If resources are not used in a way that keeps them available for the future, they may be lost, and plants and animals could disappear. Ecotourism programs can help protect these resources. Plans and management programs can be created to keep resources safe. Many groups, including nonprofits and scientists, are working on this issue.
In hill areas like Kurseong in West Bengal, there are many natural resources, including plants and animals. However, tourism focused on business has created problems in these areas. Researchers from Jadavpur University are working in this region to develop ecotourism as a way to manage natural resources better.
In Southeast Asia, governments and groups that are not part of the government are working with schools and businesses to share the economic benefits of tourism with villages and small communities. A new group called the South-East Asian Tourism Organization (SEATO) brings together these different groups to talk about how to manage resources wisely.
A meeting in Quebec in 2002 led to the creation of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria in 2008. This effort was led by the UN Foundation and other groups. The criteria include rules like: planning for sustainability, giving the most benefit to local communities, reducing harm to cultural traditions, and reducing harm to the environment. There is no group that enforces these rules or gives punishments for not following them.
Impact on indigenous people and indigenous land
Valuing Indigenous territories can help them be chosen as protected areas, which can stop problems like cutting down trees. Ecotourism can bring money to Indigenous people.
However, a good business plan and clear organization are needed to make sure the money from ecotourism actually goes to Indigenous people and helps protect their land. Debates about ecotourism often focus on how profits from Indigenous lands are used by international tourist companies, which rarely share money with the people who live on those lands. Ecotourism offers visitors a chance to enjoy the natural beauty of the land, which is different from how Indigenous people experience it. This can turn the lives and land of Indigenous people into something that can be sold, which is unfair to them.
Indigenous territories are managed by government services, such as FUNAI in Brazil, and these services decide whether ecotourism can be used in these areas.
Ecotourism can also create jobs for local people, including Indigenous people. Protected areas often need workers like park rangers and staff to run ecolodges and accommodations for tourists. Traditional culture, such as performances like traditional dances, can also attract tourists and bring money through fees for showing these traditions. Ecotourism can help reduce deforestation that happens when people clear land to grow crops for money, which harms the environment. Ecotourism can be a long-term, job-creating option for local communities.
If protected areas are not managed carefully, local people may lose their homes without being compensated. Moving people to areas with poor conditions, such as dry land, poor soil, or lack of water, does not improve their lives, even if some ecotourism money is given back to the community. People may suffer from not being able to use their land and resources as they traditionally have. Indigenous people may also feel angry if tourism grows without proper rules. Without controls, too many lodges might be built, and tourists might drive off roads, harming wildlife and damaging the land.
The Peruvian government has not always recognized or protected Indigenous lands, so Indigenous people have had to protect their own land. The land is more likely to stay safe from deforestation if the people who care about it are the ones who manage it.
Criticism
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In the range of tourism activities that go from regular tourism to ecotourism, there has been much disagreement about where the line is between protecting nature, helping local communities, and reducing harm to the environment. Because of this, environmentalists, special groups, and governments have different ways of defining ecotourism. Environmental groups usually say that ecotourism is based on nature, managed in a way that helps the environment, supports conservation, and teaches people about the environment. However, the tourist industry and governments often focus more on the product, seeing ecotourism as any kind of tourism that takes place in natural areas. Also, many different terms are used in place of ecotourism, such as nature tourism, low-impact tourism, green tourism, bio-tourism, and ecologically responsible tourism. These terms are not always the same as ecotourism.
The problems with defining ecotourism have caused confusion for both tourists and researchers. Many issues are also widely discussed in the public because of greenwashing, which is when tourism projects are made to look like they are sustainable, nature-based, and environmentally friendly, even though they are not. According to McLaren, these projects can be harmful to the environment, unfair to people, and disrespectful to cultures. They are also troubling because they trick tourists and use their concern for the environment for their own benefit. The success of these large, expensive, and environmentally harmful projects shows how much money can be made from being called ecotourism.
Ecotourism has become one of the fastest-growing parts of the tourism industry. One way to define ecotourism is as "travel that has a small impact on the environment, teaches people about nature and culture, and helps local communities and countries." However, many ecotourism projects do not meet these standards. Even if some rules are followed, local communities still face many negative effects. Another problem is that ecotourism can turn nature and the environment into things people pay to see. When nature becomes a product with value, people try to sell and promote it. Some ecotourism sites have turned to private companies for money, and the government has stopped giving them support. This means they must make money on their own. Private natural parks and areas are trying to show how well they protect nature and attract people interested in ecotourism. However, they may focus on parts of nature that are more interesting to tourists and ignore other important parts. This can lead to the loss of valuable natural areas. For example, in Montego Bay, hotel workers cut seagrass that seemed to be keeping tourists away, even though it is important for the local environment.
Another problem is that companies hide the real effects of ecotourism to keep their profits. They do not tell people that traveling to natural areas uses a lot of fuel from airplanes. In Montego Bay and Negril, a lot of waste is released into the coastal water, either directly or indirectly, by ecotourists. Hotels in Jamaica produce more wastewater than a whole city. Tourists also create a lot of waste that ends up in the coastal water. The indirect effect of ecotourism in Jamaica is that many people have moved to towns near natural areas because of more job opportunities from construction, which harms the environment. South Africa benefits a lot economically from ecotourism, but the negative effects, such as people being forced to leave their homes, serious human rights issues, and environmental dangers, are much worse than the short-term economic benefits. A lot of money and resources are still used for ecotourism even when it doesn't work well, and even more money is spent on public relations to reduce the bad effects of criticism. Ecotourism takes resources away from other projects that could help solve important social and environmental problems. "The money from tourism often ties parks and management to ecotourism." However, there is a problem in this relationship because ecotourism often causes conflict, changes in land rights, fails to help local communities, harms the environment, and causes other social issues. Many people argue that ecotourism is not helpful for the environment or society, yet it continues as a strategy for conservation and development because of the high profits. While some research is being done to improve the structure of ecotourism, some people say these examples show that ecotourism should be stopped completely. However, there are some positive examples, such as the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and the Virunga National Park, as judged by WWF.
The ecotourism system has a lot of financial and political power. The evidence shows that there is a strong case for limiting ecotourism in certain places. Money could be used for research to find better solutions to tourism and the many problems Africa faces because of urbanization, industry, and overuse of agriculture.
At the local level, ecotourism has caused conflicts over land management and how profits from tourism are shared. In this case, ecotourism has harmed the environment and local people and has led to conflicts over how profits are divided. Very few rules or laws exist to control ecotourism investors. There have been calls for more efforts to teach tourists about the environmental and social effects of their travel, and for laws to stop the promotion of ecotourism projects that are not sustainable and give false images of places or harm local and Indigenous cultures.
Although conservation efforts in East Africa clearly benefit tourism in the region, it is important to distinguish between conservation efforts and the tourism industry. Communities in East Africa are not the only ones in developing regions to suffer economic and social harm from conservation efforts. In the Southwest Yunnan Region of China, conservation efforts have also caused big changes in traditional land use. Before the Chinese government banned commercial logging, the industry made up 80 percent of the region's income. After the ban, the Indigenous people in the Yunnan region now have few opportunities for economic development. Ecotourism may help solve the economic problems caused by the loss of industry due to conservation in Yunnan, just as it may help the Maasai. As stated, the ecotourism system must be improved to give more money to local communities by reducing how much money is lost to other parts of the industry. This would help ecotourism be more successful in reducing poverty in developing regions, but it offers a promising opportunity.
Drumm and Moore (2002) discuss the increase in prices and economic leakage in their paper, saying that prices might go up because visitors can pay more for goods and services than locals. They also mention two solutions to the previous issues.