Ecotourism: Blend of tourism and conservation
Ecotourism: Blend of tourism and conservation
By Asmoro H. Hani
JAKARTA (JP): Much has been said and written in recent years
about the benefits of tourism as a sustainable and non-polluting
industry. Tourism has already become the most important civil
industry in the world. According to the World Travel and Tourism
Council (WTTC), tourism is now the world's largest industry,
expected in 1993 to generate more than US$3.5 trillion of world
output and to double by the year 2005. Overall, tourism
development offers opportunities for expanding an economy at
relatively little cost.
In reality, tourism can be both destructive and non-
sustainable. In the tourist context, lack of involvement means
that tourism is much more likely to have negative social,
economic and environmental impacts. There is ample evidence that
projects which focus on generating economic benefits without
effectively encouraging local participation in the
identification, design, implementation and evaluation of
development activities are less likely to provide benefits to the
local community and to their environment.
Ecotourism, however, has captured the attention of many
people. Ecotourism has swept across the Americas, rooted in
Africa, taken hold in Asia and jumped to life in Europe all
within the last five years.
Ecotourism is an exciting new venture that combines the
pleasures of discovering and understanding spectacular flora and
fauna with an opportunity to contribute to their protection. It
is about creating and satisfying a hunger for nature, about
exploiting tourism potentials for conservation and development,
and about averting its negative impacts on the ecology, culture
and esthetics.
This type of tourism, consequently, is dependent upon the
conservation of wilderness resources. It is a tourism experience
infused with the spirit of conservation and cultural exchange
that results in a net positive effect for the environment and
local economy. Ecotourism, in other words, incorporates both a
strong commitment to nature and a sense of social responsibility.
Existing studies reveal that people have various motives for
paying attention to ecotourism. Some see ecotourism as a means to
harness financial resources of tourism for conservation efforts.
Others see it as a clever marketing strategy to attract upper-end
tourists. Still others, mainly in developing countries, see it as
a means to inject much needed hard currency into their
economically depressed governments. Some indigenous people see it
as a framework to save their besieged cultural heritage.
However, the ecotourism label has been misused so frequently
that many responsible travel professionals have sought to avoid
the use of the word entirely. There have been conferences and
several publications concerning ecotourism, but relatively few
have focused on the "how to" aspects of planning and management.
The Ecotourism Society published Ecotourism: A Guide for Planners
and Managers to help fill this void.
This publication presents a selection of state-of-the-art
planning and management approaches for getting the most out of
ecotourism. In it, some of the larger challenges are laid out and
a series of prescriptions on how to tackle them follow. These
include the tools for looking at demand, use and impact, income
distribution, resource inventory, policy formulation, training
and local participation. In brief, this book offers an excellent
introduction to a whole new era of ecotourism implementation.
Complex
Ecotourism as an industry is a complex entity. It is more than
just an advertising buzzword for a traditional tourist facility
in a natural setting. One of the primary advantages of ecotourism
is that it provides an impetus to expand both conservation and
tourism development. This provides a clear opportunity to link
tourism and conservation for the benefit of both people and the
environment. It is not an overstatement to call ecotourism the
marriage of conservation and economic motives.
Like most marriages, it is not without tension and a certain
amount of turmoil. Many conservationists view entrepreneurs with
suspicion, just as some business people are suspicious of the
conservationists. While some might see this as an unhealthy
relationship, it is in reality a dynamic vehicle for positive
change.
Apart from the different viewpoints, ecotourism's concept is
good. Ecotourism is an economic model that utilizes tourism to
support the conservation of nature, reinforce the cultural
heritage of indigenous people and support the local economy.
Why must ecotourism involve local people? There is little
likelihood that destructive resource practices can be stopped
without changes in the social and economic situation facing
communities. The changes can best come about if communities can
control their growth and development.
Poorly managed natural tourism sites can lead to the
destruction of these areas and the setting aside of lands for
exclusive use of nature travelers can leave local people on the
other side of fence, jeopardizing the livelihoods of the rural
poor and provoking their opposition. Developing an ecotourism
facility is becoming a matter of sensitivity.
A key to success is education. Ecotourists need to be taught
to tread lightly on the environments they visit and to respect
the traditions and cultural values of local people. By its
nature, ecotourism development depends on close and intimate
association with the ecosystems around it. Instead of viewing it
from the outside -- as in museum -- ecotourists should
participate and gain a better awareness, appreciation, and
understanding of the development's ecological systems.
The pitfalls
As the potential gains of ecotourism are explored, it is
imperative that we can consider and address the pitfalls as well,
so that the promotion of ecotourism does not destroy the natural
resources upon which its success depends.
It is easy to see the impact of traditional tourism on the
environment. Forests are cleared, hotels and golf courses are
built. The visual evidence of these changes are clear. The impact
on indigenous cultures is not so easy identified. At first glance
one cannot see native languages disappear of behavior patterns
change.
Success can also prove negative if a region's popularity
causes overcrowding and environmental degradation. The
ecotourists who first discover an area tend to move on once it
has been opened up for mass tourism, and even mass tourists will
move on in search of somewhere new in time.
The environmental characteristics that make an area attractive
to visitors may also pose problems. Some attractive areas may be
very sensitive to disturbance and unable to withstand impacts of
human activity.
Since many ecotourism facilities are located in third world
countries, it is important to remember that there is a limit to
what governments can do to control development. A potential
developer and the local community must face the reality that
ecotourism has a limited growth potential and must be viewed in
the overall context of a region. Ecotourism may be part of an
overall economic and environmental plan that includes sustainable
agriculture, micro-industries and other activities.
Hence, ecotourism requires a multidisciplinary approach,
careful planning and strict guidelines and regulations that will
guarantee sustainable operation. Only through intersection
involvement will ecotourism truly achieve its goal. Governments,
private enterprises, local communities and NGO's all have an
important role to play.
Unique experience
Ecotourism should be rooted in the local economy and culture,
while maintaining a keen appreciation for visitor expectations.
Ecotourists are looking for a unique experience, but may require
some creature comforts. Therefore, when designing facilities, it
is crucial to understand and respond to the expectations of the
targeted travel market.
Luckily, ecotourists are less demanding in terms of lodging
than other types of tourists and therefore do not need luxury
accommodation, food or nightlife. The nature traveler is more
willing to accept and appreciate local conditions, customs and
foods. However, unique basic services and infrastructure are
still required to make ecotourism a significant economic force
and a sought-after activity. Siting of visitor facilities focuses
on these natural characteristics, and the site inventory and
analysis should clearly identify the quality and extent of these
geographic features.
Every culture and ecosystem is unique. The facilities should
embody that uniqueness. The architecture should not "steal the
show". It is the natural and cultural experience that is what
ecotourists are seeking. The facilities need to be supportive of
those priorities and designed to enhance those experiences not
detract from them.
There are no models of ecotourism that will work everywhere.
The level of economic activity that can be generated, the
fragility of the resources, the consequent environmental impact
of tourism and the opportunities for environmental education
will vary for each area. Every country must design an ecotourism
development strategy that identifies where ecotourism should be
promoted and where it should be discouraged.
Ecotourism may well be the financial "golden egg" for many
third world countries. The issue at hand is whether its very
success and resulting stress on the environment will kill the
"goose" that laid it.