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.