Ecotourism
Ecotourism
Overview
Ecotourism is an emerging form of tourism that focuses on environmentally sustainable tourism practices.[1] The Ecotourism Association of Australia defines ecotourism as "ecologically sustainable tourism that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and conservation." [1] [2] While the focus of ecotourism is on environmental sustainability, a need for cultural sustainability and responsibility is widely recognized by proponents of ecotourism.
Ecotourism, as the name implies, is a combination of the tourism industry and the environmental movement. Tourism is an industry borne of the relatively recent process of globalization, especially modern travel technologies, information technologies, and mass media. These factors of globalization have helped to create a world in which most people experience spatial boundaries that extend far beyond their local areas. [3] The "eco" part of ecotourism comes from increasing global attentiveness to human impacts on the natural environment and a desire to minimize and hopefully reverse those impacts. Thus "ecotourism" is meant to bridge the divide between the economic profitability and lifestyle-oriented ideas of tourism and long-run environmental sustainability. [4]
Criteria/Qualifications
Guidelines
Ecotourism practices are expected to follow certain principles in order to be considered "eco". While there is no global law dictating these principles, it is generally believed that the following are the main requirements for good ecotourism practices. [5] [6][2]
- Protection of natural and cultural resources
- Generation of economic benefits to local communities
- Provision of direct financial benefits for conservation efforts
- Includes environmental education component
- Includes local community participation and stakeholder collaboration in destination planning and tourism management
- Provision of a high quality tourism experience
- Supports human rights and international labor agreements
Certification and Accreditation
It is important for consumers, industry members, investors, and governments to be able to identify groups that adhere to the standards of ecotourism for many reasons. Certification programs, if done well, can allow for all actors to make informed decisions, and can increase incentives (financial and otherwise) for companies and groups to comply with environmental standards. [7]
Some countries and NGOs offer certification programs. Cost Rica, for example, has a government-run program called the Certification of Sustainable Tourism program (in Spanish,)
- Regulations and Policy: a look at governmental and other policy/rules as they have evolved in recent years and as they stand now [8]
- Examples of specific policies in areas with coral reefs
Effects of Ecotourism on Coral Reefs and Surrounding Communities
Economic
- Positive Economic Impacts [5]
- Economic value: Income, job creation, stimulant to economy; increased attention to long-term maintenance for long-term economic benefits
- Sustainable development [9]
- Case Studies [10]
- Negative Economic Impacts
- Corporate/big business infiltration in small and/or low-income communities may cause reformation of entire job market and local industry which can have huge effects on local quality of life (community degradation, loss of local resources, economic segregation and growth in wealth gaps, displacement of local residents) [11]
- Case Studies [10]
- Corporate/big business infiltration in small and/or low-income communities may cause reformation of entire job market and local industry which can have huge effects on local quality of life (community degradation, loss of local resources, economic segregation and growth in wealth gaps, displacement of local residents) [11]
Environmental
- Positive Environmental Impacts [12]
- Negative Environmental Impacts [14]
- Tragedy of the commons (related to the rest of the list)
- Dangers of consumer-driven practices and commercialization of natural areas [15]
- Air, water, other pollution caused by increased human activity/proximity to reefs [14]
- Trampling/other destruction of reef organisms
- Frequent disturbances to reef environment
- Local additions to commercial activity and infrastructure impacting larger ecosystems of coral reefs
- Case Studies [10]
Social/Cultural
- Positive Social/Cultural Impacts [16]
- Education, cultural exposure and growth
- Protection of local areas, people as part of natural resource [17]
- Economic positives
- Negative Social/Cultural Impacts: Similar to final point in economic effect section above [11]
See also/further reading
- A place for links to other interesting resources and information (may or may not be on final page)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cater, Carl and Erlet. Marine Ecotourism: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Cambridge, MA: CABI Publications, 2007. Print. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "marine eco" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Weaver, David. "The Encyclopedia of Ecotourism." Oxon, UK: CABI Publishing, 2001. Print.
- ↑ Aronsson, Lars. "The Development of Sustainable Tourism." London, UK: Bath House, 2000. Print.
- ↑ Weaver, David. Ecotourism. Milton, Qld.: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. Print.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Diamantis, Dimitrios. Ecotourism: Management and Assessment. London: Thomson, 2004. Print.
- ↑ Honey, Martha. Ecotourism & Certification: Setting Standards in Practice. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2002. Print.
- ↑ Fennell, D. and Dowling, R.K. Ecotourism policy and planning. New York, NY: CABI Publications, 2003. Print.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Luck, Michael and Kirstges, Torsten. Global Ecotourism Policies and Case Studies: Perspectives and Constraints. Clevedon: Channel View Publications, 2003. Print.
- ↑ Carribean Foresters. Linking Conservation, Tourism, and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean. Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico: USDA Forest Service Institute of Tropical Forestry, 2008. Print.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Buckley, Ralf. Case Studies in Ecotourism. Oxon, UK and Cambridge, MA: CABI Publications, 2003. Print.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Duffy, Rosaleen. A trip too far: ecotourism, politics, and exploitation. Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publications, 2002. Print.
- ↑ Singh, Sagar. Shades of Green: Ecotourism for Sustainability. New Delhi: The Energy and Resources Institute, 2004. Print.
- ↑ Cote, Isabelle M. and Reynolds, John D. Coral reef conservation. Cambridge, MA; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Liddie, M.J. Recreation Ecology: The ecological impact of outdoor recreation and ecotourism. New York, NY: Chapman & Hall, 1997. Print.
- ↑ Duffy, Rosaleen. Nature Crime: How We're Getting Conservation Wrong. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010. Print.
- ↑ The World Tourism Summit, Quebec City, May 2002, Final Report. Madrid: World Tourism Organization, 2002. Print.
- ↑ Cock, Peter. Australian Ecotourism: Contributing to Ecological and Community Sustainability. Melbourne, Vic.: School of Geography and Environmental Science, Montash University, 2002. Print.