Eco-Tourism: Encouraging Conservation or Adding to Exploitation?

Eco-tourism has emerged as one of the most critical sectors of the international tourism industry. At its best, eco-tourism is responsible travel to natural areas that safeguard the integrity of the ecosystem and produces economic benefits for local communities that can encourage conservation. At the nexus of the population and the environment, eco-tourism is a creative way of marrying the goals of ecological protection and economic development.

Unfortunately, while some eco-tourism projects succeed in promoting both of these causes, others are less successful. Environmental deterioration and inequitable development may, in some cases, actually be exacerbated by eco-tourism. To ensure that eco-tourism fulfills its promise, policymakers, promoters, and participants should make sure that all tourism activities have a minimal environmental impact.

Let’s find out ecotourism’s potential upside and downside

A BOOMING INDUSTRY

The eco-tourism industry, which is overgrowing, has emerged as one of the most critical sectors of the international tourism industry, making up 7% of the world tourism market. In the Asia-Pacific region alone, eco-tour operators report growth rates of 10% to 25% a year. Demand for quality eco-tourism destinations will continue to grow as urban congestion, pollution, crowding, and concern for the natural environment all increase.

• More money. Many developing countries with established eco-tourism destinations have seen the number of eco-tourists, and the money they spend during their visits, dramatically increase over the last several years. When indirect expenditures on such items as hotel rooms, rental cars, and food are included, eco-tourists spend between US$93 billion and US$233 billion annually in developing countries.
• New investments. Many developing countries, boasting large, intact tropical ecosystems, pristine beaches, and archaeological ruins, are eager to carve out a niche in this multibillion-dollar industry. Countries are investing in eco-tourism as a means of attracting foreign capital to propel economic development. Representatives of five Central American governments have formed a consortium, “Mundo Maya” (Mayan World), to promote visits to their cultural and natural attractions.

A BOOST TO CONSERVATION

• Self-financing protected areas. Revenue derived from park-entrance fees and similar sources can help finance the protection and management of environmentally sensitive areas. In Rwanda’s Parc des Volcans, tourists pay US$170 to spend one hour with lowland gorillas, generating US$1 million annually for the Rwandan government. This money is used to support the management and operation of all of Rwanda’s protected areas.
• Wildlife pays, so wildlife stays. Local communities, understanding the economic benefits of eco-tourism, are often motivated to protect resources and adopt conservationist attitudes. In Amboseli Park in Kenya, one much-publicized study estimated that each lion was worth $27,000, and each elephant herd was worth $610,000 in tourism revenue per year.
• Driving sustainable development. Park authorities in Madagascar dole out 50% of park-entrance fees to local communities for sustainable development projects.
• Long-term income. Eco-tourism often proves to be a more sustainable development strategy than extractive uses of the land, such as logging, grazing, mining, or agriculture. In one economic assessment of rainforest land use in Bahia, Brazil, Conservation International determined that logging the forest provided an initial high return, followed by little income. Conversion of the forest into pastureland was even less profitable and required a substantial initial investment. The study concluded that eco-tourism provided the most profit over the long term.
• Environmental education. Residents can benefit from the ecological education eco-tourism provides. Honduran schoolchildren from the capital city of Tegucigalpa are routinely taken to visit the La Tigra cloud forest visitor center, funded in part by eco-tourist dollars, to learn about the intricacies of the rainforest.

To be continued …