Ecotourism and the environment:

The environment is one of the primary concerns of ecotourism, which often involves travel to
relatively undisturbed areas. As the tourism product is often dependent upon nature, negative
impacts upon that resource should be minimized. As Cater [1994] notes, even the most
conscientious tourist will have some degree of impact on the environment and so ecotourism
should therefore attempt to minimize that impact. Many studies of tourism attempt to identify an
environmental carrying capacity but a major difficulty of this technique is that it “implies the
existence of fixed and determinable limits to development and that if one stays below those
threshold levels no changes or deterioration will occur” [Murphy, 1994, p.282; see also Gunn,
1994, Farrell & Runyan, 1991, p.31].

Ecotourism, the local population and economic benefits:

A definition of ecotourism must also take into account the local population - ecotourism should
minimize negative impacts on the host community because otherwise the local population may
come to dislike the presence of tourism, and this could undermine its long-term prospects.
Tourism is likely to have the greatest socio-cultural impacts on small, isolated communities
[Pearce, 1994] which may themselves be one of the tourist attractions. As a result, any cultural
changes in the community's way of life may reduce the tourism product's overall marketability
and therefore future prospects. At the same time, ecotourism should produce direct economic
benefits for the local community if it is to receive their continued support – benefits that should
compliment rather than overwhelm traditional practices and sources of income [Wallace &
Pierce, 1996]. However, such economic benefits and material wealth obtained by the local
community may themselves lead to cultural changes in their way of life. The literature on
ecotourism asserts that economic benefits should be accrued by the host community whilst at the
same time preserving the environment and cultural way of life of that community. Little of the
literature acknowledges the fact that the two will often be mutually exclusive. An article by Wall
[1997] notes that “ecotourism is an agent of change” [p.490]. He also notes the widespread
misuse of the term “sustainable tourism”, asserting that it should be considered as “tourism
which is in a form which can maintain its viability in an area for an indefinite period or time”
[ Butler , 1993, cited in Wall, 1997, p.486]. Considering that “ecotourism is not automatically
sustainable” [Wall, 1997, p.490], it may have to be viewed as part of a longer term strategy of
sustainable development in which tourism is later phased out [Prosser, 1994]. Such an argument
questions the underlying principle of ecotourism – that it is a sustainable form of tourism.

It is widely agreed that the host population should receive economic benefits from ecotourism.
Without economic benefits, the host community will have little reason to view the intrusion of
tourists positively and will have little incentive to protect the environment upon which tourism
depends. Ecotourism is often found in designated protected areas or national parks which may
have been imposed upon the indigenous population and if they can see no benefit from it's
existence, they may have little incentive to adhere to the environmental regulations of the
“common pool” resource [Hardin, 1968; Healy, 1994; see also Bird, 1997]. Ecotourism is
regarded by some critics as a form of neo-colonialism, and the question of who actually benefits
from the designation of protected areas is addressed by Mowforth and Munt [1998, p.177]:

“There is the question of who actually gains from the construction of parks. It rarely seems to be
the local people and, indeed, part of the answer seems to be found in the removal of local rights
and a loss or denial of ownership. Instead it is the rich consumer in the industrialised North with
leisure and wealth to be a tourist in the Third World who gains from the designation of national
parks”.

Ecotourism and local participation

Great importance is attached to the need for local participation in ecotourism. According to
Wallace and Pierce [1996], ecotourism is a type of tourism that “maximizes the early and long-
term participation of local people in the decision making process that determines the kind and
amount of tourism that should occur” [p.850]. There are important reasons for local involvement
other than a moral obligation to incorporate the people tourism will affect. The degree of control
the local population has over tourism in their locality is generally perceived as being a significant
element of sustainability [Mowforth & Munt, 1998]. As was noted earlier, ecotourism is required
to provide direct economic benefits to the local community and minimize negative
environmental and socio-cultural impacts. The most likely way these objectives can be achieved
is if the local community are actively participating in and empowered through ecotourism. Cater
[1994, p.84] points out that:

“In terms of conserving the natural and socio-cultural resource base, the time perspective of the
local population is longer than that of outside entrepreneurs concerned with early profits. They
are also more likely to ensure that traditions and lifestyles will be respected. Their co-operation
is also a vital factor in reducing infringements of conservation regulations such as poaching and
indiscriminate tree-felling”.

Drake [1991, p.134] notes further advantages of involving the local community in ecotourism
projects:

“Local participation functions as an early warning system, helping managers to avoid or plan for
decisions that might otherwise cause conflict with the local population. Also, including a
participation program in the design stage of a project provides the opportunity for the local
community to become educated about the purpose and benefits of the project, thereby increasing
support for the effort.”

Tourism that includes indigenous communities as part of the tourist attraction is often accused of
being a process of zooification which leads to a position of powerlessness for the local people.
The key to avoiding such situations is local control of and participation in the tourism activity
[Mowforth & Munt, 1998].

The degree of power wielded by the local community in relation to tourism activities is crucial to
its long-term prospects and sustainability. Their empowerment might go some way to counter the
claim that tourism, and ecotourism in particular, is a form of neo-colonialism. However, as
Mowforth & Munt [1998, p.240] note, “the push for local participation comes from a position of
power, the First World”

Ecotourism and education

The final principle to which ecotourism should adhere is that of education. Wight [1994, p.40]
asserts that ecotourism “should involve education among all parties – local communities,
government, non-governmental organizations, industry and tourists (before, during and after the
trip)”. Guides should therefore have been taught conservation issues and the tourists should be
told about local conservation efforts and why they are deemed important. Tourists should be
made aware of the damaging potential of their stay and should be properly informed on
“ecotourism etiquette” and how to behave to reduce any negative impacts they might have
[Cater, 1994, p.81].

Ecotourism essentially means ecological tourism, where ecological has both environmental and
social connotations. It is defined both as a concept / tourism movement and as a tourism sector.
Born in its current form in the late 1980s, Ecotourism came of age in 2002, when the United
Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". The tourism industry defines it as
being "environmentally responsible travel to relatively undisturbed areas, to enjoy and appreciate
nature and accompanying cultural features and to become aware of the need for preserving
natural capital and cultural capital,. Ecotourism should have low visitor impact and should
contribute to the well-being of local populations." However, this is a vibrant, new movement and
there are various definitions.

Many global environmental organizations, and aid agencies favor ecotourism as a vehicle to
sustainable development.

Ideally, Ecotourism must satisfy several criteria, such as

• conservation (and justification for conservation) of biological diversity and cultural

diversity, through ecosystems protection
• promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, by providing jobs to local populations
• sharing of socio-economical benefits with local communities and indigenous people by
having their informed consent and participation in management of ecotourism business.
• increase of environmental & cultural knowledge
• minimisation of tourism's own environmental impact
• affordability and lack of waste in the form of luxury

For many countries, ecotourism is not so much seen as a marginal activity intended to finance
protection of the environment than as a major sector of national economy and as a means of
getting currencies. For example, in countries such as Kenya, Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and
Madagascar, ecotourism represents a significant chunk of foreign revenue.

Critics claim that ecotourism as practiced and abused often consists in placing a hotel in a
splendid landscape, to the detriment of the ecosystem. According to them, ecotourism must
above all sensitize people with the beauty and the fragility of nature. They condemn some
operators as "green-washing" their operations--that is, using the label of "ecotourism" and
"green-friendly", while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways.

Although academics argue about who can be classified as an ecotourist, and there is precious
little statistical data, some estimate that more than five million ecotourists--the majority of the
worldwide population--come from the United States, with other ecotourists coming from Europe,
Canada and Australia.

Countries where Ecotourism has been championed by the government include Costa Rica and
Australia. Currently there are various moves to create national and international Ecotourism
certification programs, although the process is causing controversy.