Plan and lead an ecotour to a group of ecotourists or acquaintances
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SAMPLE NOTES
WHAT IS ECOTOURISM?
Ecotourism is a relatively new word which does not always have a clear definition. Even though some industry bodies may have adopted a particular definition, it still means very different things to different people. The following is one way of defining it:
ECOTOURISM is the combination of two words ECOLOGY and TOURISM. Ecology relates to the study or understanding of complex relationships in the natural world. Flora, fauna, soils, air, water and yes, even people are just some of the factors involved in interacting with one another. The nature of the relationship can be positive, negative or a combination of these or in rare instances of no consequence whatsoever. Often the long term effects will not be readily obvious, it is for this reason that management principles are so important in this developing industry. The direction ecotourism takes will be primarily up to the people who are involved at all levels of its implementation. Poor management will result in lost resources and ultimately a failed industry.
Travel and tourism is world’s largest industry and is also among the fastest growing economic sectors. The travel and tourism industry accounts for 10% of the world’s total economic output, almost 200 million jobs and is growing fast. The industry provides many benefits to travellers and the communities they visit. Some of these include increased opportunities for employment, increased local economies, and greater cultural appreciation.
The purpose of ecotourism is to foster an appreciation of nature and culture while promoting conservation, supporting sustainable community development, minimizing tourism’s negative impacts, and providing for the active, beneficial involvement of local communities. Ecotourism is also committed to sustainable operations environmentally sound practices. Ecotourism enables communities to thrive economically while preserving and restoring the resources on which the travel and tourism industry and local communities depend.
Social trends and attitudes will also influence the nature and direction of ecotourism. Tourists have always visited and enjoyed natural environments, and as societies became increasingly industrialised, the natural environment changed from being the environment in which most of the population lived and worked to something separate and apart from the society’s ‘important’ activities, like industry, commerce and politics. Nature came to be seen as something to visit, a place of respite and ease in which to take a break from the realities of city life. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the nineteenth century, natural sites were favourite holiday spots for many European travellers, and travelling to and through places of natural beauty became very popular among the middle and upper classes.
In the late nineteenth century, the rapid encroachment of cities and suburbs into natural environments and the subsequent threat to many natural sites triggered moves to set aside large areas of the natural environment for protection from further damage. Countries such as Canada, the U.S. and Australia established national parks, and two main attitudes towards those parks arose. One school of thought saw the prime role of national parks as conservation of natural resources for future use by future generations. Another saw the prime role as preservation or protection of the natural environment from potentially harmful use. This disagreement between conservationists and preservationists has continued to the present time, though the terms are no longer so widely used. Conservation of the environment has come to include both aims: that of saving resources for future generations and that of protecting the environment from harm, for its own sake.
