Ecotourism: giving nature value

- September 10, 2020

I believe this might be a new term for some of us. Ecotourism is one of the most popular alternative tourism forms. It is different from traditional tourism because it allows the tourist to become enlightened about the areas of both in terms of the physical landscape and cultural characteristics. Ecotourism involves nature conservation by tourists who visit several attractions. The aim is to secure threatened species of flora and fauna which depend on nature for survival. This is mainly done by tourists to sustain the beauty and attraction of the sites. This is worth investing since the outcome benefits future generations and creates a sustainable source of government revenue.

Why Ecotourism?

This is one of the emerging questions at present. There are two groups, each expressing an opinion of their own regarding this question. While one group strongly suggests it as an effective tool for conservation, the other group denies it by terming it as a prominent threat to the existence of nature and its resources. Nevertheless, these contradicting opinions did build the objectives of ecotourism.

They are:

To raise environmental consciousness among the local population by educating them about the dangers of overexploiting resources and the unrestricted number of tourists.
To help preserve ecosystems and natural areas with high tourism potential.
To promote new economic incentives, alternate employment opportunities, etc.
To ensure communal ownership and control, where a part of the profits would flow into community development programs.
To foster a feeling of pride and communal unity through a revival or preservation of traditional practices and cultural techniques.

International Ecotourism Society (1970)

This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ecotourism, founded in 1970. Their global network of ecotourism professionals and travelers is leading to make tourism a viable tool for conservation, protection of bio-cultural diversity, and sustainable community development. In 1991, the Board established the mission and the definition of ecotourism. Therefore, to be considered as ecotourism, a trip must meet the following principles set by the International Ecotourism Society:

Reduce the impact of visiting the location.
Build respect and awareness for the environment and cultural practices.
Ensure that tourism provides positive experiences for both the visitors and the hosts.
Provide direct financial aid for conservation.
Provide financial aid, empowerment, and other benefits for local peoples.
Raise the traveler's awareness of the host country's political, environmental, and social climate.

Conservation

Perhaps the biggest promise of Ecotourism is conservation. This comprises of both pros and cons. Of the advantages, a direct benefit is financial outturns. The revenue generated through Ecotourism programs can be directly utilized for conservation endeavors. Indirect benefits are bringing up the issues concerning nature and its resources to light to the people, employment to the local people, and so on. Subsequently, the odds of visiting natural and cultural heritage areas will improve the capacity of people to value it, making aware of the significance of conservation. Ecotourism can be a straightforward method of imparting the possibility of conservation to the local people. Appropriate arrangements at the right time would increase the extent of awareness they investigate. On the other hand, Lack of awareness of the significance of nature and its resources is one of the important challenges faced by conservation endeavors.

A Module for Sustainable Development

Ecotourism is not only an instrument for conservation but something that ought to be utilized to advance sustainable development. If tourism is to contribute to sustainable development, it must be financially feasible, environmentally delicate, and culturally proper. Ecotourism is established in the concept of sustainable development, as characterized by the World Commission on Environment and Development's Brundtland report (1987). It is frequently seen as a device for promoting sustainable development, mainly in standardizing the nation. Ecotourism helps in community development by giving an alternate source of livelihood to the local community which is more admissible. Hence, ecotourism is accepted as a substitute to attain sustainable development.

Ecotourism is progressively being commended as a choice for sustainable development for rural communities, one that can induce monetary development and establish environmental assurance simultaneously. Besides, envisioned as a positive approach towards sustainable development, spontaneous or misguided and actualized tourism can have genuine negative impacts, balancing the benefits it was intended to give. Indeed, even the potential local benefits of ecotourism can prompt environmental damage to a secured territory. With the goal of ecotourism to have a sustainable development, the examinations for determining land use suitability gain weightiness. This along with other comparative techniques set standards for acceptable change and depict a methodology for determining such standards, measuring impacts, and recognizing management strategies for controlling negative impacts.

Criticisms of Ecotourism

It is criticized that expanded tourism to delicate areas or ecosystems without appropriate arrangement and administration can hurt the ecosystem and its species. It is because of the infrastructure expected to sustain tourism, for example, streets can prompt environmental degradation. Nonetheless, it should be taken into consideration that the arrival of foreign visitors and riches can bring about changes in political and economic sectors, making the zone reliant on tourism rather than the domestic economic practices. Choosing to overlook these criticisms, it can be noticed that ecotourism and tourism are increasing in popularity at a global level where job opportunities burst out, contributing to the economy.

The establishment of bio-assorted variety insurance cum-tourism conservation projects, people living in the territory will in general lose their safe house and methods for livelihood. Furthermore, the establishment of parks can make the harsh endurance of real factors and deny the people of their traditional utilization of land and natural resources. A portion of the deleterious effects, in any case, has been provided by the tourism to the security of the natural environment and cultural heritage, particularly, to the restoration of historical and archeological buildings, artworks.

Cultural Issues

The majority of the proposed advantages of tourism are not understood by indigenous cultures. It can be claimed that tourism has a positive impact. The interest communicated by tourists in craftsmanship, music, or artworks has aroused local fascination and pride, prompting a reformation of practices, particularly among youth. Tourism can produce advantages to local communities, for example, employment. However, despite the advantages which would have a positive long-term impact on culture, it relies upon the versatility of the local community and, perhaps more critically, the capacity of tourism operators and the communities themselves to perceive and sort out in manners that limit the huge social impacts. Ecotourism may affect culture than mass tourism since eco-tourists are rural people. Accordingly, specific consideration ought to be given to social impact evaluation in the development of ecotourism ventures.

Conclusion

In short, this nature-based tourism development by the organizations for tourism is an acknowledgment of the perceived value shifts in modern society favoring environmental conservation. Moreover, it is liable to be translated into greater active tourist participation, interest, and concern for the environment. The main purpose is not only ensuring socio-economic development but also the protection of natural and cultural landscape values to ensure awareness of nature conservation. However, achieving the aims in ecotourism depends on whether they are environmentally and ecologically sustainable and economically applicable or not. Also, there are countless similarities and significant differences exist between ecotourism and tourism. Yet, the impact of both tourism and ecotourism on the environment as well as the changes in people’s attitudes is worth noting.