ECOTOURISM…IT ALL
STARTED WITH A LOO
Dear Readers,
As promised,
we wanted to bring you a more “out there” Travel Trend this time. Whilst mulling this idea over, it came to us…on
the loo. I kid you not, dear
Readers: an “eco-loo”. In interesting experience and not an entirely
unpleasant one. It made complete and
perfect sense. I won’t go into the
mechanics of it now, Google it if you really want to, but it’s not as gruesome as
it sounds, and actually a lot cleaner and certainly a lot kinder to the environment. So today, thanks to our epiphany on the loo,
we have decided to bring you “Ecotourism”, the history, the principles and some
examples of the magnificent tours you can take.
So, we ask, what
is “Ecotourism”? The dictionary tells us
its tourism directed towards exotic, of threatened, natural environments,
intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.
But why is it
relevant? As places such as Cornwall and
Thailand now either try to dissuade tourists or even close their beaches to
tourists, it’s clear to see the negative impacts that mass tourism has had on
our traditional holiday destinations.
What are we doing about it? How
are other countries handling it? Let’s
find out:
There are
hundreds of names used for Ecotourism such as Sustainable Tourism, Conscious
Travel etc but they all refer to the same movement. That movement was started back in the 1970s
with the ethos that the travel industry as a whole should be more environmentally
friendly, support the local communities it visits and most of all PROTECT the
natural and cultural heritage of each destination.
The whole
idea underpinning Ecotourism is that it has to benefit financially the indigenous
people, not just preserve the environment.
History
It all began
with the Sierra Club’s Outing Programme as far back as 1892where members were
taken to the Sierra Nevada to see its natural wonders and “become active
workers for the preservation of the forests”.
Ecotourism started
in earnest in the 1970s where the term was coined, apparently, by Hector
Ceballos-Lascurain, to describe travelling to remote areas to enjoy both their
beauty and culture. By 1984 he’d founded
Ecotours. Megan Epler Wood was also a
large part of the early movement and ensured that people visiting the Columbian
Rainforests were bringing benefits to the locals. She started the International Ecotourism
Society and when she left, was replaced by Dr Martha Honey who maintains that
over the years, the ethos of Ecotourism has remained the same. She states that it now encompasses such
important factors as animal welfare, human trafficking, child sexual abuse, carbon
offsets, the Slow Food Movement, organic agriculture, travel philanthropy and
fair trade.
Ecotourism Today
Ecotourism is
now considered one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry. Did you know, in fact, dear Readers, that it
sees an annual 5% growth and in fact, accounts for 6% of the World GDP?! Is this sounding a bit like an A-Level Geography
lesson? I’m sorry, we’ll go travelling
in a minute…
The ethos and
thinking behind Ecotourism is the same, come what may. As it has seen such growth economically, the original
principles need to be adhered to. These
include education of both locals and tourists alike; making sure that any
facilities built are low to zero impact; using the money to go back into the
areas to prevent such things as deforestation; using the money to benefit the
locals; making sure the locals’ rights are protected.
So that’s the
theory of it…And noble it is, too. But
what we really want to know is, where can we go? Well, there are an increasing plethora of
places, as you can imagine, dear Readers, so we’ve taken some examples of
places you may not have thought of to give you some exciting examples:
British Columbia, Canada
Go native
with Maple Leaf Adventures (https://mapleleafadventures.com/destinations/canada/)
who offer life-changing adventures in this amazing part of the World. They don’t build structures so it’s a build nothing
leave nothing idea. They respect the
system they’re visiting such as an estuary where bears need to focus on eating
without being disturbed. They restrict
the number of guests they take. They
have protocol agreements with the indigenous population to ensure economic
stability. Complete immersion in the environment
along with the locals is encouraged so the guests can get the best possible experience. Maple Leaf have formed committees to ensure
sustainable tourism is maximised at all times but also sustainable bear
watching! Trips include “Great Bear
Rainforest” where you explore fjords and rainforests, seeing bears and other
wildlife or “Spirit Bear” where you are immersed in the local culture and of
course their spiritual beliefs. “Broughton
Archipelago (Whales and Totems)” allows the exploration of 200 islands where
you can see orca and humpback whales and learn all about the local coastal
cultures.
Interestingly,
during research of all these destinations, dear Readers, one discovers that the
top Ecotourism destinations, or certainly the most exotic, are also the most spiritual. It’s really important to Ecotourism that the
tourists understand and immerse themselves in their local spiritual cultures as
well as the environmental ones. One
could indeed argue the spirituality of the locals is why these places have
managed to survive with their environments intact and the next one is an
excellent example of this:
Bhutan
In recent
years, Bhutan has become synonymous with Ecotours. Probably because the country itself controls
every aspect of its tourism. Did you
know that they impose a 200USD fee per person per day? This includes food, accommodation, local
transport, guides etc, but everything is controlled. From this charge, however, the money goes
straight into health and education for the locals, along with infrastructure
and development of tourism for the country. Bhutan is a mind-blowing place, and very, very
spiritual which is why the environment there has been kept so pristine by the indigenous
populace. The mountains, rocks, rivers
and trees have been preserved and revered as they are considered the home of
deities and gods. Bhutan Mind Vacation
Tours (http://www.bhutanmindvacation.com/)
give you everything “Bhutan” and more, and in traditional eco-style, arrange
for visitors to volunteer to help the local community. They arrange for you to stay with the locals,
you can explore, viewing some of the highest mountain peaks in the World. You can do a “Yoga and Wellness Retreat” or
go on an adventure tour of the “Land of Happiness” with mountain flights, white
water rafting, hiking, visiting dzongs and Buddhist gompas. You can do a “Pilgrimage and Spiritual Journey”
tour in the ultimate place for serenity, participating in Buddhist rituals and
offerings. All in all, the opportunity
is there, delivering the original principles of Ecotourism.
Patagonia
Taking in
Argentina and Chile, Patagonia is breath-taking in terms of magnitude of the
landscape: volcanos, glaciers, deserts,
you name it. Blue Green Adventures (http://bluegreenadventures.com/) reflects
the original Ecotourism principles in its tours, ensuring zero visitor impact
and creating as much local employment as possible in all facets of its
tours. It’s dedicated to educating its
guests in all things Ecotourism and showing them first-hand how it works. For example you can do a Whale Watching Tour
where an eco-camp has been created on the Brunswick Peninsula in Southern
Chile. Here you can see humpback whales,
Chilean and peale dolphins, penguins, sea lions and many sea birds. The camp has been designed to minimize impact
by building permanent tents on platforms with wooden gang planks linking them
to avoid plant and soil destruction which is a really clever idea. There are tents for lectures and dining and
the camp creates its own energy and disposes of its own waste in a way that
avoids contamination and pollution of the environment. You can go on kayaking tours, or trekking, or
even visit the penguins in Antarctica, all completely ecologically friendly.
Rwanda
Probably not
an obvious place, but did you know that Rwanda is one of the cleanest nations in
the World?! They were the first to ban
plastic bags! They plant millions of
trees a year, and have a revolutionary “Green Fund” which only supports
projects which facilitate the country’s green economy. Eco Tours Rwanda (https://www.ecotoursrwanda.com/)
will bespoke you a Gorilla Tour or Safari, a Wildlife Safari, Cultural Tours,
Local Community Tours and more. The
Gorilla Tours will take you to Volcanos National Park from 1 day to 2
weeks. They arrange for visitors to stay
in Eco-Lodges which are not only sustainable, but have room service (my kind of
Eco-touring, I’m not going to lie, dear Readers). From here you can go Gorilla trekking, Golden
Monkey trekking and more, but all supporting the local community. There’s also Rwanda Eco Tours (http://www.rwandaecotours.com/) which
is also worth a mention as it’s run by locals with all the benefit of local knowledge
and again, the opportunity for Ecotourism to benefit the local community
directly. It’s also benefited the
wildlife, as they have actively stopped poachers of the beloved yet endangered
mountain gorillas. They really care and
they really make an impact. They’ll
bespoke you a tour, or you can do one of their scheduled tours and meet the
people of a million smiles.
Belize
Something told
me to research Belize, dear Readers. It’s
long been somewhere I’d love to visit, and interestingly enough, Belize is at
the forefront of protecting biodiversity and natural resources. The Belize Barrier Reef is a protected site,
and the second largest in the World.
Bottom trawling (scraping the bottom of the seabed with fishing nets)
and offshore oil drilling within 1 km of the reef have been banned. The ecotourism industry in Belize is so
strong and offers so much: bird
watching, scuba diving, diving, kayaking, rafting, hiking, snorkelling,
fishing. You can see whale sharks,
jaguars at the World’s only jaguar reserve “Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary”,
and scarlet macaws. Naturally Belize (https://www.naturallybelize.co.uk/holidays/belize-jungle-and-beach-itinerary)
offers tailor made itineraries such as “Jungle and Beach”: 3 nights in a remote jungle lodge in tropical
rainforest on the edge of a lagoon and close to the Mayan Ruins of Lamanai and
5 nights at the Luxury Chabil Mar near Placencia Village. In the jungle you’ll see Howler monkeys,
crocodiles, toucans and other birds. In
Placencia you’ll relax on a beach, taking a fast boat to the outer cays to experience
the magnificent coral reefs, tropical fish, sharks and stingrays if you’re
lucky. You can also visit the jaguar
reserve, all for £2385 all inclusive.
We could go
on, but we won’t. I think you get the
idea. Of course, you don’t have to go so
far flung, you can visit Ecotourism destinations in Slovakia, Croatia, Ireland,
Romania and Lithuania to name but a few.
So in
conclusion, what do we think, dear Readers?
It’s certainly something different, isn’t it?! It is perhaps, one could argue, a sort of
cross between an organised tour and backpacking…but sustainable at the same time. I, for one, am sold.
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