ECOTOURISM

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ECOTOURISM

• A GENTLE EXPLOITATION ?

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WHEN IS IT ECOTOURISM?WHEN IS IT JUST TOURISM?
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Is this an ecotourism destination?
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What about this destination?
Guys, dont answer !
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Ecotourism Responsible travel to natural areas
that conserves the environment and improves the
welfare of local people.

• Versus
• Mass tourism Large-scale tourism, typically
  associated with sea, sand, sun resorts and
  characteristics such as transnational ownership,
  minimal direct economic benefit to destination
  communities, seasonality, and package tours.

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Tourism in general
By 2003

• As the largest business sector in the world
  economy, tourism employs 200
• million people, generates 3.6 trillion in
  economic activity and accounts for
• One in every 12 or 8 of jobs worldwide.

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Global tourism economy
As of 20074 years later

• 230 million jobs
• 10 of global gross domestic product
• 6.5 trillion, 4.6 annual growth

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Global tourism

• If tourism were a country, its economy would be
  the 2nd largest in the world.
• In 4 out of 5 countries tourism is in the top
  five export earners.
• In 60 countries, tourism is the number one export
  earner.

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Global growth of tourism

• 1950 25 million tourist arrivals
• 2004 760 million tourism arrivals
• 2020 -- forecast to reach 1.56 billion
  international arrivals
• 1990s growing globally at 7/year
• 2004 grew globally 10 over 2003

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Importance to developing countries

• Tourism is a principle export (foreign
  exchange earner) for 83 of developing countries,
  and the leading export for 1/3 of poorest
  countries.
• For worlds 40 poorest countries, tourism is 2nd
  most important source of foreign exchange, after
  oil

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Difficult to separate ecotourism from general
tourism.but here are some best estimates
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Ecotourism

• Beginning in 1990s, growing 20 - 34/year
• In 2004, ecotourism/nature tourism was growing
  globally 3 times faster than
• tourism industry as a whole.

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Ecotourism/Nature tourism

• Sun and surf visits show no trend.
• Growth is nature based destinations.

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• Sun-and-sand resort tourism has now matured as
  a market and its growth is projected to remain
  flat. In contrast, experiential tourism--which
  encompasses ecotourism, nature, heritage,
  cultural, and soft adventure tourism, as well as
  sub- sectors such as rural and community
  tourismis among the sectors expected to grow
  most quickly over the next two decades.

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Economics of mass tourism vs ecotourism

• In Costa Rica, tourism (most of which is
  ecotourism) generates 1000/visitor while in
  France, standard tourism generates only
  400/visitor.
• In Dominica, in the Caribbean, stay over
  tourists using small, nature-based lodges spent
  18 times more than cruise passengers spend while
  visiting the island.

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• 80 of money for all-inclusive package tours
  goes to airlines, hotels, and other international
  companies. Eco-lodges hire and purchase locally,
  and therefore put a higher sometimes as much as
  95 of money into the local economy.

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• A survey of U.S., British, and Australian
  travelers revealed that 70 would pay up to 150
  more for a two-week stay in a hotel with a
  responsible environmental attitude.

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Costa Rica

• One countrys experience with ecotourism

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Small country. Rich Biodiversity

• About the size of West Virginia
• 0.03 per cent of worlds land surface
• More than 10 of the worlds land biodiversity
• Costa Rica biodiversity is nearly 1000 times
  above average.
• 25 of country has some level of protection.

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Birds, bats, and frogs make up most of the
vertebrate diversity
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Decline of tropical amphibians

• Are tourists (or maybe ecologists) transporting
  the chytrid fungal pathogen into new regions?

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Why is Costa Rica so rich in biodiversity?

• Tropical
• Two coasts
• Wet and dry forests
• Montane forests
• Admixtures from North and South America
• Periodic isolation

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Biodiversity Species

• 9000 higher plants (900trees, 1500 orchids)
• 850 birds (50 hummingbirds)
• 200 mammals (50 are bats !)
• 150 amphibians (few salamanders)
• 200 reptiles (mostly snakes)
• 300000 insects (10 worlds butterflies)
• Total more than 500000 species!!

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Who is responsible?

• Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE)
  delegates to
• National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
• 1998, Biodiversity Law
• 1999, National Strategy for Conservation and
  Sustainable Use of Biodiversity

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• National Strategy was highly participatory
• Biodiversity Law established National Commission
  for Biodiversity Management (CONAGEBIO).
• CONAGEBIO together with SINAC are responsible for
  natural resources
• Internationally, Costa Rica has ratified such
  agreements as CITES, Ramsar, Kyoto, etc.
• Committed publicly to be carbon neutral in 10-20
  years

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UGA has a field station in Costa Rica with
programs that embrace such themes as
conservation, agroecology, anthropology, insect
natural history, tropical birds, among others.
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Future of Costa Rica Foreign owned resorts
(lower left) or Costa Rican owned nature lodges
(lower right) ? And, land prices on coast and in
mountains increased more than 10 fold in past 15
years. Ordinary land is being priced beyond the
reach of most Costa Ricans.
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Ecotourism problems

• Too many visitors to fragile sites
• Visitors cant see the birds, etc.
• As revenues grow, large tourism operations with
  little community connection begin to take over.
• Land prices and cost of living increase.

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The Emerald Pool grotto in Dominica
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Emerald Pool when the cruise ship is in port
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A cruise ship of this size can disgorge over
2000 tourists when in port and over a ton of
garbage daily.
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Is tourism the salvation or the curse of the
Galapagos?
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Forest birds use shade-grown coffee farms. Birds
are easier to see, farmers earn fees, tourist
learns about coffee.