Your detailed and thorough post due by Wednesday@MIDNIGHT for full credit (A). Partial credit (C) can be earned by posting late, which is better than a ZERO.
Remember, weekly blogging is worth 1/3 of your entire semester grade.
Be sure to communicate with Dr. W as needed - rob.williams@madriver.com.
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 4 (The Galapagos Islands: Test Site
for Theories of Evolution and Ecotourism).
1) THESIS: IYOW, post a single sentence that captures the thesis for EACH CHAPTER/ SECTION of our reading.
2) EVIDENCE: Post and number THREE specific observations from EACH CHAPTER/SECTION of our reading(s) that supports your thesis.
Use 2-3 sentences for each observation, and combine direct quotations from the text (AUTHOR's LAST NAME, 27), with IYOW analysis.
3) QUESTION: Include in your post a SINGLE SPECIFIC question you'd ask the class based on our readings.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThesis: Increasing tourism to the Galapagos Islands can be educational but is it possible to have increased tourism to the Galapagos Islands without destroying them entirely?
ReplyDelete1. “Until recently, the islands’ remoteness helped preserve the Galapagos as a unique living laboratory for observing evolution” (125). Because there used to be only public transportation aboard cargo ships, it made it easier to preserve the island. Now since ecotourism has become a “fad”, it’s making it tough to keep it the way it used to be.
2. “As Ecuador adopted free-market and structural adjustment policies in the mid-1980’s and ecotourism became the latest buzzword within the travel industry, there was a flurry of tourism investment, producing new vessels, companies and hotels in the archipelago”(127). It’s frustrating to see that just because ecotourism became such a big “hit” within the travel industry, people are risking to destroy locations that should be kept the way that they are. The fact that there has even been talk of creating casinos there is mind blowing.
3. “The Special Law also officially established the Galapagos Marine Reserve, making it the world’s second-largest marine reserve”(136). I think it’s incredibly important to get these types of reserves in place and have certain things protecting this type of land so that people can’t come in and ruin it just because they feel like taking pictures for their social media accounts.
Question: Do you think they will eventually end ecotourism on the Galapagos Islands?
Thesis: The Galapagos has been a frontier for ecotourism, but there are environmental consequences to being a guinea pig of this kind of tourism.
ReplyDelete1. The attraction of the Galapagos as a tourist destination is how untouched it is, a unique ecosystem, and biodiversity. This is an outdoor enthusiasts paradise. Up until the 1980’s there was little to no interaction with the Galapagos and the outside world. In the 1980’s ecotourism took off and the Galapagos became an attraction. Since then resorts, eco tourist hotels, and transportation to the island have popped up. This fascination of this untouched land is leading to the development of the island as a tourist destination which will eventually ruin it. Graham Watkins, the executive director of the Charles Darwin Foundation fear this will lead to the destruction of the islands in this quote “What we have here is an unsustainable model of development” (Honey, 126).
2. In 1998 Ecuador passed “The Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of Galapagos Province” also called just the Special Law. This was an incredibly important piece of legislation for the environmental conservation of the Galapagos. The goals of this law were to cap the population of residents by only allowing people who have already lived there for more than five years to continue to live there, the rest could have work visas that would expire and they would often be deported. “The environmental police, reported an average of ninety-four people each month during 2000.”(Honey, 136). Another part of the law was that all of the coastline of the Galapagos Islands were set aside to become the Galapagos Marine Reserve. The law also made it that the money that came from employment and tourism must go towards the local economy and that no more tourists facilities would be built. These are all crucial pieces of legislation that aim at protecting to the Galapagos.
3. Globalization has also had a major effect on the Galapagos. The Galapagos once was just the isolated archipelago that had little to no contact with the outside world. Now with the tourism boom the Galapagos is facing major globalization. “Galapagos now suffers from globalization and all that globalization brings with it, including the rapid buildup of tourism.”(Honey, 152). This created a booming economy but very little of the money is going into the pockets of the people of the Galapagos. The natural areas are also being impacted by this growth. The natural environment has been affected because of development, overfishing, and immigration. Ecotourism has lead to the destruction of much of these lands.
Question: Is there a way to have sustainable tourism in places like the Galapagos or should we consider not traveling to untouched areas if we may destroy them?
Thesis: The Galapagos offer a unique insight into what happens when ecotourism and commercial development cross paths.
ReplyDelete1. “In this fragile natural and political environment, ecotourism is widely recognized as the only viable commercial activity capable of both protecting the resource base and providing sustainable livelihoods” (122). In theory ecotourism should be the perfect industry for the Galapagos. However, the massive rise in tourism has brought with it many negative external factors that are compromising the fragile ecosystems that ecotourism should be protecting.
2. “Gradually, two competing tendencies developed in the Galapagos’s nature-based tourism industry…” (126). The Galapagos developed two diametrically opposed versions of nature based tourism at the same time. There are packed beaches full of unloving tourists who are staying in hotels, and lower density “ecotourism” for the rich on tour boats.
3. “The ecotourism boom has brought with expanded resources for the GNPS, which counts on its portion of the park entrance fee to fund many of its activities” (138). This is one of the ways in which ecotourism has worked to benefit the Galapagos. We talked about this sort of phenomenon during the first week. However, I don’t think that it’s worth taking the “benefits” and running. There are still other external factors at play.
Discussion Question: Is the Galapagos an example of true ecotourism, or has it become bastardized by neoliberalism?
Thesis: The Galapagos is a great case study of ecotourism as it is one of the original and has developed its benefits and downfalls on a scale that can be studied and applied to other cases of ecotourism.
ReplyDelete1. “Ecotourism has also precipitated immigration, increased pressures on the ecosystem and civic infrastructures, and raised the risk introduced alien species” (Honey 122). While ecotourism has been quite successful in the Galapagos, there have been significant issues that have arisen. This gives other countries a look into the possible consequences that occur with both conventional and ecotourism practices.
2. During the first few years, the Galapagos’s parks had few rules and were exploited; however, there are now much stricter rules and fees so traveler’s effects are much less. Since the country carefully controls tourism, they avoid creating footprints. Furthermore, they have guide licensing, but the controversial allowance of two cruise ships has proven to be an issue debated over quite a lot.
3. According to Honey, the current ecotourism industry of the Galapagos meets all seven standards as it involves travel to natural destinations, minimizes impact, builds environmental awareness, provides direct financial benefits for conservation, provides direct financial benefits and empowerment for locals, respects local culture, and supports human rights and democratic movements. There have been issues that came up over time, but the industry is pretty solid now even with the concerns.
Questions: Should enacting fees and stricter rules like the Galapagos did be a method used in other countries as well? Would this decrease the amount of ecotourists in general or would it help weed out the ones who want a ‘watered down’ version of ecotourism?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThesis: The Galapagos Islands were once considered the first and most thriving example of ecotourism, but due to negative and unexpected consequences, the islands may be losing this reputation.
ReplyDelete1. The ecotourism industry in the Galapagos has both positive and negative impacts. For example, it promotes education and conservation efforts, as well as sustainable livelihoods for locals. However, there are also many downsides that have developed since the start of ecotourism in the Galapagos “On the other hand, ecotourism has also precipitated immigration, increased pressures on the ecosystem and civic infrastructures, and raised the risk of introduced alien species, a principal threat to endemic species” (Honey 122).
2. With the steady increase of travel to the Galapagos, ecotour services have had to rapidly grow in numbers, resulting in a loss of overall quality on these tours. “As tourist numbers have grown and competition has increased, companies have taken cost-saving shortcuts that negatively affect the marine reserve. Until recently, one of the most common practices was for boats to discharge their sewage and organic kitchen waste into the ocean” (Honey 148).The GNPS now has requirements that prevent this type of pollution, but only as of 2006.
3. In trying to bring the Galapagos back to the ecotourism paradise it once was, it is important to take the seven characteristics of real ecotourism into consideration. For example, benefiting the local people. The island community is divided between groups with many different goals and ethical standpoints. Many of the conflicts are between islanders that have been on the Galapagos for many years, and new immigrants who have new ideas for island economies. Because of this division, it is very difficult to come up with solutions that make the ecotourism industry benefit everyone. “Although the Special Law offered the best opportunity yet for building a stable and prosperous community centered on ecotourism, unless its provisions are enforced, it seems that these two broad factions will continue to engage in political and economic wrestling matches” (Honey 158).
Question: As an outsider coming into a new place and trying to ensure benefits to local people through ecotourism, what is the best way to incorporate diverse groups within the community in decision making?
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19xEe6snjVtVm0V4q8BPtcs9-imlk6uyVxnlnpiGp1sA/edit#slide=id.g30f375036f_0_307
ReplyDeleteThesis: In some cases, ecotourism can bring more harm than good to a destination. Although the Galapagos Islands were once considered a “Garden of Eden”, and prime spot for passionate adventurers, decades of irresponsible human behavior has caused possibly irreversible negative effects on the environments and ecosystems of the islands.
ReplyDeleteEvidence #1: “During the 1980s, as the ecotourism explosion began to bring world attention and new funds to the Galapagos, it also strained the islands’ ecosystem and their resident human population” (Honey 126). While ecotourism has the potential to reap bountiful benefits for a destination, more often than not things do not go as planned, and impacts pose more threats than passionate environmentalists can make up for.
Evidence #2: “To date, biodiversity in the Galapagos has survived well, but the long-term future of the biodiversity of the islands may well depend on decisions about sustainable development that are made during the next few years” (Honey 125). Earlier in the chapter, Honey wrote that even in the early 1800’s, the Galapagos Islands were seeing and experiencing the negative effects of human presence. She also claims that by 1959, most of the endangered species known to have disappeared since the arrival of humans had become extinct. Part of the reason why I’m citing this text is because it seems a little contradictory to what most of the evidence she references states. The other reason is because it emphasizes the crucial role humans must play in preservation and conservation once we have intruded in places we may not belong.
Evidence #3: “The Special Law negotiating process and the legislation itself were remarkable pieces of effective and consultative government action aimed at promoting sustainable development and ensuring local benefits. Its lofty goals-including to control immigration and to increase local benefits from tourism- have, sadly, not been met” (Honey 137). I think this excerpt beautifully demonstrates the careful dance those involved with ecotourism must perform in order to uphold the balance of impact, and the often unfortunate truth of environmental legislation in unique areas such as the Galapagos.
QUESTION: Is ecotourism worth it? Should tourism of any kind be allowed? Would we even be able to stop it at this point if we wanted to, or has it grown out of our control?
ECO Crush! :)
ReplyDeleteAll posts below this line = C/LATE!
Dr. W
Thesis: This chapter was to inform the reader on the Galapagos Islands so they know more about both the good things that are being done there for ecotourism and all the dangers it faces
ReplyDeleteThe largest danger at this time is the very large amount of tourists who go their every year. “Even more worrisome and, for political reasons, difficult to control has been the rapid acceleration in human arrivals” (150). This is a problem because while people are coming to the environment to experience nature they are also inadvertently putting a strain on it.
While this strain in undeniable it does not mean that the ecotourism industry has been a bad thing. “Nevertheless, the ecotourism industry’s contribution to conservation efforts on the Galapagos has, on the whole, been positive” (139). This is because they understand that the only reason they are making money is that people are coming to the island to experience nature.
The cultural aspect of ecotourism is not as relevant in this case. “This is not a significant issue in the Galapagos. Since much of the local community is imported.” The people who live on the islands now are not exactly native meaning to experience their culture in a pure for this would not be the place to do it.
Q. what solutions to these problems are their with the resources currently available?