Ecotourism: Ultimate Top 10

Martha Honey Source

1.    Ecotourism’s Definition is a Bit Ambiguous

Megan Epler Wood and Martha Honey have given promising definitions of ecotourism, but the general concept is still ambiguous. This results in a lot of misconceptions about what is really ecotourism and causes the term to be thrown around when it possibly shouldn’t be. By combining Wood and Honey’s definitions, our class determined the best definition was the following: “Ecotourism is tourism in 1) places of ecological interest; 2) involving responsible travel to “natural areas” that 3) conserves the environment, 4) improves the well-being of local people, and 5) creates shared knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved (staff, travelers, and community residents).” If the definition was more universal and well known, it would prevent the misuse of the term’s goals.

2.    Revenue from Ecotourism Often Exceeds that of a more Exploitative One

Whale Watching Photo Source

“A study in Iceland found that the economic value of whale watching worldwide is $1 billion, far more than any financial gain that would come from hunting” (Honey 23). The economic benefit from ecotourism is often much higher than practices that were exploitative like trophy hunting or logging. This enables a higher use of ecotourism because it has major potential to provide more revenue to the local economy while being much more responsible and sustainable. However, it has to be implemented and maintained well to achieve the intended benefits.

3.    Many Countries are Starting to Rely on Ecotourism

For example, “In the Galapagos, more than almost anywhere in the world, the only viable commercial activity is high-quality, limited, and carefully monitored ecotourism” (Honey 136). With the revenue increase and high potential of ecotourism, there are some places that have started to rely on this type of tourism to support themselves. Easter Island is another example of a society that depends on the number of tourists that visit. This both shows how powerful ecotourism can be as well as how crucial it is that we continue to work with and perfect the concept of ecotourism.

Costa Rica National Parks Map Source

4.    National Parks Have Increased with Ecotourism

In general, the increase in ecotourism has also created a direct increase in national parks and reserves worldwide. “Today, more than 25% of Costa Rica’s territory…is under some form of protection” (Honey 169). The ecotourism industry has encouraged and founded new protected areas of land which is both important for the growing industry as well as the environment. National parks and reserves serve as the foundation for ecotourism and also is essential for conserving biodiversity and mitigating the damages we have already done to our planet.

5.    Natives have been Pushed off of Their Land

Maasai Fighting Eviction Source

Even though protecting land is highly important, the methods used to take the land for the park was very irresponsible in many instances, as native groups were often forced off of the land that had lived on for generations. For example, “If there is a single place in Tanzania that embodies the tensions between wildlife conservation, local rights and development, and tourism investment, it is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area” (Honey 237). There, they hurt the Maasai and “[reduced] the Maasai in NCA to the status of squatters in their own home” (Honey 239). This created a huge ethical problem surrounding the ways new reservations were formed and executed.

6.    Environmental Degradation Has Increased in Some Places

Even though a main focus is put on making the tourism industry more environmentally and sustainable, there have been places where ecotourism actually increased the negative impact of humans. In Kenya, “some donors and conservationists voiced concern that Western was concentrating too heavily on community projects in the buffer zones and neglecting conservation, protection, infrastructure improvement, and income-generation priorities” (Honey 311). While it is important that all of the ecotourism principles are in mind, having eco-hotels throw all of their trash outside in a heap is defeating the purpose of developing the ecotourism industry.

7.    Stricter Standards of Ecotourism are Necessary

According to Martha Honey, one of the ecotourism’s shams is “the growth of private parks […] the continuing leakage of profits away from ecotourism projects all highlight a continuing need for governments to develop and enforce clear standards, guidelines, and monitoring procedures” (447). There is a clear need for more explicit standards and procedures to help prevent any misuse of the industry. By using models of other countries, stricter guidelines are feasible to be made and would likely make ecotourism around the world more successful. We cannot meet the industry’s goals if we do not have set measures on how to achieve them properly. The video above is great for expressing the general guidelines of ecotourism, but it is lacking in a lot of the facets and needs to be greatly expanded upon.

Ecotourism Lite Sign Source

8.    Ecotourism Lite and Greenwashing are Commercializing Ecotourism

“Much of what is marketed as ecotourism amounts to only ecotourism lite, which offers tidbits of nature or minor environmental reforms such as not changing the sheets daily” (Honey 443). Much like the term sustainability, ecotourism and its meaning have been watered down due to improper use of it. If people go throwing the term around, especially in marketing their business, consumers will have a much harder time deciphering what is true and what is lite. Not washing the sheets every day is a step in the right direction, but nowhere close to being considered ecotourism. 

9.    The Ecotourism Industry has been Close to Great in Some Places

South African National Parks Map Source

There were no perfect case studies discussed in class because ecotourism can inherently be more perfected, but there were a few instances that were very successful and promising for the industry as a whole. “South Africa has built some of the world’s top scientifically managed, best-policed, most luxurious, least expensive, and most exclusive national parks” (Honey 348). There have been issues within South Africa’s industry, but they are by far one of the better examples from Martha Honey’s research. This makes it possible for other countries trying to boost ecotourism to be able to look at how South Africa runs their industry and using tips from a country that has already gone through a significant amount of progress.

10.  There is Still Hope

It is easy to look at case of studies of ecotourism and feel that it is not worth the tribulations, but it is worth developing further. Countries that struggled to implement the industry initially have already been bettering their systems and recognizing their own failures. With anything, a bit of failure is normally very constructive, and it can be the same for ecotourism. “It will take much stronger grassroots movements, combines with alliances among activists, experts, and NGOs and carefully planned and implemented national ecotourism strategies, to curb the power of the conventional tourism industry” (Honey 447). There are many measures that will have to be taken, but it is possible.

Sources:

Honey, Martha. Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? 2nd ed., Island Press, 2008.