Download embracing ecotourism in the united states

CenTRO Guest Lecture
Maine TAC Meeting
Portland, Maine
Fall 2007
EMBRACING ECOTOURISM IN THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Constanza Ocampo-Raeder
Department of Anthropology
University of Maine
People who have traveled abroad in the past decade have surely been exposed to
ecotourism. Indeed ecotourism evokes an image of travel to exotic locations, tropical
rainforests, and even interaction with different cultures. However, few expect to
encounter this kind of travel experience in the United States. Nevertheless, ecotourism is
rapidly becoming part of the United States tourism landscape, yet often both operators
and guests are perplexed by the relevance of ecotourism in this country and how it differs
from “nature travel.” The purpose of this brief introduction aims at first clarifying some
misconceptions of ecotourism; and second to highlight some of the benefits and
opportunities that embracing this model of tourism can bring to both operators and
travelers in the United Sates.
The Origins of Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a relatively new term, which began to appear in the 1970’s in order to
describe a new kind of nature tourism that not only focused on observing and
appreciating nature but also incorporated growing concerns regarding natural resource
conservation. The impetus for incorporating conservation concerns into nature travel
stemmed from the realization that some of the world’s most unique ecosystems were
rapidly disappearing due to human pressures and development. Conservationists began
searching for viable economic alternatives that could substitute “damaging” land use
practices. Among the several current alternatives (so called market-based conservation
strategies) proposed by conservationist and in practice around the world today, none have
received such wide spread acceptance and enthusiasm as ecotourism enterprises.
The reason for the enthusiasm and proliferation of ecotourism enterprises comes from
several factors. First, ecotourism fit into an already lucrative and growing tourism
industry. Second it appealed to a growing population of travelers concerned with
environmental issues. Third, it coincided with increase accessibility to formerly isolated
areas (or “untouched” nature destinations) around the world and a decrease in war and
conflict in areas such as Africa and Latin America. Ecotourism became a prime
conservation strategy in regions of the world were a business such as nature tourism
could contribute to conservation and social development.
Currently ecotourism projects throughout the world use a variety of names ranging from
eco-lodges, green lodges, alternative nature travel, and even cultural eco-lodges.
However a lack consensus on what encompasses a true ecotourism experience results in
confusing ecotourism with any kind of nature travel. So what exactly is ecotourism? In
addition, how does ecotourism fit within a United States context?
1
CenTRO Guest Lecture
Maine TAC Meeting
Portland, Maine
Fall 2007
Ecotourism Philosophy
In the past years different scholars, travel operators, conservationists, and tourists have
but forth a variety of ecotourism definitions. Some define ecotourism as travel to
undisturbed or uncontaminated areas with the purpose of enjoying and studying nature, a
view not much different to this country’s idea of nature travel. Others couple the
enjoyment of nature with an emphasis in minimizing environmental/social impacts and
providing local benefits. And some have gone as far as to claim that ecotourism will not
only promote conservation and environmental education but may even foster selfdetermination and independence to marginalized peoples in the world. The extent to
which ecotourism can work to solve a variety of social and environmental problems
depends on local circumstances. Nevertheless it is now widely accepted that ecotourism
must strive to address three important points: engage in responsible nature travel,
effectively conserve the environment, and sustain the well-being of local peoples.
Ecotourism in the United States
So how does ecotourism fit into the reality of this country?
Nature travel has a long tradition in the United States, after all Yellowstone and Yosemite
were the first national parks in the world. Furthermore the nature travel industry within
this country has enjoyed great enthusiasm and demand by domestic and foreign travelers.
However, nature travel within the US has tended to differentiate itself from ecotourism
travel in part because this philosophy began to tailor its approaches to the environmental
and social concerns of developing nations. After all the United States does not
immediately come to mind when one thinks of poverty, exotic undisturbed natural areas,
and/or an urgent need for conservation.
Nevertheless, this country has essential environmental and social concerns that can
benefit greatly from the incorporation of the ecotourism model. For example, many of the
natural hotspots of this country are endangered and are found in rural areas that face
concerns relating to rapid development and changing socio-economic needs. Another
similarity is that the local people of these areas are now in need of finding new economic
alternatives to their changing livelihoods (as happens in places like Maine with the
disappearance of traditional industries). Thus ecotourism can provide a model and a set of
experiences from around the world that can help tailor projects that will take advantage of
an existing market and great nature destinations, but will also work towards ensuring the
survival of these landscapes as well as providing much needed economic opportunity to
local communities. Plus it also has the advantage of fostering environmental awareness
and action directly within the nation’s citizens, a disadvantage other countries have which
rely mostly on foreigners that do not share nor are directly connected to an area’s future.
How can you identify ecotourism?
As stated throughout, ecotourism is a truly exciting new idea that perhaps has the highest
potential at attaining sustainable land use and conservation while providing a viable
economic alternative. However creating an ecotouristic enterprise that actually produces
benefits is a complicated and long-term process. This creates an important concern: how
does an operator or client identify a true ecotourism effort?
2
CenTRO Guest Lecture
Maine TAC Meeting
Portland, Maine
Fall 2007
Currently there exists no unified set of standards that allow us to identify sound
ecotourism enterprises from “facades.” In other words, a client does not have a way to
rapidly identify if their chosen ecotourism destination truly engages in conservation,
environmental education, and social responsibility (in the same manner the star system
functions for identifying hotel quality). Yet efforts are on their way and there are now a
variety of organizations that offer seals of approval for different ecotourism enterprises.
However, there are so many and with so many different approaches that your average
ecotourist is often confused or not aware of different standards. The International
Ecotourism Society is in the process of developing a worldwide set of standards and
eventual certification system that in the future will allow people to quickly evaluate a
particular lodge. However until these standards are developed there are series of issues to
look out for when searching for or visiting an ecotourism lodge:
Responsible travel: What do they mean by responsible? Are they donating profits to
philanthropic organizations or community projects? Are they stating clearly their
contributions to environmental issues?
Environmental Education: What did or will you learn while visiting an area? Does the
experience entice you to seek similar experiences or become involved in similar issues
when you return home?
Conservation benefits: How does the lodge contribute to conserving the environment?
Are they only speaking about it? Do they actively participate in other projects?
Environmental Impacts: Are there operation sustainable? Do they recycle? How do
they manage impacts on trails and sites? Where is food and materials obtained from?
Local benefits and participation: Who works in the lodge? Are they locals? If not,
maybe there is a lack of specialized labor available in the region, if so how are they
making efforts to train locals for the future? Do people seem authentically invested in
conservation issues? How do they contribute to the community? Are they active in
community issues?
Ecotourism as a Business
Besides ensuring that an ecotourism project contributes to environmental issues, one must
also remember that these projects are a business. It is often the case that well-intentioned
individuals may approach ecotourism with an ample knowledge of nature and activist
intent yet a very limited understanding of running a business operation. In the same
manner, there are situations of operations free-riding on the ecotourism facade without
truly addressing environmental issues. Regardless of the case, one should always
remember that ecotourism implies producing environmental/social benefits and ensuring
economic viability of the project.
To guarantee this combination a lodge may need to initially focus on providing limited
or simple environmentally-sound services while a clientele base is created or profits are
available for reinvestment. Even so, lodges can still claim ecotourism if they take such
steps as creating an ecotourism-business plan that clearly delineates short, medium, and
long-term goals relating to all the components mentioned in the prior section. In addition,
3
CenTRO Guest Lecture
Maine TAC Meeting
Portland, Maine
Fall 2007
a lodge’s overall environmental mission and plan needs to be effectively communicated
to staff and guests.
Finally ecotourism lodges also need to make decisions regarding guest services. A lodge
must always remember that the majority of guests are visiting for leisure purposes and a
hardcore or aggressive environmental program may not be well received or desired by all
guests. Although there are many guests that thrive on any intellectual stimulation, other
may just want to relax. The challenge is to transmit a conservation message in a subtle
manner that is not forceful. This may seem difficult but it is not impossible and has been
achieved successfully around the world in both luxurious and austere conditions.
Some Conclusions
Ecotourism as a business and as a conservation tool has a lot of potential and will be an
arena where much innovation will take place in the coming years. It is also complex and
a continuous processes. In order to make the ecotourism model a success, as consumers
and providers we should strive for excellence, innovation, and think critically of
ecotourism when encountered. Lastly, we should recognize that in the United States
ecotourism has a special opportunity, not only can it aid us in maintaining and enjoying
our unique landscapes but also provides us with the chance to make a contribution in our
local environment.
4