Can Ecotourism Save the Rainforests?
Introduction
What is ecotourism?
Do the rainforests benefit from ecotourism?
Case Study: Tourism aids Rwandan Gorillas
Can tourism harm the rainforest?
Case Study: Manuel Antonia National Park, Costa Rica: Victim of its own popularity
Does ecotourism adversely affect the people of the forest?
Case Study: Alta Floresta: Research Center
How do you pick a tour?
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Introduction
Until recently, few vacationers would even dream of visiting a rainforest. But travelers are now abandoning the traditional beach vacation to visit remote, unspoiled areas all over the world. They try to avoid the fast pace and congestion of the traditional tourist centers, opting instead for more adventure, stimulation and a desire to learn while on vacation. This growing trend of travel has come to be known as Ecotourism.
What is ecotourism?
Though there are many definintions of ecotourism, the term is most commonly used to describe any recreation in natural surroundings. The Ecotourism Society adds social responsibilities to define ecotourism as "purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment, taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people."
However defined, ecotourism is a force shaping the use of the tropical rainforests. This will be even more true in the future due to ecotourism's rapid growth. Global tourism is one of the largest industry in the world and ecotourism is the fastest growing segment of the industry.
Do the rainforests benefit from ecotourism?
TOURISM AIDS RWANDAN GORILLAS
Tourism is largely responsible for saving the gorillas of Rwanda from extinction. The gorilla was threatened by both poachers and local farmers, whose land clearing practices were destroying the gorillas' natural habitat. Rwanda's Parc des Volcans, created by Dian Fossey as a wildlife preserves, has become an international attraction and the third largest source of foreign exchange for Rwanda. Revenues from the $170-a-day fee that visitors pay to enter the park have allowed the government to create anti poaching patrols and employ local farmers as park guides and guards. Even this success is in danger from the civil war that is encroaching and endangering both the forest and tourist industry.
If ecotourism is going to be influential in saving rainforests, income from tourism must reach the people who will ultimately decide the forest's future. Unfortunately, too often the money generated does not benefit these people. Instead it goes to developed countries, where the tourists originated, giving little economic protection to the forests. Profits leak back to the developed nations through tour operators, plane tickets, foreign owned accommodations and use of non-local supplies. The World Bank estimates that worldwide only 45 percent of tourism's revenue reaches the host country.
In less developed areas the percentage is often lower. One study of the popular ecotourism destination of the Annapurna region of Nepal found that only 10 cents of every dollar spent stayed in the local economy. Within the country the money may end up in the large cities or in the hands of the wealthy elite.
Tourist dollars should help to acquire and improve management of conservation areas on which the tourism is based, but money from tourism does not often end up with the agencies that manage these areas. In Costa Rica the park service does not earn enough money from its entance fees to manage and protect its numerous parks. Only 25% of its budget comes from fees; the other three quarters must come from donations. Tourists often resent paying large sums of money on entrance fees. Although these fees are only a small portion of the money spent on a trip they can be the most important dollars spent in protecting the resource because they go directly toward protecting the site.
Can tourism harm the rainforest?
Because we know so little about rainforests, it is difficult to know how many people can visit a rainforest in a day without disrupting the forest ecology. There is some evidence that just the presence of travelers walking on trails through the forest changes the behavior of animals in the forest. But a larger impact on the forest comes from stresses on the environment in accommodating the physical needs and comforts of the tourists. Trash, fuel wood, living accommodations, access and communication routes, etc., all put a large stress on the ecology. In popular Himalayan tourist routes litter has been strewn along the trails and the alpine forest have been decimated by travelers looking for fuel to heat food and bath water. There is now an understanding that there is a limited number of people that can visit an area before that area is adversely affected. But deciding that number is often very difficult.
MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK, COSTA RICA: VICTIM OF ITS OWN POPULARITY
In Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park has become a victim of its own popularity. It is a popular tourist spot for both international and Costa Rican tourists who come to see its beautiful beaches and natural scenery. It is also the home of one of the last surviving populations of spider monkeys in the country. The popularity of the park has enticed developers to build many hotels in the area. This excessive building in the area combined with high visitation in the park has threatened the monkey population as well as other wildlife.
Half of the park has been closed to tourists to try to protect the ecosystem. It is necessary to severely restrict visitors to the entire park as well as enlarge the park to create a viable ecosystem. There is opposition to any further restriction to local land use and access to the park by the developing local tourist industry.
Costa Rica is caught in a bind of trying to enlarge its tourist industry and the need to limit the number of visitors so the environment is not damaged. Costa Rica is one of the few countries that has a national policy which tries to promote ecotourism as a non-consumptive use of their rich rainforest ecologies as a way to save its vanishing forest. Indeed, the eleven percent of the country that is preserved in national parks is about the only major forest land left in the country. But the enormous success of the industry has overwhelmed the forest and prompted a call for a comprehensive study into methods to manage and limit tourist impact on the forest.
Does ecotourism adversely affect the people of the forest?
The stress of ecotourism goes beyond just the natural world. It can greatly disrupt the local people and social structure. In remote locations it is difficult to bring the benefits of tourist dollars to the more traditional people without disrupting their way of life. Even accommodations for a small amount of tourists can have profound effects on village life. In the forests of Peru some tribes will trade elaborate traditional cloaks, which take three months to make, for a machete or an ax. Tourists who will pay far more for the same item bring about a profound change in the economic makeup of the village.
Traveling Westerners bring their modern material comforts with them and, for local people, an un-imagined wealth. Local people acquire a desire to have some of these expensive items but can not easily pay for them without major changes in their lifestyle. A quality tour center will reinforce to the local people the uniqueness and specialness of their culture, and teach the traveler about it as well.
Local peoples' use of the forest for firewood, meat, agriculture and selling exotic species sometimes comes in conflict with the tourists' wishes to keep the land pristine. To protect the tourist industry, regulations are made that protect locals from using these forest resources. They are often unprepared for work in tourism or related industries and are left with no alternatives but impoverishment and resentment. Original inhabitants are pushed out of the area while outsiders move in to try to profit from the tourism.
A tremendous amount of planning and organization is needed to attract enough tourists to make money and still maintain the unspoiled forest and indigenous communities within them. Opening up an area to tourists without forethought can quickly destroy the forests upon which the tourism is based. Alta Floresta is one example of a tourist project that has been planned with care.
ALTA FLORESTA
Alta Floresta, a town in the Brazilian highlands, is the home of an innovative research center and ecotourist project. The research center is set up to study sustainable ways of using the forest and to teach people in the area how to use these new practices.
The project is centered on community involvement, setting up schools, hospitals and training programs. Local people are trained in sustainable farming practices and the harvesting of non-timber forest products. In addition, instead of being forced out of the economy, they are trained to work in the tourist center and lodge becoming and integral part of the whole project. The tourist center also educates travelers on the biology of the rainforest and causes of its destruction. This project is a positive example of how an ecotour center can be setup.
How do you pick a tour?
Many tour groups are trying to cash in on the growth of ecotourism by slapping "ecotour" or "nature travel" on to their name. Many of these groups have made no effort to try to make their tour ecologically sound or to help out the people of the forest. The responsible traveler must decide what tour is going to be a helpful or a harmful one before s/he leaves home. Taking the time to choose a good responsible tour will not only ensure that you will not be damaging the rainforest and its inhabitants, but it will also mean the travel experience will be more fulfilling. The major factor in choosing a responsible tour is finding a group or company that takes the care needed in designing a good tour. But how do you know which groups have the best designed tours? On the last page are listed some helpful guidelines which will help you in your search. There are also many books written on the subject.
Ecotourism should be a learning experience. The travelers should learn about the forest and its people and the causes of destruction of the rainforests they are visiting. The rainforests are being destroyed at such a phenomenal rate that by the end of the next decade all but a few major tracts will be gone as well as much of the world's biodiversity. Only large scale involvement by the general public will affect law-makers, international banks and governments to influence them into making more ecologically sound decisions. A visit to a rainforest will provide a more personal incentive to motivate people than just seeing television documentaries or magazine articles. With a large enough group of knowledgeable travelers, we may be able to convince the policy makers to act in a more responsible manner with respect to tropical rainforests and indigenous cultures.
COSTA RICA RAINFOREST OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL
is committed to providing safe, educational, and empowering adventure expeditions/courses in rainforests. They are part of an international network of over 40 Outward Bound Schools world-wide, as well as part of our network of Rainforest Action Groups.
Outward Bound is a non-profit, educational organization with a focus on experiential adventure based learning. Set in tropical rainforests, Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound courses are nothing short of spectacular!
Self discovery is a natural part of any course with Outward Bound. In the words of Janet Gutherie: "High adventure is living. It's aggressive instead of passive living. You don't lie back and let it happen to you, you exert some influence over your life. And in so doing, you become more fully human." You will trek through remote areas of Rainforest with indigenous guides, white-water raft, and climb with safety ropes in the Rainforest canopy.