The Transformation of Modern Ecotourism - Essay Example

Ecotourism “Travel and tourism industry is the lifeblood of many s around the country”. This idea by Mark Foley opened the door for other places including those of the third world countries to involve themselves in tourism industry. Thus, for the past couple of decades, ecotourism business had soared. To some, it became their top priority and even invested millions as it is seen as a promising investment for the country. Revenue could be as high as US$ 210×10 annually in developing countries (Kirkby, abstract). However, bringing with it environmental problems like destruction of rainforest and wildlife. Traditionally, these problems were not apparent because tourists were very responsible in helping preserving the pristine nature of places they visit. But today the environment are becoming an eye sore because of exploitation through ecotourism. Wildlife is also threatened. Reasons for this could be poor management so that the environment and wildlife are not conserved. Ecoutourism became a form of business rather than appreciation of nature. Thus, most often it hastens the decline of natural resources and causes the imbalance of environmental ecology as a result of some extinction of fauna brought about by extensive tourism. Modern ecotourism should be transformed from its current state to the position where it contributes to ecological preservation, nature protection, and social responsibility. (Make sure you describe the problem fully in introduction. I think the problem was fully described. Besides I will be going beyond 5 pages if I will revise the introduction. I even went beyond the number of word count required in your paper)(he said to me need more describe so you can change some words by another words which is more value of describe) Ecotourism is believed to contribute to ecological preservation. This had been observed in the case of turtle based ecotourism at Mon Repos Beach just near Bundaberg, Australia (Tisdell, Clem & Wilson, Clevo, 1). The development of turtle based ecotourism contributed positively in its preservation. It was even adopted by other countries like Sri Lanka as their “come on” tourist attraction. Observation also reveals that when people are interested in certain place, the more that the host communities are going to exert effort to preserve its natural beauty. An example of this is the Great Wall of China. Ever since it attracted tourist from all over the world, the Chinese government started to pay particular attention in the maintenance of the wall as well as planting greeneries near it. The green environment maintained the ecological balance among animals and plants thriving near the Great Wall as their species are preserved. Although, many believed this to be true, there are still others like biologists and ecologists who are not convinced of the idea. They have the notion that ecotourism could destroy peaceful life of fauna and flora and other wildlife. Thus, it is advisable that involved personnel manning the tourist attraction should be responsible enough to impose measures like incorporating informative data about flora and fauna. This is to remind tourists of their attached responsibility as travellers and for them to understand the role they play in maintaining the ecosystem. (Where is in-text citation? This cannot be cited as this is my point of view) Equally important in the preservation of ecology is the construction of parks as a tourist attraction. This not only mitigates the impact of urbanization but could also be a refuge for birds and other forms of animals. Flowers as an additional beautification could charm insects which are also important in our ecology. Another solution to sustainability of ecotourism is to protect the nature. Although, the goal of ecotourism is to bring people closer to nature and her environment, this seems not appreciated by other people. This is evident in the case of Kenya, Nepal, Peru and Indonesia. Historically, some of the pristine areas for ecotourism in these countries were visited only by physically prepared and passion driven individual. However, the unique topography and the natural beauty of these countries attracted tremendous number of tourists from all walks of life resulting in the damage to its environment. An example of this is Nepal and other Himalayan regions. It cannot be denied that when more people are milling around this place, there is always a tendency to litter around. This does not only contribute to unwanted sight but more so in polluting the environment and nature which is dangerous to wildlife. Further, small plants or animals could be tramp upon. This could end their precious life as well as their function in that environment. Unfortunately, the safari minibuses in Kenya damage the Savannah ecosystem too. It could drive away even the fiercest animal in the dessert. These are just examples of the many disadvantages of bad ecotourism (wiki.answers.com). Nevertheless, the problem in protecting the nature can be tackled successfully if the aim of ecotourism is ecologically sensitive (Wall, 1). This is through careful planning among those in the tourism industry to include actions like limitation of tourists in sensitive areas like those in remotes and sacred regions. It is believed that thousands of species of plants and animals live in this rainforest. Limiting visits to places like this will help in preserving plants and animals from extinction. Another is to prohibit collection of exotic plants and medicinal herbs as this would lead to depletion of some of the plants balancing nature. Social responsibility is yet another solution to sustain the environment with ecotourism. Along this line, the tourism industry should not be focused on the gain alone but to have the obligation to act for the benefit of natural ecology and society as well. One way of doing this would be implementing simple rules and regulations like the activities that tourist can carry out and activities that should not be done in that region. This way, tourists are guided not to make sacred places as an entertainment arena. In the same way, rules could direct them not to mess with indigenous people. In addition to this, the ecotourism industry should educate the community the importance of responsible ecotourism. First, is to let them enjoy the local wildlife as they say experience is the best teacher. Next is to do information drive regarding ecotourism to empower volunteers in strengthening protected areas. Other methods would include giving incentives like free vacation in local tourist destinations to those who cooperate with the programs of the ecotourism industry. The local people can do tremendous work in relaying the information to others and to tourists as well. This would give an idea to tourists to question themselves of the impact they are bringing with them. Sometimes the practice of certain hotels in conserving water and electricity as well as recycling waste could influence tourist to be responsible enough to do the same thing of closing the faucet and putting the light off when not in use. They will also become aware to keep their waste at a minimum. Thus, it is very crucial for the host community to serve as a model in displaying social responsibility. Social responsibility was supported by Okech who reiterated in her study the definition of ecotourism by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) that “ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas which conserve the environment and sustains the well-being of local people” (1). Meaning tourist while satisfying their lust for nature and exotic places should be responsible enough to preserve fragile regions. Being a traveller tags along a new responsibility to make sure that their activities will not destroy the environment and culture they have chosen to visit. In addition to this, sustainability involves going beyond preservation of natural habitat. Understanding the fact that popular far flung places are inhabited with indigenous people who had occupied the area for all their life with their own culture is another key to sustainability. Their rights should not be ignored but rather respected because sometimes the reason for resistance to ecotourism programs in these areas is the tramping of their rights. This is what happened among Sámi indigenous group in Norway and other groups from the rural areas where they are to use the indigenous land for park but was opposed by the indigenous group (Riseth, abstract). The reason for this is that they did not consider that indigenous people’s livelihood would be affected (Riseth, abstract). In other instances, indigenous people are forced to move out to give way to the program. This may in turn endanger the preserved culture they have had and could be lost in the years to come if the same situation would arise. Social responsibility is also observed in other people. Scientists, anthropologists, and similar professions should also support the preservation of natural ecosystem by following implemented alternatives. This view is shared with Margaret Lowman, a biologist who has done forest canopy research worldwide. She cited the case of Costa Rica as a model of ecotourism at its best. She claims that using aerial trams in studying the rainforest by scientists will do little disturbance in the environment which would mean less interference of wildlife activities. This is also recommended for other tourists to use instead of doing the walking or hiking. In conclusion, the current model of ecotourism should be changed and replaced with novel ecotourism which would reflect the principles of preservation, protection, and social responsibility. Through this new ecotourism model, tourists will be changing their perspective regarding the role they play as tourists as they question their impact on the natural resources and local people. New group of tourist will be changing their focus of their travel from merely sightseeing or visiting to being responsible in their travel to have less impact. References Kirkby, CA, et al., “The Market Triumph of Ecotourism: An Economic Investigation of the Private and Social Benefits of Competing Land Uses in the Peruvian Amazon”. PLoS One. 9 (2010). Abstract. print. Okech, R. “Developing urban ecotourism in Kenyan cities: A sustainable approach”. Journal of Ecology and The Natural Environment. 1 (2009). 001-006  Riseth, Jan, “An Indigenous Perspective on National Parks and Sámi Reindeer Management in Norway”. Geographical Research. 45 ( 2007). Abstract. print Tisdell, Clem & Wilson, Clevo, “Does Ecotourism Contribute to Sea Turtle Conservation? Is the Flagship Status of Turtles Advantageous?” RePec data. 48971. (2003). 1. print Wall, G., “FORUM: Is Ecotourism Sustainable? Environ Manage. 4 (1997)1. Print wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_disadvantage_and_advantages_of_tourism_in_Kenya. “What are the disadvantage and advantages of tourism in Kenya?” Read More