Ecotourism and the Empowerment of Local Communities - Essay Example

ECOTOURISM Prof There are a number of serious threats facing the world today, but few are more serious than the problem of global warming,climate change, and environmental degradation. We desperately need our leaders to do something to slow down this negative process. President Barack Obama campaigned for his office saying he would be one of the greenest presidents in history and would work hard to create the green economy and green jobs of tomorrow. But now, almost a year since his election, little has changed. There is still no successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol and the United States isn’t doing very much to combat climate change. We need to think long and hard about our own role in promoting the environment and preventing its degradation. We cannot rely on governments or big businesses to this for us, we need to take individual action. That is one of the main reasons that ecotourism should be promoted. It is the best way to raise money for endangered areas of the world while simultaneously raising awareness of the problems faced by such delicate places. Ecotourism represents a win-win situation for environmentalist and should be used to promote ideas about a greener earth. It should be an arrow in the quiver of those who want to stop climate change from decimating our ecosystems. The world’s climate is changing and the consequences are far reaching. We may not have many ecosystems or beautiful places left in the near future. Any discussion about ecotourism must begin with a discussion about how our world is changing (Burger, 23). The environmental movement—of which ecotourism is a part—surely must have a role to play in response to these issues. When examining this important issue we must be sure to have our facts straight. Even before looking at the consequences and possible solutions, it is necessary to determine what is causing this phenomenon. We need to think about causes and effects. There are people out there that say climate change is part of a natural process which happens every few centuries and which caused the ice age and other periods in Earth’s history in which the temperature was different. This might indeed be true. But many scientists believe that human beings cause global warming. They say it is caused by the huge amount of cars we drive on our roads and by our coal plants and our thousands of factories. These people say we have simply not been good stewards of the Earth and are now responsible for the fact that the surface of the planet seems to be warming because of trapped gases. Our fossil fuel use is the main reason those gases are present. Every time we drive a car to school or work, use electricity, or heat our houses, we are releasing carbon dioxide into the air and making our planet hotter. Another important source of greenhouse gases is caused by deforestation, mainly in the Amazon. There is a lot of money to be made in cutting down trees and planting land for animals to use so the animals can be made into hamburgers at the end of the day. This is a big business. Cattle itself is said by some people to be in part responsible for increasing the amount of methane in the atmosphere. So much of what we do to stay alive and to make money appears to be hurting our planet, according to scientists who are increasingly vocal about this important issue. This is important background information when considering ecotourism (Burger, 24). If it is we humans who are causing these problems to our environment and to our climate, perhaps it would be best to stay at home and avoid doing any more damage in the form of tourism. But this would be the wrong approach to take in these dangerous times. We need to take a proactive role in helping to conserve our ecosystems and helping Mother Nature regain her balance. The truth is ecotourism lets us see what is happening in other parts of the world and provides us with the knowledge we need to make a difference. Few Western countries will be as effected in a relative sense by climate change as compared to those in the developing world. We will not understand the drastic effects without visiting these places for ourselves. As the concentration of gases grows in the atmosphere, more heat is trapped and less escapes back into outer space. Some scientists have stated on the record that this increase in trapped heat changes may be responsible for a change in the climate, not only making the surface of the Earth hotter, but altering weather patterns. The patterns and even currents we have known for centuries are changing and changing our patterns of trade and the very way that we lead our lives. There will be more monsoons and hurricanes as seen by the terrible storms of recent years including Hurricane Katrina. With rising water levels and more storms coastal countries will be powerfully affected by climate change. Countries such as the Maldives, which already are barely above the water level may vanish entirely, becoming a new lost city of Atlantis. Other countries such as Bangladesh, which is frequently pummelled by bad weather and monsoons and floods will likely suffer even more. We need to understand what is happening and ecotourism allows us to do this. The world is changing. Unless we support ethical and responsible tourism, all that will be left is resort villages that irresponsibly damage the environment. It is also a great way to empower local communities (Scheyvens, 246). The more that we can show ecotourism outfitters and companies as profitable entities, the more people who will participate in this process and get on board. We need to show the world that ecotourism is viable and a great use of resources. There are some who criticize ecotourism. They feel that any amount of human presence in an ecosystem can be disruptive. They think that people should not exploit nature for profit. They also argue that flying in airplanes and using other means of mass transportation have a negative effect on the environment and only contribute to the problem. These are small quibbles. Humans are meant to enjoy nature and should learn and participate in it responsible (Page, 23). Because some ecotourism organizations make a profit is irrelevant. Capitalism be a source of environmental destruction, but it can also provide the incentives we need to begin to repair our beloved ecosystems (Economist). Ecotourism is one of those instruments. We need to support it wherever we can. The closer that humans get to nature the more they understand why we must do everything in our power to protect from those who would ruthlessly and irresponsibly exploit it. We need to encourage people to be responsible with Mother Nature. We need to ensure that this generation lives behind something better for our children and grandchildren. The world is changing. Our climate is changing. We need to take action now and work together to stop this. We need policies in place that will reshape our world. But it is going to be a difficult process. Nothing important ever came easily. There will always be opponents of ecotourism who warn that it threatens to do more harm than good. Part of the issue is that such environmental policies and ideas such as ecotourism take time to gain influence in the culture, and part of the issue is that there are a lot of entrenched interests who want to see these policies fail. We need leaders who can stand up for what they believe in and tourists who will stand up for ecotourism. Work consulted Burger, J. (2000). Landscapes, tourism, and conservation. Science of the Total Environment. 249 (1-3). Duffy, R. (2000). Shadow players: ecotourism development, corruption and state politics in Belize. Third world quarterly, 21(3): 549-565. Nowaczek, A. (2010)"Ecotourism: Principles and Practices" Annals of Tourism Research 37.1 :270-271. Scheyvens, R., (1999). Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tourism management, 20: 245-249. Page, Stephen et al. (2006). Tourism: A Modern Synthesis, Learning EMEA, Paris. Economist. (April 10, 2008). “Rumble in the jungle.” http://www.economist.com/node/11017681 Read More