What is Ecotourism?

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Ceballos-Lascurain was the first to coin the phrase in the early 1980s and defined it as:

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“traveling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objective of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas”.​
(Fennell, 2008)

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Primack defines Ecotourism as:

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“A special category of recreation that involves people visiting places and spending money wholly or in part to experience unusual biological communities (such as rain forests, African savannas, coral reefs, deserts, the Galapagos Islands, and the Everglades) and to view particular “flagship” species (such as elephants on safari trips). Ecotourism currently represents about 20% of the $ 600 billion dollar per year tourist industry.”​
(2010)



Principles of Ecotourism:



Ecotourism encompasses various themes of conservation and education as well as sustainable travel.

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The guiding principles as directly outlined by The International Ecotourism Society (1990) are:

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• Minimize impact.
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
• Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
• Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
• Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate.
 

(TIES, 1990)



It may include such activities as:

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- snorkeling
- whale/bird/other animal watching
- walking along specific coastlines or outdoor areas
- sea kayaking or other boating activities
- visiting heritage sites, ecological reserves or Provincial/National parks



Why is Ecotourism a conservation issue?



As mentioned above, ecotourism is a supposed to include low impact activities and travelling. As a result, there are not as much negative impacts on the environment and, therefore, it promotes conservation. Furthermore, while participating in ecotourism activities, one is often educated on topics such as marine mammals (whale watching) or species that may be endemic, threatened, or endangered (ecological reserves and other protected areas). Broadening tourists knowledge may also lead to better conservation of such species as they may then care more about such wildlife and want to make an active stand in improving conservation efforts.