©Oscar Mujica

Conservation through Ecotourism

We define ecotourism as responsible travel that promotes the conservation of natural areas and sustains the well-being of local peoples.

Many tour operators and travel agencies use the term ecotourism to describe their operations. There are organizations that "certify" ecotourism operators. However, many of these projects do little to conserve nature or to benefit local people.

Tropical Nature strives to generate true ecotourism projects, which help conserve areas of biological importance and provide sustainable development alternatives to local communities.

Tropical Nature projects meet specific criteria that guarantee that they are true ecotourism projects, including:

- a majority of net profits must be returned to conservation efforts
- local involvement, input, support and benefits from the ecotourism project
- no extraneous ecological or social damage
- scientifically tested approaches to wildlife observation that are safe to animals and humans
- respect to local cultures and values
- above average visitor satisfaction

So what distinguishes Tropical Nature in this unregulated and underappreciated field?

Tropical Nature is a conservation organization, not a tourism operator. Our goal is conservation, and our method is to use ecotourism to generate and fund this conservation.

Through our projects, local communities gain greater economic value from the living forest than they would from its destruction. This economic value is long-term and real, unlike the short term benefits of logging and commercial hunting. And Tropical Nature generates funds for future conservation efforts.

We have a professional staff, we have roots in the communities and other locations where we work. We know how to pull together all of the meticulously detailed pieces that make an ecotourism operation a success for everyone: donor, local resident, international visitor, and the environment as well. Tropical Nature has demonstrated more success in this field than any other non-profit organization in the world.

So why aren't all conservation groups doing this?

Well, some are doing this, but most conservation groups like to keep their hands clean. On-the-ground conservation through ecotourism takes a level of involvement that does not translate well into annual reports and does not result in flashy news articles. In many cases, the work demands such devotion that it is very difficult to find appropriate staff in the non-profit sector.

As a result, most conservation groups turn to the private sector. The primary motivation of private travel companies is profit - as it is in any other sector. The problem is that pressure to increase profits does not lead to sound long-term planning or sustainable development.

As recently as December 2002, a for-profit "partner" of established non-profits described community-based ecotourism as "a flower that will grow and then wilt within a 20-year time span."

At Tropical Nature, we are unwilling to allow a majority non-profit money to be leaked into for-profit "partners" while the conservation aspects are allowed to "wilt" within 20 years. Our projects are permanent, sustainable, and do not have a built-in expiration date.

At Tropical Nature we are willing to do the hard work, because we know the incredible benefits that it can bring! At Tropical Nature we find ways to empower local communities and prove that the natural environment has a monetary value without extraction.

Your donation to Tropical Nature can become part of this process. For further information and to find out how you can become a part of the solution, please contact Tropical Nature

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