©Oscar Mujica
The Evolution of Ecotourism
When the term ecotourism first appeared in the 1980's, it was loosely applied toward travel that included any aspect of nature. Most of these travel packages and destinations, however, were little more than mass tourism taken outdoors. Most imparted more impacts than benefits on local communities and habitats. Over the years, changing attitudes by travelers, tour operators, communities and conservationists have significantly narrowed the ecotourism focus.
Today definitions abound, but a reasonable definition for ecotourism is responsible travel that promotes the conservation of natural areas and sustains the well-being of local peoples. The term community-based ecotourism more specifically stresses this modern approach to ecotourism. Community-based ecotourism works closely with local people, provides incentive for conservation, and more and more often, works outside of parks in locally owned land.
The `80's: Ecotourism as novelty
The first ecotourism developments in the late
1980's were established by entrepreneurs with the foresight to see that the
traveling public was interested in visiting new areas—not the same cities
and museums that had greeted travelers for decades. Ecolodges were developed
by foreigners who generally leased land from local communities or purchased
land outright. Travel operators brought their own guides, largely out of necessity,
as no local guides could identify 500 species of birds, let alone entertain
English-speaking naturalists. In these early days, it was rare for ecotourism
to return significant profits to local communities, or to invest in local
conservation.
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 ©Gary Lee |
The early `90's: Ecotourism goes remote
In the 1990's, as businesses realized the profit potential of ecotourism, ecolodges and ecotourism operators cropped up to service more remote locations. Eventually, only travel to these remote sites was considered true ecotourism.
The skyrocketing supply of ecotourism sites kept pace with a soaring demand. Travel in the `90's, like most activities in the developed world, became more health-conscious. The outdoors became more of an option for both weekend outings and two-week vacations. Birdwatching became the fastest growing outdoor activity in the US, with millions joining the ranks each year.
As ecotourism took root, communities in South America began to recognize the opportunities this enterprise held for their long-term survival. Oil and gas exploration in South America opened roads to previously distant lands. Colonists encroached and communities sold forests. Some communities were destroyed by development. Others enjoyed short-lived prosperity, only to find later that they had lost their hunting grounds and traditional ways of life. Neighboring communities took the hint.
Some of these neighboring communities saw that ecotourism
lodges were generating wealth without the negative consequences of extractive
activities. Residents who worked at lodges for low wages realized that they
were doing everything to keep the lodges running. The time had come for communities
to begin operating their own lodges.
 ©Oscar Mujica |
 ©Charles Munn |
The late `90's: Ecotourism serves communities and conservation
In recent years, communities and conservationists have come together to finely tune community-based ecotourism. In this cooperative effort, communities provide land and labor for a project while conservationists bring capital and expertise. Profits from these projects are shared between communities and conservation organizations in an equitable fashion and used to protect the local environment.
Into the new millennium: Ecotourism races to save the last intact ecosystems.
As we look to the future, Tropical Nature hones the focus of ecotourism yet further. Tropical Nature develops community-based ecotourism that safeguards the most pristine ecosystems, many of them immediately threatened by logging, mining, or oil exploration. While some projects include park- and reserve-based lodges, most are on locally owned land, where community members have chosen to leave their forests intact. At the forefront of the community-based ecotourism movement, Tropical Nature puts conservation dollars to work at the most beautiful, endangered forests—precisely where they're needed most.
Tropical Nature uses a number of local non-profit organizations to implement its ecotourism initiatives. These non-profits have been designed from the ground up to work with the motivation of a small business and the ethics of a non-profit, taking professionals from both realms. For more information and to help with our efforts, please contact Tropical Nature.
©Katherine G. Osborne
