The Dark Side to Ecotourism

1. The Dark Side to Ecotourism Frankie Victoria Joey Seiler Alyssa Beerling Melissa Lupinacci

2. Ecotourism is… “environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural feature – both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations” (Ceballos-Lasscuain, 1996)

3. The Reality of Ecotourism Ariau Amazon Towers- Manaus, Brazil

4. “Experience the ultimate in eco-tourism – from navigating the Amazon River to swimming with rare pink dolphins, to trekking through the rainforest to relaxing in a luxury tree house surrounded by the wonders of nature” • Ariau Amazon Tower Homepage Reality of greenwashingis prevalent in so-called “ecotourist” operations

5. How can we avoid greenwashing? Certification? Is there a set of standards that certifies a tourist operation as a destination for “ecotourism” or a regulatory body that monitors ecotourist operations? “developed countries and transnational corporations based in those countries will be likely to dominate the process of creating and implementing certification programs, leading to programs that privilege the interests of the global North over the needs of the developing global South…” (Sasidharan and Font, 2011)

6. Leakage -Profits earned by the tourism sector do not stay in the country Instability -Ecotourism makes locals dependent on visitors for economic stability - In times of financial turmoil, may make significantly less income, creating unemployment and forcing locals back into destructive habits for survival (slash/burn, poaching, etc..) Economic Aspects

7. Exploitation of Local Work Force • Ecotourism operations are set up in remote areas, requiring investments in infrastructure and accommodations. These come from foreign investors and urban elites. • Locals receive jobs that are often low-paying (although better paying that farming), and limited in their potential for upward mobility • 23% of their wages go to foreigners, even though on average 93% of their workforce comes from the resident population Economics

8. Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism

9. Ecotourism Destinations • Pristine natural ecosystems that contrast typical urban/suburban locations that travelers tend to come from • Sensitive environments that are subject to environmental degradation • Environmental impacts vary based on location and type of tourism

10. Shortcomings • Management strategies may prevent damage directly on the protected area, however there are loopholes • Developers look to immediate borders for development • Developers tend to implement only the bare minimum to meet approval • Impact of introducing human activity to natural areas is inevitable • Affected by various factors

11. Impacts of Recreational Activities on Environment • Recreation ecology expanded in the 1990s as the ecotourism sector grew • Recent studies have been conducted in the Middle East, the tropics, Africa, southeast Asia, and southern temperate lands including the sub-Antarctic • Various research methods • Some of the most common recreational activities by eco-tourists are hiking and camping

12. Hiking (trampling) • Abrasion of vegetation • Plants can be bruised, crushed, sheered and uprooted • Compaction of soil • Reduced porosity • Utilization of nutrients • Abrasion of organic components • Affect plant/animal species composistions • Affect microbial populations

13. Camping • All of the effects of hiking but to a greater extreme in a more confined area.

14. Impacts of On-Site Travel • Motorized off-highway vehicles (OHVs) • Exploration, recreation and transportation • Major areas of study: Arctic tundra, east African grasslands

15. Impact Mechanisms of OHVs • Physical action of tires on soils, vegetation and animals • Secondary physical effects such as increased slopewash and stream sedimentation • Collisions, mainly with animals • Air pollution from exhaust • Water pollution from fuel spills • Noise disturbances to wildlife • Humans visiting areas they would not otherwise be able to reach

16. Impacts of Tour-boats on Marine Environments • Emission of polluting substances: heavy metals(copper and zinc), organometals(TBT) and aglicides from antifouling paints; oil and fuel from engines; and CO2 and NOx from combustion • Physical damage through propeller cuts; damage to bottoms from anchors and groundings; re-suspension of sediments from anchors; and destruction of shore banks from vessel wash • Behavioral interruptions • Visual and noise disturbances

17. The Costs of Getting There • Who is traveling? • How are they getting there? • What are the impacts?

18. Eco-tourist Profiles • Experienced travelers • Tend to originate from developed countries • Travel to exotic, remote locations • Higher education • Higher Income • Middle-age to elderly

19. Air Travel • Air travel is the most common transport form used for ecotourism trips. • Three components • Transport directly associated with the ecotourism experience • boat trip around site • Travel between various sites and operations • Transport from home land to the travel destination

20. Between-site Travel • Aviation is a contributor to climate change • Air travel consist of 3.5% of worldwide GHG emissions • Case Study, New Zealand • Average one-way flying distance estimated to be 12,000 km • Emitting 430kg of CO2

21. REBUTTAL

22. More Problems with Certification Interviews conducted in 1999 in the Cayo District in Belize • BETA Belize Ecotourism Association • Small Hotel Association • Cayo Tour Guide Association Hard to define terms such as “local,” “benefit,” “participation” “Currently, no organization or arena exists in which all stakeholders in Belizean ecotourism are represented, and the organizations that do exist are seen by some entrepreneurs to privilege some participants’ concerns over the priorities of others”

23. The Mohonk Agreement The closest thing to an international criteria for certification • Drafted in 2000 at an international workshop on Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism • Criteria include: • Focus on personal experience of nature to lead to greater understanding and appreciation • Interpretation and environmental awareness of nature, local society and culture • Positive and active contributions of conservation to natural areas • Economic, social, and cultural benefits for locals • Fostering of community involvement • Locally appropriate scale and design for lodging, tours, attractions • Minimal impact on and presentation of local indigenous culture These criteria are not mandatory. Allows dishonest tourist operators to greenwash.

24. Bibliography • Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability. Abingdon, Oxon, GBR: Ashgate Publishing Group, 2009. • Ecotourism Book Series, Volume 2: Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism. Wallingford, Oxon, GBR: CABI Publishing, 2004. • Encyclopedia of Ecotourism. D.B. Weaver. Cambridge, MA, USA: CABI publishing, 2001. • Journal of Sustainable Tourism http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsus20 • An Evaluation of Ecolodgeshttp://kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/diversos/ecolodge-brasil.html • Ariau Amazon Towers http://www.ariautowers.com/ • Case of River Dolphin Based Tourism in the Amazon http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/imcc/Program_Abstracts/data/documents/p305442.pdf • Greenwashhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/greenwash • Duffy, Rosaleen. Trip Too Far : Ecotourism, Politics and Exploitation. London, , GBR: Earthscan, 2002. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/copley/Doc?id=10128928&ppg=34 • Honey, Martha. Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?. Washington, D.C.: Island, 1999. Print.