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ECOCLUB® |
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ISSN 1108-8931 |
International Ecotourism Monthly |
Year 4, Issue 44, Jan. 2003 |
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In this issue: |
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 Putting the "Eco" in Ecotourism
by Douglas B. Trent, President, EcoTrent Consulting Focus Conservation Fund & Focus Tours Inc, ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism Expert, USA Most of what is called "ecotourism" has very little "eco". A close look at where the profits from ecotours go reveals this. The vast majority of tour companies, nature-based and otherwise, are located in cities, be they my company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or one in Lima, Peru. The company that sells a tour typically ends up with a high percentage of the profits a tour generates. The vast majority of this is spent in a city. The next largest percentage of the profit tends to stay in the city the tour starts in. The rental van or car, food supplies for the lodges in the field, etc., come from that city. In most areas I know, and I have guided birding and nature tours for over 20 years in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Guyana, almost none of the profit stays with the people that live in areas rich in biodiversity. Most "ecotour" companies use the label, but do little or nothing to preserve biodiversity or significantly help local people. While some tour companies use a portion of their profits to support conservation, even this is frequently used ineffectively. Often a developed-world company will send a donation to a non-profit in their own country. While this enables the company to receive a deserved tax-deductible receipt, it rarely has as much impact in preserving biodiversity as supporting an effective conservation project directly. Some nature and birding tour companies donate to projects in the countries they are working to preserve, but much of this goes to research. Research, especially single-species research, is interesting but often ineffective as an efficient tool for conservation. Much single species research takes place in the developing world, where most species occur. While one can argue that this research provides data to convince governments in the necessity of preserving an area, in fact the political will is rarely influenced by research when it comes to setting up preserves and parks. What good does it do to research a species if its habitat is later deforested or otherwise degraded to the point where the species can no longer survive? With the rapid rate of habitat and species loss worldwide, research is usually a luxury we cannot afford. We need to save habitat, and once that is accomplished we can study it if we like. Professional nature tour guides occasionally discover new species. As a number of the most knowledgeable guides have a science background, they will declare the find, and occasionally take part in the "collection" of the species. Collection is often a matter of killing every individual they find of the new species for research and museum collections around the world. While this "taking" of individuals of a new species is usually something that the species is able to replace over time, the process is not in the best interest of conservation. One reason that recently discovered species have escaped detection for so long is largely because they are specialists, living only in relatively small areas with specialist plants and other specialist organisms. This is part of the reason so many species inhabit the tropics. Without knowing the size of the habitat used by the species, the distribution and the population, collecting could have a harmful effect. In many parts of the world, if an entity (company, individual, mining operation etc.) wants to develop a natural area, it is required to perform an environmental impact study. If species cannot absorb the project without being harmed, the project may be stopped. Scientists collecting a new species rarely if ever are required to determine what the impacts of their activity will be. It is said that if you find gold in the rainforest, bury it and tell no one if you want the forest saved. If we care more about species conservation than we do about claiming a new species or adding to the knowledge base, clearly the thing to do is keep the information to yourself. I am not against collecting for research or museums, if an environmental study first correctly determines how many can be collected without harming the species. But let us not confuse this with conservation! I have photos of a racket-tailed nightjar unknown to science, two new snake species and two new species of toad. I also know the location of a new primate species. I will not publish the location information until science no longer demands that individuals be collected without a study to determine the impact of such a take, and not take if the impact threatens the species. A photo or article about the finding should settle egotistical needs to be recognized for the discovery. We live in a world where most birds and mammals have already been found. If a new species is found, or a rare species exists on private land, we should have a system to pay the locals a substantial amount to see the species on their land. Better yet, we should train the locals to operate the tours to their land, so they are guaranteed a substantial amount. This will create an economic incentive to protect biodiversity. One extreme example comes from a well-known travel organization that identifies itself as a force for conservation. It offers travelers the chance to assist research projects, frequently in economically poor countries. The researchers are often from the developing world, and the funds generated by this organization help fund the research. A participant in one of these projects stated: "I have been active in local conservation being responsible for Agenda 21 sustainability indicators in a previous role. In recognition of this I was made a Millennium Fellow by the Prime Minister's Millennium Commission, set up to commemorate the Millennium. Part of this involved going to Bolivia in 1997 on an [company name deleted] Expedition. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, I was unhappy with the rationale behind its conservation ethos, which didn't appear to root the focus of control and development with the local people (I referred to it as 'scientific imperialism' in my write-up …). Another innovative attempt to appear as a force in conservation is found in Brazil. A company in Cuiabá north of the Pantanal states: "VERY IMPORTANT: Part of our birding tours profit goes to the [company name deleted] Conservation Fund to support researches of local Biology under-graduate students in the area. You get fun and still collaborate with the conservation of the region!!!" It fails to explain how funding under-graduate research at a big city university leads to conservation. We cannot assume that it will. If this company were seriously interested in using profits for conservation, a program exists to add acres to the nearby Jaguar Ecological Reserve for just $15 an acre. More on this project later, but clearly, this company could change the recipient of its otherwise noble efforts to raise money for conservation and actually conserve biodiversity. Even a tour company owned by a non-profit that uses tourism to raise funds for ecotourism projects is not being nearly as effective as it could be. Their tours to the Jaguar Ecological Reserve contract with a company in Cuiabá, which employs guides from Cuiabá. The local Pantaneiro English-speaking naturalist guide with the knowledge and equipment to lead professional birding tours is not their guide of choice. In comparison, let us consider the ecotourism work of the non-profit Focus Conservation Fund (FCF), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization registered in the USA, EcoTrent Consulting and Focus Tours Inc., a for-profit ecotour company. Among other things, they train communities in areas of high biodiversity to operate first class nature and birding tours. Let us return to Brazil's Pantanal for an example. Under the direction of EcoTrent Consulting, the FCF sent a volunteer American English teacher to the Jaguar Ecological Reserve (JER), a private "RPPN" conservation easement reserve. He taught local people English for almost 9 months. Black Diamond Paving (BDP), a company in San Jose, California, USA, provided FCF with the funds to pay Pantaneiro landowners to put their land into permanent reserve status, creating the private JER. So far their donations have put over 800 hectares into the "Reserva Ecologico do Jaguar". Focus Tours and now the FCF have put thousands of US dollars into creating and improving a simple lodge in the richest area of the Pantanal. (Focus Tours clients saw at least one jaguar on 29 out of 31 tours in 2001, and approximately 50% as of December 10, 2002, with nearly 100% seeing at least one species of spotted cat). Working together, the FCF and Focus Tours have trained the now English-speaking Pantaneiro guide, Eduardo de Arruda Falcao, so that he is guiding foreign tourists and earning what foreign guides earn. His family has purchased a van, a pickup truck, a tractor, a computer and more with profits from operating tours. In the last four months of 2002, operating a number of tours, he has earned more than in the last 4 years operating his simple lodge. When the Focus Conservation Fund has people interested in visiting the Pantanal, it works with the for-profit Focus Tours. Let us look at the financial case for one of the first tours that took place in 2002. Focus Tours received payment from two people to operate a 5 day/4 night tour in the Pantanal. Focus Tours kept a 13% commission, and gave the balance to the JER to operate this tour. The FCF, at the Pantaneiros insistence, is a 49% partner with the JER. They wanted to guarantee the long-term participation of the FCF by being 50/50 partners, and the FCF chose instead to be 49% so that it would be a minority partner. This partnership insures that nearly half of the profit will be used for biodiversity conservation. In this case study, the total profits after expenses were distributed as follows: 18.7% - Focus Tours commission This is a "nuts and bolts" breakdown of a real ecotour. It also shows how private-sector companies (EcoTrent Consulting, Black-Diamond Paving and Focus Tours) and an NGO (Focus Conservation Fund) can successfully work together. It was recently stated that the "eco" in ecotourism is currently more of an "echo". If we want to change this several things have to happen. 1) Tourists have to be educated to choose to travel with companies
that do the most for real biodiversity preservation. I will treat this topic more in future writings. We are at a crossroads in "ecotourism". Currently, most of what is called ecotourism is simply nature-based tourism, and concentrates the profits in cities. If efforts are made to increase the number of professional community-based ecotourism businesses, the future of ecotourism will lead not only to biodiversity preservation, but also to cultural preservation. We cannot separate nature from people anymore than we can separate people from nature. Humans and biodiversity are intricately linked. We need each other.
On 26th of June 1997, an adult female Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena L.) stranded wounded at the shallows of Panagia's Bay, at Halkidiki, N.Aegean Sea, Greece. The animal had a deep wound on the missing right eye and many smaller external wounds scattered all over her body. Immediately after the Harbour Porpoise's rescue and diagnosis of her critical condition, she was treated between 26-29th of June, in situ (in the sea), with antibiotics by ARION-Cetacean Rescue & Rehabilitation Research Center and DELPHIS's scientific advisor and veterinarian Dr. Anastasia Komnenou from Aristotle's University of Thessaloniki, Greece, veterinary students and ARION's volunteers. Along with the macroscopic data, which were also collected, photographs and video documented the rescue and rehabilitation operation of the Harbour Porpoise. The animal was surprisingly, very co-operative to the human contact, swam herself inshore to receive treatment at a 'self-programmed' timing and recovered from her wounds in four days. At the end of the 4th day the animal started, day after day, swimming offshore and finally, disappeared and never observed inshore, since then, again. Three years later, on February and March 2000, two young male Harbour Porpoises stranded dead at Alexandroupolis Gulf, in Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. On 2002 one more corpse of a stranded Harbour Porpoise was found in NE Aegean again. These four cases are the first documented sightings and strandings of Harbour Porpoises, in Greece and in the entire Mediterranean Sea documented by photographs and video-recordings. In Greece, the Hellenic Cetacean Research and Conservation Society-DELPHIS and ARION have also received a few undocumented sightings of this species in past years. In detail, two sightings of the species were reported from coastal areas along the N. Aegean Sea: on January 1995 near Strymonicos Gulf, East Macedonia and during January 1999 offshore Evros' Delta, while during early 1960's, a local naturalist had reported sightings of accidentally trapped individual porpoises in fishing nets along Syros island straits, at the Central Aegean Sea region. These cases are unique because: a) the 1997 case, is the first documented sighting of a Harbour Porpoise in Greece and in the entire Mediterranean Sea since the 19th century. So far, there are scarce unconfirmed data with no evidence of recorded sightings, for the distribution of this endangered species in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, it has enriched our knowledge and experience on an exceptional and unknown behavior of such a timid species while being in a critical condition in the wild, and it was an amazingly successful treatment in situ, of a relative sensitive species that is known to be very stressful to survive in captivity and b) the recent strandings of the two Harbour Porpoises prove the existence of migration movements of the species Phocoena phocoena, especially on Northern Aegean Sea. On 1998 and after the first documented incident of sighting, ARION extended the ongoing Cetacean Monitoring Research Project to the N. Aegean Sea, with emphasis in the research of Harbor Porpoises population dynamics. Distribution and Population Migrations are related to movements of food species and also show a seasonal change. In general this movement is in-shore in summer and offshore in winter. Population The stocks in the Atlantic and Pacific are geographically separated and the Black Sea population seems to be isolated from that in the Atlantic, for practical purposes. Within these populations many local stocks may exist. ARION strongly believes that Harbour Porpoises' sightings in Greek waters may either belong to resident species migrating through the Bosporus Straits (Dardanelles) from the Azov-Black Seas' isolated population or, that they might be remnants of a previous larger population which is now threatened with disappearance. Transitional zones existing between north Aegean Sea and the Black Sea are considered to establish important communication channels for cetaceans. However, there are no resident population of cetaceans in recent years due to massive sea traffic and various pollution sources in the Straits of Dardanelles and the transitional zone of Bosporus Straits and therefore, migrations of this species are considered very rare. According to Kamiloglu 1998, there are occasional movements of pelagic fish from the Aegean to the Black Sea and vice versa, between May and October. The specific stranding of the wounded animal occurred between this period although there are seasonal variations like the recently stranded porpoises in Alexandroupolis on February and March 2000 and the two previous sightings during January '99 offshore Evros Delta and the sighting of a pod of 7-10 individuals west of Strymonicos Gulf on January '96. In addition to the above, the questions are more complicated adding the sightings from the Levantine Sea. A third view might be that the resident population of Harbour Porpoises may be enriched from those species coming from Black Sea. ARION is stressing to field research in order to understand this tiny species population distribution through tissue and blood sampling and distinguish DNA genetic variations with those species coming from the Black Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Habitat Phocoena phocoena occurs mainly in coastal zones, avoiding the open sea and frequently enters rivers, ascending far upstream. Food species are mainly benthic fish, but also pelagic species. Studies of the seasonal movements seemed to correlate quite closely with those of the main food species, herring and mackerel. On the European coasts herring and whiting are taken and the migration in early spring to the Baltic has been attributed to the pursuit of herring. In the Baltic Sea in spring and autumn porpoises migrate following schools of anchovy. Life history and behavior Phocoena phocoena is a social animal, usually found in groups of 2-10. Large schools are observed only during migrations in pursuit of gregarious fish. It is a slow swimmer and usually does not jump clear of the surface. It is particularly difficult to observe at sea in all but almost calm conditions.. It is a timid species and does not approach boats. The species is considered relatively short-lived. One calf is produced at a time and females may have resting years between pregnancies. Birth occurs in the northwest Atlantic from late May to mid July and gestation takes 11 months. Exploitation - Threats Phocoena phocoena is exploited in other countries directly or indirectly throughout the range. These were all used for human consumption or for producing oil for lamps. As a coastal species, Phocoena phocoena, is exposed to pollution and disturbance. Particularly in the North Pacific by-catching through other fisheries posses a threat. Protection Status International The Harbor Porpoise is now covered by CITES Appendix II listing. As a species taken in a direct fishery, the IWC Scientific Committee has urged immediate action, particularly on research, for the past four years. The Commission agreed, but little, has been done. At the 31st meeting in 1979 the Scientific Committee expressed particular concern about the Harbour Porpoise in European waters and once more urged the Commission to take steps to investigate the possible decline in numbers and the effects of individual activity. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Marine Mammals Committee have repeatedly discussed the problems of this species and passed a resolution in 1976 urging its members to collect material for analysis of contamination residues from all animals found dead. The Council of Europe has recently identified the Harbor Porpoise as endangered by pollution. Information on catches, particularly by-catches, on population numbers and trends and on biology is needed before the true status in many areas can be assessed. Conservation and Research It is clear that there are many serious gaps in our knowledge of this elusive species and these hinder our attempts at effective conservation. In an attempt to address this and to complement the work of others, the scientific team aboard ARION's research vessel has been working to perfect a system of detecting harbour porpoises using the echolocation sounds made by the porpoises themselves. Through such efforts, ARION is seeking to complement the scientific work being done by many others in the field, expanding our knowledge of these elusive animals whilst ensuring that the research is of practical benefit to the porpoises themselves.
1. What is Ecotourism? "Tourism that involves travelling to relatively undisturbed areas with the specified object of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals as well as any existing cutrural aspects (both of the past or the present) found in the areas"- by the World Tourism Organisation. Most of the definitions mention Ecotourism as responsible travel to ecologically rich areas, which leads towards the conservation of the area and its local community. My personal view goes much beyond these definitions. I feel that all tourism should become Ecotourism. That means the tourists visiting various places for enjoyment do not disturb the local environment and the local community. It need not be a visit to a natural area only. It could be a visit to a metro city. Any such visit should be environment friendly. The Tourism Departments and Tour Organisers must take care that all tours become environment friendly. Going little further, I will suggest that there should be a conscious attempt from the organisers to create environmental & ecological awareness amongst the tourists. There are various ways in which this can be attempted and achieved. Tourism infrastructure should be ecofriendly which will include use of alternate energy, organic methods of waste /sewage disposal, ethnic architecture, minimum intervention etc. This has to be further strengthened with utmost care and sensitivity when the tourist place is of ecological importance like National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary etc. Even the specialised tourism like Adventure / Wildlife / Rural tourism etc. require ecosensitive approach. The participation of the local community at all stages, right from the design, planning and implementation is also of utmost importance. I feel that the concept of Ecotourism should be very broad covering all aspects of environmental and ecological conservation and being sensitive to indigenous flora, fauna, community and culture. It is a complex issue and I personally worry that this buzzword may overkill the fragile natural environment. I believe that the restrain on tourism could be the first effective step towards Ecotourism. 2. What is its scope in India? It is the prime duty of all planners and developers to understand the basic principles of ecology, environment, culture, heritage etc. and then carefully evolve the tourism proposals around the local ecology and with the involvement of local community. Such tourism will conserve the ecosystems, will bring in sustainability to local socio-economics, will create eco awareness amongst the visitors and will help for global ecological conservation. Your interest is appreciated and your further involvement in eco-conservation efforts is expected. There is a lot of literature available now on Ecotourism. There is also a lot of literature about the Ecosystems of India and there are many voluntary organisations working in this field. Further reading and participation shall broaden your vision and understanding.
It is such an interesting coincidence that your projects are in the Caribbean area. Just last month I was in the Dominican Republic carrying out an investigation for local developers interested in developing eco-tourism projects. I also stopped in to see the much publicized Maho Bay ecotourism developments on the island of St John in the US Virgin Isles, so now have a much better notion of what is happening in that part of he world. About your question(s): You ask about ideas for ecotourism and mention marine activities and organic farming……you do not say anything specific about the development so I will make some general points that you might want to look at: · Local population: you do not mention them at all. Does that mean that there are no locals to speak of. If there are, they represent an important dimension of any activity that you may wish to initiate and this should be studied carefully. ·Local and regional organizations: they too may have a lot to contribute so check them out. You may want to be in touch with the Caribbean Conservation Association for example, if you are not already familiar with them; their web site provides a bunch of interesting and useful links. Finding, understanding and working with the uniqueness of each specific place: I will assume that you are already familiar with the basic cornerstones of ecotourism and the “triple bottom line” ideas relating to sustainability: people/culture, economy and environment. I will therefore focus on an aspect that, while being universal, has acquired reinforced meaning for me since my recent trip to the Caribbean. I was part of a multi-disciplinary team comprising an economist with business skills, an ideas person, a marketing specialist and myself from the environmental and physical development side. All of us are orientated to ecotourism and sustainable tourism development. The central question revolved around identifying and working with the unique features of the region and the specific development site. It was fascinating how, during brainstorming sessions each member of the team was able to contribute an additional dimension pertinent to their specialty. The results were enhanced by the added value acquired through this interaction. It is simply not appropriate to directly copy ideas from one place to the next but you might be able to use this working methodology and direction to good effect. To give a taste of the kind of things that we looked at: a wellness retreat in a largely undisturbed natural setting, including an hinterland where a pilot organic agriculture farm will be established. The farm will also employ local people while demonstrating for them skills that they could acquire, to their long term economic benefit. The farm, being part of the wellness centre program, will also supply produce, not only to the centre, but will also sell in the wider fast growing market for organic produce. More interestingly though, is the idea that the farm will specialize in indigenous medicinal herbs that flourish naturally in that area. This gives it a unique local flavour (a marketable product) while meshing into the overall economic, cultural and environmental mix. It becomes a unique attraction in its own right. I can go on and on with further examples associated with marine and other features (there are numerous exciting ideas to be developed in almost any location) but I think the direction is clear! In short, one needs to focus on the specific uniqueness of each location and work with it. Clearly this requires some experience but, no less important, development of the sensitivities, techniques and tools that will enable one to do it. ·Produce an integrated and flexible business plan: This is an interesting challenge in its own right. Be sure to include a comprehensive, long term and sustainable environmental management framework in your business plan. When businesses run into trouble (most do at some point or another), too often the environmental management systems are among the first things to be cut. Make sure that you have failsafe mechanisms. We never have all the answers all the time. We must leave room to adapt to changing conditions, new and developing opportunities, and problems too! Furthermore, one needs to take into account that business plans are only as good as the capabilities, skills, talents and sensitivity of the individuals implementing and managing them! |
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