Eight years ago, I fell in love with the Florida Keys, the spectacularly beautiful chain of islands at the southernmost tip of our country. The 5,000-year-old chain of subtropical islands is blessed with palm trees, flowering bushes and shrubs; friendly, laissez-faire people; and the only living reef in the contiguous United State. The ecology of the islands is extremely fragile; the area is one of the top three hot spots in the country for endangered species. Seventeen species are labeled endangered in the coral reef system, with several others considered threatened. It could be argued that the human beings there are also threatened; housing prices have sky-rocketed over the last five years, and wages are not high.
Millions of tourists visit the Keys each year; many go there solely to get away from it all, to do only what is pleasurable. Some don’t think about their impact on the environment.
I was surprised to find that no nature guidebook to the area existed. After visiting for several weeks for six winters, I was so moved by its increasing vulnerability and wanted to do something to help protect its wildlife and habitat, I wrote one. It sells quite well, but, unfortunately, not as well as some of the more standard guidebooks, which list hotels, restaurants, and bars.
In my book, I wanted to list only natural spots and guides who provided tours that were educational and ecologically sensitive. I did not include fishing trips, and I did not include dolphin parks unless the dolphins were treated responsibly and/or used for medical purposes, as are some of the dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key. No hotels, restaurants or amusement parks are in my book. As I wanted to attract attention to the ecological needs, I included several opportunities for tourists to leave their mark: places where they could volunteer to stabilize or improve the area’s environment. I clearly stated that some places like the Turtle Hospital are not tourist attractions, but, rather, are resources, often in need of funds or volunteers.
Naively, I thought I had written what could be called an ecotourism book. My goal was to have visitors want to protect the area, not trash it. But as I have unearthed the complex, many-faceted definition of ecotourism, I see I only went so far.
What exactly is ecotourism?
A synonymous term is socially responsible tourism. Sustaining and respecting the environment are parts of ecotourism, the parts I stressed in my book, but the concept is much more far-reaching in its implications. Here are some defining principles put forth by the Ecotourism Society: a significant portion of funds raised by such travels goes to or remains in the destination country; ecotourism employs local and indigenous people; it shows a sensitivity to local cultures and ways of living; the trips have low impact on the natural environment; and the travel or tour organization supports environmental and conservation causes.
Tourism, the world’s largest industry, produces $4.4 trillion dollars in gross annual output, providing nearly 230 million jobs around the world, states a 1998 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council. According to Conservation International’s ecotourism program, nature travel currently represents between 40 and 60 percent of this international industry. Green Money Journal has listed it as the fastest growing part of that industry. This segment has been growing since its inception almost thirty years ago.
Martha Honey, author of the highly-esteemed book, Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?, writes that the ecotourism movement began in Latin America and Africa in the late 1970s. Latin Americans saw it as a tool to protect their rainforests from logging and oil drilling. Africans believed that their wildlife would have the best chance of survival if area residents had a financial stake in national parks and in tourism.
One long-lasting ecotourism group, Ecolé, was established in Redway, California in 1985. It is a partnership of North American conservationists in association with international non-governmental organizations and professional nature tour operators, and it shares space with the nonprofit Ancient Forest International (AFI). Although Ecolé is currently "for profit," the group hopes to become a non-profit wing of AFI, as they can’t compete with the big commercial "ecotourism" groups, states Lloyd Hauskins, director.
AFI’s hope is to "provide an enduring economic alternative to non-sustainable exploitation of our natural resources, through ecotourism." Stopping the destruction of the environment is foremost, but also critical is creating a sustainable-use pattern for those wildlands they are able to preserve, explains Hauskins. They offer trips on every continent of the globe, working with local groups to present treks, kayak trips, and more. Ninety percent of the funds they receive go to their providers or to environmental causes.
Honey gives several examples of places where the concept is working. One is the four-star Moka Ecolodge in Cuba. No forests were cut down to build the twenty-six-room lodge. Part of its power comes from solar panels; some of its cuisine comes from hydroponic, organic gardens. The inn is situated near a tropical mountain forest and near a small community, Las Terrazas. The lodge was built to help provide money to the town and maintain the community’s ecological and social goals. Forty percent of its profits go to a community development fund, and another 10 percent to a health clinic. About 20 percent of Las Terrazas’ citizens work at Moka, which has a recycling program. All in all, writes Honey in her article "Where’s the‘Eco’ in‘Ecotourism’?", this is a wonderful example of a project that works for the local community, local government, and tourists alike.
But not all so-called nature tour groups are as faithful to the eco-philosophy, notes Honey. Some participate in a practice called greenwashing. They advertise that they are "green" when, indeed, they are not. Some of their profits may go out of state or country, for example, or their ships may pollute the lakes or oceans. Many do not hire local residents but import their staff, which, of course, does not help the local economy. And awards, like labels, are not a guarantee of sincerity. Travel industry groups can sign up for the supposedly environmental Green Globe award by paying a $200 fee. They can advertise this award but may have done nothing except pay money to obtain it.
There is also a segment of the tourist trade called "ecotourism light," writes Honey, which promotes superficially "green" activities like "a rainforest walk as part of conventional hotel or cruise packages." For example, in the Florida Keys, a few hotels offer "dolphin swims." The programs are expensive. Although there is usually an educational component to the short programs, and the physical contact certainly benefits people, any benefit to the dolphins is open to question.
Honey encourages tourists to be skeptical of organizations trumpeting ecological truisms, such as "take only photos, leave only footprints," or "tread lightly on the earth." It is a good idea to ask a tour operator questions. Is the company sensitive and positive about the environment and local customs? Is there an educational aspect to their tours? Do a large percentage of the profits stay in the community and benefit conservation and wildlife? Does the company hire local employees?
Ellen Scott, author of the article, "Principles of Ecotourism: Socially Responsible Tourism," from the Web site www.ecotourism.com, further notes that if you aspire to be an ecotourist, you should ask yourself several questions when you travel: Do you eat at local restaurants or only at McDonald’s and other chains? Do you purchase locally-made products, made from renewable resources? Can you stay in humble lodgings or do you need a high-rise hotel on the beach, with a pool? Can you understand and adapt if the weather (a hurricane or tornado) interferes with your plans? Can you accept that you cannot go to certain sensitive areas? Do you understand that the other culture’s habits and values may be radically different from yours? Have you researched the area to which you’re traveling?
Like any other type of travel, there are pluses and minuses to taking an ecotourism vacation. On the plus side, you may be helping to save a beautiful part of the world for future generations and helping to sustain endangered or threatened creatures’ habitat. The tour will likely involve physical activity. You will get to know the locals more closely and eat more indigenous foods. You will quite possibly engage in real traditions or customs. Another plus is that some of the profits of your trip will help the area with which you’ve fallen in love.
The minuses are that sometimes these tours are more expensive because items like solar heating, organic foods, and locally-made products do not benefit from the economies of scale offered by mass consumption. Also, if the tours hire experts in the field to lead walks or canoe trips, the costs will be passed along to you. The lodgings may have solar heating, but they may also be more rustic. Some tours may be too strenuous for some travelers.
Ecotourism is not for everyone. People who prefer a vacation marked by luxury and ultimate comforts had probably best look elsewhere. For the rest of us, ecologically sensitive tours may be more thrilling than the conventional trip. They are certainly more unique and authentic, as well as being the kindest way to go.
Deborah Straw is the author of Natural Wonders of the Florida Keys (NTC Contemporary Publishing), published in 1999.