Running head: IMPACTS OF ECOTOURISM
Impacts of Ecotourism: Considerations for Belize
Malissa M. Northup
Earth Expeditions, Miami University of Ohio
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IMPACTS OF ECOTOURISM
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Impacts of Ecotourism: Considerations for Belize
Despite its small size, Belize boasts over 85 different types of ecosystems, including
mountains, dense forests, rivers, coral reefs, mangroves, and estuaries (Young, 2008;
Neunninghoff et al., 2015). These picturesque settings support incredible biodiversity, making
Belize a premier destination for ecotourists. Tourism is considered a “young industry” in Belize
as it has only had significant economic impact since the early 1980s (Neunninghoff et al., 2015).
However, in the last 30 years tourism has grown from about 4% of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) to approximately 13% of GDP (Krüger, 2005). Data from the World Travel and Tourism
Council from 2012 estimate that tourism accounted for over 15,000 jobs or the equivalent of
about 11% of total employment (Neunninghoff et al., 2015). In comparison to nearby nations, the
country with the next highest proportion of GDP from tourism is Costa Rica with about 3.5%
(Krüger, 2005).
In Belize and other countries with temperate and tropical climates, natural assets have
given rise to this niche type of tourism. Ecotourism has been defined in myriad ways but there
are three characteristics of ecotourism on which most authors agree; it invites visitors to explore
unspoiled landscapes with a focus on reduced negative ecological impact of those visitors and
increased positive economic impact for local peoples (Clifton & Benson, 2006; Farrell &
Marion, 2001). Nearly 36% of Belize’s landmass has protected status, as well as 13% of its
surrounding waters which includes parts of the world’s second largest coral reef system (Sood,
2012). Protecting these areas has affected the livelihoods of local inhabitants such as loggers,
farmers, and fishermen by limiting their use. When ecotourism started to grow in popularity in
the mid-90s, it was hailed as a “cure-all” for the economic woes of many developing nations,
particularly those with scenic beauty. The hope was that ecotourism would provide a financial
benefit to local communities, thus encouraging them to protect natural resources through various
conservation methods thus enabling continued visitation to those areas (Farrell & Marion, 2001;
Stronza, 2008).
There is great potential for countries to obtain substantial financial benefits from
ecotourism. As Krüger (2005) states, ecotourists typically have a higher level of education and
more disposable income than dilettante tourists, and therefore are more likely to spend money
IMPACTS OF ECOTOURISM
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during their visit and support the local economy. He also emphasizes that ecotourists already
have a strong desire to protect and not degrade the environment. The industry however, has not
reached a point where it is sustainable, according to Buckley (2012). While there have been
many successful ecotourism initiatives around the world, many others have been less than
successful for a variety of reasons. Positive and negative impacts of ecotourism fall into four
major categories: environmental, social, economic, and psychological (Powell & Ham, 2008).
Current research shows that ecotourism itself is not inherently bad, but that its failure in a
particular region is typically due to limited planning and poor implementation. Even if the
ecotourism projects are successful, such as Amboseli National Park in Kenya, as these projects
grow there is always the risk that increased visitors will cause damage to the environment simply
due to an increased number of people using resources in a limited area (Wyman & Stein, 2010;
Choi & Sirakaya, 2006). Ecotourism in many ways is a double-edged sword; many countries are
constantly torn between maintaining the natural environment for its own sake or for the sake of
the tourism industry (Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004). For a country such as Belize to continue
to develop the ecotourism industry and establish its sustainability, its negative and positive
impacts must be considered to avoid errors made in other projects.
Ecotourism has resulted in positive changes for many local communities around the
world. One of the greatest benefits of ecotourism is that it increases the flow of cash to towns
and villages off the beaten path, where life mainly focuses on subsistence and there are limited
opportunities to increase income (Stronza, 2007). Financial benefits to a local areas can take
many forms, such as in dividends directly from the ecotourism venture, employment
opportunities as guides, in the hospitality industry, and as vendors of goods and services
(Neunninghoff et al., 2015; Alexander, 2000; Clifton & Benson, 2006). For poorer communities,
even a slight increase in their earnings can significantly improve their quality of life, especially if
the income source is reliable (Stronza, 2007). True ecotourism typically uses local labor and
promotes locally owned businesses which keeps more of the money in the destination country so
there is less “leakage” to larger tourism companies which, more often than not, are
foreign-owned or based in the tourist’s home country (Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004;
University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2008). Local communities, not just individuals, have
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benefited from increased funds as a result of ecotourism. In Peru, money from the eco-lodge
Posada Amazonas, has been used to build a new high school, a handicrafts studio, and juice
processing plant for the local citizens (Stronza, 2007). In Belize, the economic status of many
members of the Community Baboon Sanctuary has improved (Alexander, 2000). Additional
ecotourism income could potentially provide funding for improved healthcare and public works
projects like a potable water supply and waste processing for these relatively isolated areas
(Buckley, 2012; Stronza, 2008).
Secondary benefits related to the local economic gains are that residents have not only
less time for “consumptive land uses” such as timber felling and poaching, but also motivation to
protect natural resources for future revenue (Krüger, 2005; Wyman & Stein, 2010). While an
analysis of 188 case studies found that only 17% reported a positive impact on conservation
(versus neutral 46% or negative 37%), in several cases where those projects are done well,
ecotourism has had a positive ecological impact (Krüger, 2005). At the Community Baboon
Sanctuary (CBS) in Belize for example, where 200 member residents have voluntarily agreed to
preserve their land to protect the monkeys’ riverine forest habitat, the population of black howler
monkeys (knowns as baboons to locals) has more than tripled in the last 30 years (Sood, 2012;
Alexander, 2000). In Cuyabeno Reserve in Ecuador and Amboseli National Park in Kenya,
ecotourism development has protected endangered species and decreased poaching incidents
(Wyman & Stein, 2010). Where positive impacts have been recorded, local inhabitants
demonstrate greater understanding about conservation. This shows that when ecotourism
ventures are executed well, it can raise environmental awareness (Alexander & Whitehouse,
2004). Stronza’s (2008) study of three Amazon ecotourism projects found that interview subjects
reported feeling “rich” because they have “trees, rivers, and fish” and a “greater understanding
about conservation” (p. 456). Ecotourism can, in fact, encourage local residents to engage in
low-impact, non-consumptive activities such as harvesting sustainable plants, through expansion
of economic incentives and community pride (Wyman & Stein, 2010; Stronza 2007).
Most other non-economic gains have centered on the empowerment of local peoples. As
a result, residents that work in various ecotourism ventures gain valuable job and leadership
skills, which give them the confidence to pursue jobs with higher pay or even to start their own
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businesses (Stronza, 2007; Stronza 2008). At Posadas Amazonas in Peru, residents were able to
organize themselves as a result of these new abilities and a larger support networks to gain
additional land from the government to protect wildlife and block the building of a large highway
through their land (Stronza & Pêgas, 2008). Exposure to these new opportunities have had an
even greater impact on women in certain regions through increased education and employment
which has led to financial stability due and greater independence (Alexander & Whitehouse,
2004). In Costa Rica’s Monteverde rain forest, 100 local female artisans are members of the
Cooperative de Artesanas de Santa Elena y Monteverde (CASEM) which not only generates
profits for each member but also teaches business skills, builds self-esteem, and encourages
community building (CASEM, 2011).
While ecotourism has had positive effects in individual cases, it could be argued that its
negative impacts are even more far-reaching. Krüger (2005) asserts that tourism will always
cause degradation to pristine environments and the little profit it generates for those areas is not
worth it. Most of the negative impacts are the result of poor management of projects which do
not monitor or attempt to limit visitor impacts and exclude community members from planning
and participation. Even though most ecotourists pay a premium for these unique travel
experiences, very little of the money is actually returned to the local community (Stronza, 2008).
In fact, tourism has resulted in inflated food prices and sky-high property values, which has
burdened local residents (Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004). Of the money that does stay locally,
which is estimated at about 22-25% of overall tour cost, the benefit to individuals is not
substantial enough to be the only source of income and is not fairly distributed among members
of the community (Clifton & Benson, 2006; Alexander, 2000; Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004).
Protection of certain natural resources for ecotourism has impacted local citizens’ livelihoods by
preventing them from using those resources for subsistence. Depriving communities the
opportunities to use their own land for logging, agriculture, ranching, and fishing, can be
devastating for some families who derive a majority of their annual income from these industries
(Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004; Stronza, 2008). By denying local residents from using their
land and promising little financial return in some cases has caused conservation efforts to
backfire with residents responding with harmful environmental activities such as slash and burn
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agriculture and illegal poaching of wildlife (Stronza, 2007; Stronza & Pêgas, 2008). Some
residents have even used any additional monies from ecotourism to purchase new technologies to
intensify these practices (Stronza, 2007; Stronza 2008). The economic incentives from
ecotourism are often not great enough for community members to abandon consumptive land use
practices (Krüger, 2005).
While local residents in ecotourism hotspots have contributed to habitat alteration, the
ecological impacts from increased numbers of ecotourists are even more destructive. A major
reason for this is that these typically isolated destinations are not equipped to handle large
numbers of people (Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004). Some of the problems of most concern are
the increased amount of solid waste generated by visitors, pollution of air and water, and land
degradation such as trail erosion (Farrell & Marion, 2001; Young, 2008). Most of these remote
ecotourism locations lack the infrastructure to process and mitigate the increased amount of trash
and sewage that is generated. In Rio On Pools, Belize, poorly maintained toilets have caused a
significant amount of pollution from sewage, leading to unhealthy conditions for wildlife and
local residents (University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2008). In San Ignacio, Belize residents are
concerned that congestion caused by higher demands for transportation has raised the levels of
air and noise pollution (Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004). Coral reefs and mangroves in Belize
are also declining (50% of the Mesoamerican reef is listed in “poor condition”) as a result of
inappropriate garbage disposal, coastal development for ecotourism resorts and marinas, as well
as nutrient runoff from sewage (Nuenninghoff et al., 2015; Young, 2008). Stone ruins and trails
in Altun Ha, Belize, have also suffered damage from tourists (Farrell & Marion, 2001). Various
animal species have been negatively affected as a result of ecotourism. As most visits to see
these often rare but charismatic animals happen during critical times such as mating season, they
can seriously influence and even alter the animals’ behaviors. Deleterious activities such as
harassing the animals, disturbing their habitat, and feeding them can have long-lasting effects
(Farrell & Marion, 2001; Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004). As Kangas and Blersch (2013)
determine with their model of ecotourism sustainability in Belize, as tourism grows within
natural environments, they are unable to regenerate fast enough to cope with the destruction
caused by tourists. Unfortunately many of these ecologically challenges can be tied back to
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environmental regulations that are not properly enforced, such as the Environmental Protection
Act (Duffy, 2000; Nuenninghoff et al., 2015). For example in Belize, even though all tourism
ventures are required to complete an environmental impact assessment, there was a lack of
funding and adequate staff to complete them and the ventures proceeded anyway. There are also
powerful interest groups who financially benefit from increased tourism development who have
interfered with efforts of conservation authorities to address environmental violations (Duffy,
2000). There are several examples of “paper parks” in Belize, which were likely established as
reserves to protect valuable flora and fauna, yet there is very little visible management and
funding which would enable them to fulfill a mission of conservation (Young, 2008). Ecotourism
has the greatest intent for conservation, however, as Alexander and Whitehouse have found
(2004), accountability and management are lacking.
In addition to economic and ecological impacts, many sociocultural impacts of
ecotourism have been identified. As local residents started working in various capacities in the
ecotourism industry, there have been significant shifts in their family life. Employees often work
extremely long hours which increases stress and illness, they have to travel long distances to
their job as most locations are remote, and as a result are deprived of time with their children and
relatives and abandon cultural and community pursuits (Stronza, 2007; Stronza & Pêgas, 2008).
There have also been reports of “the demonstration effect” in certain destinations when local
residents witness negative tourist behaviors which has led to increases in crime, as well as drug
and alcohol usage (Alexander & Whitehouse, 2004; Clifton & Benson, 2006, p.132).
Based on their model, Alexander and Whitehouse (2004) claim that ecotourism in Belize
may have some short term benefits but will not be sustainable into the future for many of the
reasons listed above. However, as Stronza (2008) states, most of the problems associated with
ecotourism are well-known and have workable solutions. However, many of the challenges for
maintaining these natural environments while generating a profit are political due to a history of
poor policy enforcement. Fortunately, Belize is now in a position to address some of these issues
as the government has established the National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan 2012–2030
(NSTMP) which outlines targets for sustainable tourism growth. At the heart of this plan is the
protection of Belize’s “natural capital” to maintain tourism’s significant contribution to the
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economy (Nuenninghoff et al., 2015). The Belize Tourism Board wants visitors to enjoy these
beautiful landscapes in a responsible way (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Study after study stress
the importance of involving the local citizens at all stages of the process in developing a
successful ecotourism project, from decision making, to implementation and monitoring (Wyman
& Stein, 2010; Krüger, 2005). The knowledge and close ties which residents have with
surrounding natural areas can be a valuable asset in the industry; a community that believes they
have a voice will be likely to ensure ecotourism’s success. In essence for ecotourism to be
sustainable, the Belize Tourism Board must focus on the “4 E’s” as defined by Powell and Ham
(2008): environmental conservation, equity, education, and economic benefits. Financial benefits
from ecotourism must be substantial and evenly distributed within a community and combined
with education to motivate those residents to become environmental stewards.
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