The Dark
Side to
Ecotourism
Frankie Victoria
Joey Seiler
Alyssa Beerling
Melissa Lupinacci
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)
The Reality of Ecotourism
Ariau Amazon Towers- Manaus,
Brazil
“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 greenwashing is prevalent in so-called
“ecotourist” operations
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)
Economic Aspects
 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..)
Economics
 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
Environmental
Impacts of
Ecotourism
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
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
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
Hiking (trampling)

Abrasion of vegetation


Compaction of soil



Plants can be bruised, crushed,
sheered and uprooted
Reduced porosity
Utilization of nutrients
Abrasion of organic
components


Affect plant/animal species
composistions
Affect microbial populations
Camping
 All
of the effects of hiking but to a greater
extreme in a more confined area.
Impacts of On-Site Travel
 Motorized
off-highway
vehicles (OHVs)


Exploration, recreation
and transportation
Major areas of study:
Arctic tundra, east
African grasslands
Impact Mechanisms of OHVs


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

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
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
The Costs of Getting There
 Who
is traveling?
 How are they getting there?
 What are the impacts?
Eco-tourist Profiles
 Experienced


travelers
Tend to originate from developed countries
Travel to exotic, remote locations
 Higher
education
 Higher Income
 Middle-age to elderly
Air Travel

Air travel is the most common transport form
used for ecotourism trips.
 Three
Transport directly associated with the
ecotourism experience
1.

2.
3.
components
boat trip around site
Travel between various sites and operations
Transport from home land to the travel
destination
Between-site Travel
 Aviation
change

Air travel consist of 3.5% of worldwide GHG
emissions
 Case


is a contributor to climate
Study, New Zealand
Average one-way flying distance estimated
to be 12,000 km
Emitting 430kg of CO2
REBUTTAL
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”
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.
Bibliography
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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 Ecolodges http://kiskeyaalternative.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/dat
a/documents/p305442.pdf
Greenwash http://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.