Ecotourism, tres

Though ecotourism sounds like a positive, environmentally supporting thing, there are some negative positions and criticisms surrounding the industry. First is the practice of advertising as a green, ecofriendly, or ecotourism activity when infact you are not practicing the principles necessary to actually be environmentally responsible. This is an example of the ¨greenwashing¨ we talked about in class, where the activites or organizations are disguised as green or ecofriendly when infact they are not.

Another criticism of ecotourism is the negative impact it can have on local communities. What was initially supposed to be protected land or game reserves are now turned into revenue generating tourist locations with lodges and other tourist accomodations. This is leading to displacement of local people, violations of rights, and other ecological hazards in these areas. Sometimes the costs of ecotourism are not worth continuing the industry in an area.

There is also an issue when bringing any number of people into an environment that will affect the wildlife in that area, perhaps permanently. The presence of people in an area also means the addition of garbage, pollution, and other disturbances to the natural plant and animal life as well as a disruptance to indigenous peoples who may be living in the area being visited by tourists.

There are clearly issues that need to be addressed in regards to ecotourism and how it is practiced. There are organizations and regulatory committies that are trying to set guidelines for ecotourism companies to follow in order to minimize the impact on the environment and be responsible with the tourism people are doing in an area in order to keep ecotourism as a positive, educational experience.