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| Tuesday, 16 March 2004 |
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Ecotourism vs Nature tourism by Sarath C. Jayawardana, Former Deputy Director General of Ceylon Tourist Board Ecotourism' is a word frequently bandied in the local travel scene in
recent times with different connotations. Any tourism project This tendency of blindly imitating ecotourism can have harmful effects on tourism development. The word 'ecotourism' is derived from the words 'ecology' and 'tourism'. Dictionary of Biology published by the Penguin Books Ltd. (1951 edition) defines ecology as follows. "Study of the relations of animals and plants, particularly of animal and plant communities, to their surroundings, animate and inanimate." The Chambers 20th Century Dictionary (1984 edition) shows it as "a study of plants, or of animals, or of peoples and institutions, in relation to environment". The same dictionary defines 'eco-'as, "in composition, concerned with habitat and environment in relation to living organisms, as in ecology". 'Tourism' on the other hand is the temporary movement of people from their places of residence to other destinations for purposes other than employment, migration and war. Thus, ecotourism should in reality be the movement of people within a natural habitat and environment to observe the behavioural pattern of flora and fauna in relation to the surrounding without causing ecological damage or biodiversity imbalance and without disturbing the environmental conservation of the area. The concept of ecotourism was introduced in the mid-eighties of the last century as an offshoot of 'nature tourism' to encourage responsible development of tourism in relation to the environment. The need for a form of tourism that can move away from 'mass tourism' and still increase the earnings was felt as an alternative to increasing numbers at the expense of quality and over exploitation of natural and cultural assets. Nature tourism with the attractions provided by wildlife parks, nature reserves and underwater was so popular with the traveller that it became a source of increased traffic and increased profit to the travel operator thus coming into conflict with the protection and conservation of the natural environment. At this crossing of the paths of travel industry and conservation, 'ecotourism' emerged as a means of conservation of nature and economic development in a sustainable manner. It was first interpreted as 'enjoying nature without disturbing nature' as the ecotourist enjoys the beauty of nature in its pristine state without harming nature. The real meaning of ecotourism lies in that phrase. Its parameters have since been expanded to engulf cultural environment besides natural environment Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the biggest non-governmental travel organizations defines ecotourism as follows. "A form of tourism inspired primarily by the natural history of an area, including its indigenous cultures. The ecotourist visits relatively undeveloped areas in the spirit of appreciation, participation and sensitivity. The ecotourist practices a non-consumptive use of wildlife and natural resources and contributes to the visited area through labour or financial means aimed at directly benefiting the conservation issues in general, and to the specific needs of the locals. Ecotourism also implies a managed approach by the host country or region which commits itself to establishing and maintaining the site with the participation of local residents, marketing them appropriately, enforcing regulations, and using the proceeds of the enterprise to fund the area's land management as well as community development." The definition is very long and PATA itself sums it up as "travelling with particular attention to nature's wonders and leaving them as you found them". This agrees with the interpretation of ecotourism as 'enjoying nature without disturbing nature. An ecosystem, which is a system of interacting organisms in a particular habitat, is a combination of fauna, flora, soil, water and air. Any development that disturbs the bio-diversity balance of such a system works contrary to the principles of ecotourism. As such, ecotourism requires development within certain parameters and limitations and needs careful planning and preparation. Travellers attracted by natural wonders become interested in learning about the ecosystems generating profitable business to the travel agents. It has already become big business. But with that lies the danger of destroying the very thing which they are trying to promote threatening the fragile ecosystems. One of the major factors affecting ecotourism is the carrying capacity of a site which is the maximum level of visitors that can be accommodated without causing any negative impacts on resources. It cannot permit mass movement of tourists within the ecosystem, as the fragility of the system is highly susceptible to damage through over-visitation. The same applies to cultural environment. While nature tourism can tolerate a higher level of visitor activity within an area, ecotourism can permit only fewer visitors at a time within an ecosystem. Ecologically the carrying capacity is optimized when changes occur inter-alia in animal behaviour in natural parks such as migration of animals into other areas, changes in feeding habits, erosion of jungle paths and degradation of the quality of water. Quantitative measurements of the impact of visitation to determine the optimum levels are therefore vital for planning ecotourism development in such sensitive areas. Ecotourism should be developed as a niche market differentiating from nature travel. Majority of tourists visiting Sri Lanka are pleasure seekers. Special interest travellers are a small sector in the local tourism scene. Ecotourism must be developed to attract more and more of the special interest travellers appreciating the value of natural habitats and ecosystems, as they must be visited with utmost caution and respect. Unplanned ecotourism can work contrary to the basic tenets of that branch of tourism detrimental to the sustenance of the ecosystems in the nature reserves. Permanent structures should not be permitted within an ecosystem. Neither should there be well-constructed pathways that can upset the natural environment Sri Lanka is already experiencing threats of over visitation in its wildlife parks and cultural sites. Noise from uncontrolled numbers arriving in all types of vehicles in the national parks disturb the animals driving them far into the jungle thus negating the very purpose of visiting wild life parks. Vehicles belching poisonous fumes harm both plants and animals. Effects of over visitation in our cultural sites are clearly evident at places like Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya. Visitors walking on the restored areas unwittingly damage the work carried out at great expense. This cannot be prevented due to the very large numbers visiting those sites especially during weekends and holidays. Souvenir sellers purposely vandalize cultural monuments to earn a quick dollar Even the other natural habitats are not spared. Use of mechanized boats in rivers and estuaries damage the banks of the waterways and discharge oil harming not only the aquatic life but also the mangroves. They also disturb the avifauna nesting on the banks of the rivers. Such destruction is evident in Hikkaduwa, Bentota and other coastal areas. Souvenir hunters and sellers breaking valuable coral reefs at Hikkaduwa cause immense destruction to that natural treasure. The release of effluent into the sea contaminates the Hikkaduwa marine sanctuary These are a few examples of exploitation of nature and culture. What is actually practised is nature travel in its worst form. Tourist industry must be a profitable venture and at the same time should be environmentally sustainable. It was Mr. Antonio Savignac, the former Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization who said that 'While the attraction of creating many jobs and bringing in substantial foreign currency earnings very quickly is recognized, we should not be bind to the fact that a slower rate of planned growth is probably a better long-run strategy and may be more environment friendly.' He made those remarks at the 40th Annual Session of PATA in Bali. Even after ten years, the wisdom of those words should be appreciated considering the environmental devastation that takes place in the name of tourism development Ecotourism should be developed with care and due regard to its basic principles. Necessary conservation practices should be adopted with regard to the environment, flora and fauna habitats and cultural sites. Tourism planning issues should be discussed with the local community to solicit and encourage their participation in preserving the environment. The ecotourists can be partners in the sustainable management of the sites. Unfortunately, ecotourism has in the present context become a fashionable jargon to promote any kind of tourism development regardless of its impact on environment and nature. The next step forward from ecotourism will be 'endemic tourism' which recognizes that "each individual locality or community has its special character" and that "particular character or identity may well constitute its major attractiveness to tourists". Endemic tourism was discussed in the last decade and very soon it will be a common topic of discussion in the travel trade. All this is aimed at preserving natural habitats and cultural attractions. Whatever the term that is used it is the responsibility of the tourist as well as the tourism developer and the facilitator to see that such attractions are not exploited for economic gains. |
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that borders
on nature is labeled an eco-tourism project even at the risk of
contravening the accepted norms of this branch of tourism.
