Ecotourism Best Practices and Resources

The following information was gathered between January and March, 2009 as part of the BESAC Mini-Grant program which supports the California Community College (CCC) System. Ecomentum was awarded a small grant to assist in the development of new ecotourism curriculum for Monterey Peninsula College, Lake Tahoe Community College and the entire CCC System. I’ve decided to share some of the deliverables here, which include a list of best practices and resources (sources identified). For a more opinionated view of our experiences in sustainable tourism (including cultural, adventure, ecotourism and geotourism) – read the blog articles!

Best Practices: Ecotourism

Wildlife Spotting
Look in the right place at the right time! Many animals and habitats are seasonal, so check with authorities such as park rangers, NOAA, local tour operators, books and websites to determine the appropriate times, seasons and places to spot wildlife. Knowing the activity cycles of wildlife will provide you with a better understanding of the animals and give you a much better chance to spot them. (NOAA.gov)

Wildlife Viewing Etiquette

View wildlife from a distance of at least 50 yards, and calmly back away if approached by wildlife. Also limit viewing time to 30 minutes or less, and be aware that the cumulative impact of wildlife viewing can also have an impact and should be taken into account. If an animal exhibits behavioral changes, your presence may be disturbing the animal. Many occurrences of animals being injured, abandoning young, or losing habitats have been reported in California. Never touch or feed animals, even if they appear to be sick, injured or hungry. Alert a ranger, fish & game, NOAA or the appropriate authority if you think there is a sick or injured animal that may be harmed or pose a threat to humans. Leave pets at home as they may disturb or injure wildlife. (NOAA.gov)

Guidelines for Kayaking and Water-based Wildlife Viewing

Remain at least 100 yards away from whales and established pinniped (seals, sea lions, etc.) rookeries, and at least 50 yards from dolphins, pinnipeds, sea otters and turtles. Avoid approaching animals from behind and never travel faster than the animal while nearby. Never feed, touch or ride any marine species. If approached by animals, never start the propellar or paddle until the animal is observed at the surface and a safe distance from your vessel. Sea otters are very sensitive and need to rest for half of the day to remain healthy. Otter mothers with pups need even more resting time, so take care not to molest them or approach too closely with your boat, kayak or surfboard. (NOAA)

Traveling to Sensitive Areas: Minimize Impact

While traveling, especially to national parks, private reserves and other natural, protected or pristine areas, be sure to minimize your impact. Take only pictures and pack out any trash or anything else you brought in with you. Where fires are permitted, use only established fire rings, burn all wood to ashes and scatter completely extinguished ashes. Do not molest or impede the progress of wildlife, and ask locals before snapping pictures. Concentrate activities on existing trails, campsites and where vegetation is minimal. (TIES, Leave No Trace)

Tourism Operators (General):

Build Environmental and Cultural Awareness & Respect
As a tourism operator, including lodging properties or activity outfitter, be sure to impart environmental & cultural awareness and respect. Programs that teach participants and employees about local environmental issues and culture create a rewarding atmosphere of cultural exchange which increases satisfaction of positive benefits to everyone involved. Results include reduced negative impacts on the environment and local people and higher customer satisfaction and more repeat clients. (TIES)

Customers and Host Experiences

It is important to provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts. For example, allowing local communities to earn money by selling handcrafted authentic goods gives a chance for hosts to earn revenues and allows tourists to interact with the people who live in an area, as well as practicing the language and seeing how their tourism dollars can directly help local populations. Happy hosts will be more welcoming to tourists, which will create a positive environment with fewer problems like crime and pollution while leading to higher return rates and a better image for your destination and operation.

Conservation in Tourism: Provide Direct Financial Benefits for Conservation

Whether your operation includes a jungle ecolodge, a whale watch or an African safari, it’s vital to provide direct financial benefits for conservation. Simply posting signs or waving a finger will not provide employment or a means to earn a living for local people. Many successful examples have been pioneered, including placing a monetary value (based tourism receipts) on a herd of wild elephants in Africa to dissuade poaching and trophy hunting. This strategy can help persuade policy-makers as well as local populations to value and protect natural assets. This process is also valuable when deciding whether or not to pursue agriculture in a given area. In Ambroselli National Park in Kenya (1982), it was determined that the value of the land based on tourism was worth $40 per hectare, but only $.80 per hectare if used for agriculture. (TIES, Héctor Ceballos-Lascuráin)

Welfare of Local People: Provide Financial Benefits and Empowerment of Local People

Providing a means of income and empowerment is necessary for the long-term sustainability of an ecotourism destination. In Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park, some ecolodges have trained locals engaged in destructive gold mining to be wildlife guides for tourists, which pays better and also utilizes the most knowledgeable guides available, thus improving the services offered to visitors. This program has allowed some families to send their children to college and create opportunities that did not exist before the program was in place. (TIES, Lapa Rios Ecolodge)

International Operators: Raising Sensitivity to Host Countries’ Political Environmental & Social Climate

A true ecotourism operator will understand the issues and impart visitors with knowledge, and when appropriate, opportunities for financial support and action. Ecotourists have a desire for knowledge and will be more likely to help with causes when they feel informed an empowered. This may mean describing the safety of certain areas before they are visited, or even providing opportunities for volunteering, purchasing locally made indigenous products or supporting a non-profit foundation. (TIES, Jungle River Tours Belize)

Tourism Operators: Planning for Success

Your Vision & Mission should be comprehensive, clearly stated, and well-known by employees and partners. Build staff commitment and provide incentives for the company vision and strategic and operating plans. Sustainability policies should be in place, updated often, and clearly demonstrated. Maintain a highly skilled and trained staff, with CPR certifications, guide licenses and outdoor leadership experience. (Catalog of Exemplary Practices in Adventure Travel & Ecotourism: Pam Wright & Canadian Tourism Commission)

Community-Owned Ecotourism

One way to ensure that the local population is supported through ecotourism is to turn the project over to the local community. At Chalalán Ecolodge in Bolivia, a Conservation International Project, 50% of earnings are reinvested into the community to provide schools, housing, food and medical services, and the remaining 50% are paid as dividends to the local community, which serves as the labor force for tourism operations. This provides a positive and rewarding experience for both hosts and visitors, and allows some residents to live in a traditional manner, while providing the opportunity for education and advancement for others. (Conservation International)

Certification, Awards & Marketing

Certification can be an effective way to gain consumer trust and increase the overall sustainability of a tourism operation. Many certifications exist, but the best certifications will include third party verification and inspection of claims. Voluntary programs often lack enforcement and may be viewed as “greenwashing” by visitors, journalists or ecotourism organizations and should be avoided as a stand-alone certification, whenever possible. Due to the abundance of certification programs and lack of consumer understanding, some programs have shifted towards a focus on voluntary tourism award programs. Marketing of specific programs included in third party verification can be an effective technique for gaining consumer trust. Some well-known award programs include The Ecotourism Spotlight Award & The Indigenous Tourism & Biodiversity Spotlight Award. (Planeta.org)

Interpretation

Interpretation is defined by the National Association of Interpretation as “A mission-based communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and meanings inherent in the resource.” Utilizing interpretation techniques in ecotourism can enhance learning and recall, limit negative impacts on the environment and provide for a positive and memorable experience for visitors and hosts. Interpretation is vital to any ecotourism operation and should be integrated into ecotourism products, programs and marketing. In wildlife tourism, the variety of plants and animals of a given area should be discussed, including preservation & threats, safety guidelines, related natural history, interesting features, and tactile and a variety other sensory experiences (sight, smell, taste, etc.) should be utilized whenever possible to enhance learning and connection to the subject and place. (National Association of Interpretation, Wildlife Tourism Australia)

Project Resources

http://ecotourism.org

Site for the International Ecotourism Society: Database of articles, definitions, fact sheets, current events and international conferences.

http://planeta.com

Ecotourism site with articles, pictures, forums, journalism tips & country traveling guides

http://www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org/

Combined efforts 32 top sustainability organizations to define sustainable tourism criteria. Evolving project and a great resource for students, tourism operators & industry professionals.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/about_geotourism.html

National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations gives an overview of Geotourism (ecotourism’s “close cousin”). Includes information for travelers, tourism professionals, sustainability, and destination marketing.

http://www.kalahari-online.com/

Website of Carol Patterson, ecotourism author and expert. Case studies, recent developments, blog, country-specific information.

http://www.rpts.tamu.edu/tce/NT/

Texas A&M nature tourism site includes database of operators, water trail directory, videos, workshops & training & field tourism programs.

http://www.conservation.org/learn/ecotourism/Pages/ecotourism.aspx

Conservation International’s ecotourism site with latest news, case studies, projects, travel tips, environmental reports, operator & student toolkits.

http://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/bestpractice.htm

Wildlife Tourism Australia (WTA) includes thorough set of best practices for wildlife viewing, management and ecotourism accreditation (Australia). Australia is recognized as a leader in ecotourism development among developed nations.

http://www.ecotourism.org/WebModules/WebMember/MemberApplication/onlineLib/MemberApplication/onlineLib/Uploaded/Catalogue of Example Practice.pdf

Catalog of best practices in ecotourism & adventure travel by Pam Wright & the Canadian Tourism Commission

http://www.ecotourist.com/EDUCATION.htm

Articles, country pages, conservation organization links, tourism info-sheets, warning: some dead links

http://lnt.org

Leave No Trace official website. Includes principles, activities & resources for traveling, camping, wildlife viewing & teaching sustainability principles of outdoor recreation. Online store sells teaching resources & activity guides.

http://eduweb.com/ecotourism/eco1.html

This site includes a class activity ecotourism game with realistic challenges and options, including links to other games, activities & resources.

http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/activities.htm

This is an excellent example of a country-specific ecotourism effort. Site includes activities, travel information, ecotourism resources and best operators. Winner of the 2007 and 2008 Ecotourism Spotlight Awards.

http://www.interpnet.com/

National Association of Interpretation website. Includes definitions, membership guidelines, events, articles and resources for interpretation, a vital element in ecotourism.

EVENTS:

http://www.adventureexpo.com/

Conference for big businesses making the transition to sustainable travel. Includes resources, carbon calculator. Same organizers as the Adventures in Travel Expo, the largest adventure travel and ecotourism tradeshow. Helpful for travel agents and tourism professionals.

http://www.greentravelsummit.com/

Conference for big businesses making the transition to sustainable travel. Includes resources, carbon calculator. Same organizers as the Adventures in Travel Expo, the largest adventure travel and ecotourism tradeshow. Helpful for ecotourism and adventure travel operators, travel agents, lodge operators.

BOOKS:

Honey, Martha. Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, Second Edition: Who Owns Paradise?, Island Pr, 2008.

One of the most complete books covering ecotourism case studies, history and current state of affairs. Some of Honey’s research has come under attack, and this is a very dense, text-book like read. However, it’s so packed with resources that I recommend it as a reference and to understand some key case studies in the industry.

Patterson, Carol (Contributor Delia Owens, Mark Owens). The Business of Ecotourism: The Complete Guide for Nature and Culture-Based Tourism Operators. (Edition: 3), Trafford Publishing, 2007.

Patterson’s book is an excellent resource for operators or students learning about what it takes to start or run an ecotourism operation or develop a new product. Required book for “Ecotourism Development & Management” course.

Fennel, David A. Ecotourism: An Introduction. Routledge Publishing, 1999.

Fennel expands on ideas of others, touches on regulations and mass tourism and provides some insightful examples of ecotourism successes and failures.

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