[ Anemone Fish - Digital Art Photo by BRM ]

CONSERVATION & ECOTOURISM

Ecotourism and conservation go hand in hand. Everyone involved in this industry makes contributions of funds, time and resources for the protection and restoration of the world's precious few wilderness areas.

There is an old saying; "It is not what you do - but how you do it". This is where you see the difference between ecotourism and other types of adventure travel or tourism. The ecotourist not only contributes to conservation when they pay for their visit - but their presence and participation on an ecotour does not have a negative impact on the environment or the native people they come in contact with during the trip.

It is a sad commentary to note that there are some people who take advantage of any programs designed to help or improve bad situations. Scandals hit charitable organizations and governments all of the time - and unfortunately some conservationist organizations as well. In the past two decades a number of conservation groups have been exposed as being basically a scam - playing on people's ignorance and fears. One of the worst situations created by this misleading of the public in the name of conservation has been the legislating of poorly designed laws and regulations to protect wildlife and natural resources. Most of those laws are reactionary piecemeal efforts to put small bandages on big wounds.

Again - this is where ecotourism makes a difference. The reality of the world losing plant and animal species is tied directly to loss of habitat. And the reality to most of the habitat loss is due to poverty and poor social/economic planning in the less developed countries of the world. Laws that attack the symptoms (species loss) and do not address the real problem (habitat loss) are often part of the overall problem and can even accelerate the losses. How can people who live above the poverty level in the world's wealthy nations dictate to those who are below that level in the poor countries as to what they can or can not do with their own natural resources? Most native peoples are just trying to improve their lives or feed their children! It is impractical and immoral to use laws and conservation funding to impose harsh economic conditions on starving and neglected indigenous people. The real challenge here is to get results that satisfy everyone - by finding alternative methods that do not deplete their natural resources, yet improves their lives. Native peoples do not need to over-harvest their natural resources or destroy their unspoiled wilderness if they are shown economic alternatives.

People everywhere in the world, rich or poor, protect what they value. Those who live in or near primitive wilderness areas will fiercely protect their wilderness and support practical conservation efforts if they are shown the greater economic benefits of ecotourism and renewable resource management. This is true conservatism (conservation means 'wise use'). Ecotourism puts funds and effort directly at the grass roots level - it is the most effective method any concerned world citizen can employ to benefit environmental conservation. This is 'practical conservation'.

Now you understand the role of ecotourism, but what about the other system, renewable resources? The universe is dynamic and there is continuing change going on at every level. Nothing is static - especially in a rainforest or on a tropical reef where life is very abundant. In the past 30 years the world has come to understand a great deal about the interrelationships that maintain a healthy environment in all natural areas - we call them ecosystems. We also know that people can live within and be a part of those systems without disturbing the system's dynamic balance. This seems to be a fact that escapes some conservationists and many other people in governments and other areas of responsibility. They would want you to believe that any exploitation of nature is bad and destructive Some environmental groups act as if man is not a part of nature, and therefore we have no business being in wilderness areas - not even indigenous tribes! Again - native peoples do not harm their environment - except in cases of economic necessity or when they are not shown alternative economic livelihoods.

Renewable resources are products continually produced by nature and harvested by man, and they can be managed in such a way as to not disturb the ecosystem. Humanity & nature have operated a million years with that method, but the planet now has a huge human population and the technical means to over exploit any of nature's resources. Native people in some wilderness areas of the world still live totally or in part from the earth's bounty as hunter-gathers. But as technology has spread to them (guns - outboard motors - nets - marketing infrastructure) the impact of these people on some wilderness areas has upset the normal balance of their particular environment. The problem is not with the technology, but with the management of those wilderness resources. Without the knowledge as to what can be harvested, in what amounts, by whom, and when - the ecology is thrown into chaos. Too often the decisions on the use of these resources are made by people who have their own selfish agenda (including conservation and political leaders) and not the best interests of the ecology and native peoples at heart. But the fact remains that management of natural resources can be done to greatly benefit and preserve any wilderness area AND the people who traditionally lived from the harvesting of those resources. Ecotourism is one of the few methods to directly support the effort of renewable resource management.

Because ecotourism supplies the economic (and often the technical) support needed for resource management directly into the hands of the people implementing the needed actions, we can now see some real results for environmental conservation. To study, monitor, and preserve (or rebuild) the wilderness is the priority of the enlightened indigenous peoples of our world - and if it is a priority in your life too, find a way to participate in ecotourism.

If you want to know how to participate - contact the Ecotourism Consultants at 'Blue Amazon'