The Challenge of Ecotourism: A Call for Higher Standards
By John N. Shoes, (Columbia, 72- 76; Dominican Republic, 76-78; Peace Corps Staff, Natural Resource Specialist,)

     Tourism is one of the growth sectors of the world economy. In the developing countries, tourism of all types contributes roughly US$ 50 billion annually.  Even in the current period of widespread economic recession and depression, tourism has remained surprisingly strong.  Under the broad umbrella of tourism, one of the hottest segments is travel with nature as a principal objective.  Known under
a variety of names, nature-based tourism is promoted by the travel industry as a unique opportunity to see and experience natural environments and local customs in ways not available to participants in mass tourism.  Nature tourism is developing a popular following.  It is touted by some of its champions as a solution to chronic underfunding of national parks and other protected areas.  Others see itas one of the central elements in sustainable economic development.  It is promoted as a panacea much the way the green revolution was promoted in recent decades.
     Nature tourism is supposed to attract foreign investment in the "smokeless" tourist industry; bring national and international tourists to visit natural and cultural sites; provide local employment for rural populations; preserve ecosystems and cultures; and generally solve the ecological, economic, social, and political woes that hinder sustainable rural development.  But is this realistic? "Ecotourism" today unfortunately is used as an all-inclusive term.  People are using the term so loosely that nearly all
travel qualifies.  Tours vary from those that offer "green" sightseeing to those that are planned from the start to be ecologically beneficial in all respects.  The goal posts are spread so far that every attempt scores a goal.  This adversely affects protected areas and biodiversity.
Bringing Ecology Back Into Ecotourism
     The prefix "eco" that we hang on tourism comes from the Greek word "oikos" meaning "house." Ecotourism means quite simply "ecologically sound tourism". Ecotourism is tourism to the home, and the same amount of caring we would give our own home is implied.  It is in the best interests of local communities, the travel industry, and protected area practitioners that green stamps and labels be adopted, that these endorsements have precise requirements, that the requirements be respected, and that the public be informed and motivated to insist on compliance.  A few examples will show the range of these benefits.  Communities will benefit because local impacts of nature-based travel will be benign.  The travel industry will benefit because an attractive market segment will have products that can be differentiated and sold at a premium. Protected area practitioners will benefit because the visiting public will have less of a negative impact on resources and broader public support for protected areas will come from these travelers once they return home.  Are there efforts under way to set standards?  The vast and decentralized travel industry is not easily controlled, but a few leaders among its members have become strong supporters of standard setting and voluntary compliance. Some of the earliest efforts were by tour operators sensitive to the problems of local participation in nature travel.
     Journeys International, a tour organizer operating out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, established the Earth Preservation Fund and directed 10% of all ground costs into the fund.  Proceeds were used to finance conservation activities in the countries visited by Journeys.  The fund has supported efforts such as tree planting and environmental sanitation and clean-up.
     One of the early efforts at guidelines for nature travel was the National Audubon Society's "Travel Ethic for Environmentally Responsible Travel"(tm).  Audubon promotes these guidelines as the rules for its tours and urges all tour operators to adopt them as goals.  The ethic has been copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without written permission from the National Audubon Society.  The American
Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has  developed similar guidelines in association with Club Med(tm).  ASTNs Ten Commandments on Ecotourism follow.
"Whether you are traveling on business, pleasure, or a bit of both, all the citizens of the world, present and future, would be grateful if you would respect the ten commandments of world travel:

1.      Respect the frailty of the Earth.
2.      Leave only footprints.  Take only pictures.
3.      To make your travels more meaningful, educate yourself  about the geography, customs, manners, and cultures of the region you visit.
4.      Respect the privacy and dignity of others,
5. Do not buy products made from endangered plants or animals.
6.      Always follow designated trails.
7.      Learn about and support conservation-oriented programs and organizations working to preserve the environment.
8.      Whenever possible, walk or utilize environmentally sound methods of transportation.
9.      Patronize those members of the travel industry who advance energy and environmental conservation; water and air quality; recycling; safe management of waste and toxic materials; noise abatement; community involvement; and which provide experienced, well-trained staff dedicated to strong
principles of conservation.
10.     Ask your ASTA travel agent to identify those organizations which subscribe to ASTA Environmental Guidelines for air, land, and sea travel.

The time has come for establishing criteria that focus on the conservation of resources, both cultural and natural.  The standards must be clear and defined in steps or phases so that travelers can make rational choices among tours and operators.  Unless the conservation community takes the lead
in insisting on rigor in the definitions, they will quickly deteriorate to the least common denominator - and anything green will qualify as ecotourism.

The Proposed Scale of Ecotourism: Levels 0 - 5
     What the industry needs and the public must demand is a ruler for measuring the impact of tourism on natural and cultural resources.  Although there can be many motives for a trip, travelers are not in the habit of conducting an environmental impact assessment for each part.  Eventually we can define the different types of tourism and the impacts they cause.  For a start, I have proposed a scale for
classifying nature-based travel.  The scale measures the level of achievement according to the principles of ecotourism.  The scale is not strictly cumulative. Different levels of the ecotourism scale in some cases measure different attributes rather than increasing or decreasing amounts of the same attribute.  For example, Level I involves net financial flow of support from the traveler to the site visited.  Level 2 involves a separate attribute, personal commitment.  The scale is still in a preliminary phase of development and is presented as an example of the kind of cooperative effort that will involve travelers, tour operators, local communities, and environmentalists.

     EL 0: The entry level of ecotourism requires t I hat the travelers be exposed to or made aware of the fragility of the ecosystems they have come to enjoy.  This is the very lowest "awareness" threshold.  Incidental nature travel would usually qualify at this level.
     EL 1: Level I ecotourism requires that a net positive flow of monetary support occur between the traveling ecotourist and the ecosystems visited.  Financial earmarks, whether airport departure taxes or designations of a portion of land travel costs, would qualify at this level.
     EL 2: Level 2 requires that the ecotourist engage in a personal way in supporting the environment.  Some ecotourists have planted trees, others have participated in litter cleanups.
     EL 3: Qualifying at Level 3 requires certifying that the specific tour system is benign to the environment.  The system should include the international air travel as well as on-site transport and accommodation.  Level 3 requires demonstrating that the net effect of the traveler's presence is neutral or positive.
     EL 4: Level 4 requires demonstrating that the net effect of the travelers is positive.  On-site efforts  to use appropriate technology, low energy consumption, recycling, organic agriculture, sustainable harvesting methods, and make a personal contribution to ecosystem restoration can be used to balance less environmentally benign aspects of the larger travel system that might involve air travel, stays in