What the Traveling Public Can Do  &  Resources

The first step is to be an informed traveler.  Make the
effort to collect information before you travel, not just
about the air fares and accommodations, but maps,
guidebooks, history books, and field guides about the places
you intend to visit.  Get detailed information from your
tour operator.  Find out about the travel and lodging
arrangements.  Find out if your tour operator adheres to a
set of standards or code of ethics.  Are these
environmentally friendly?  Do all of the links in the travel
chain also adhere?  Can you find and patronize an operator
that follows the minimum disturbance approach?

Ask how food is purchased and how waste is disposed.  This
is a good time to ask about special dietary requirements
such as organic or vegetarian foodstuffs.  Are non-plastic,
low-energy alternatives used?  Is glass and aluminum
recycled?  How many people will be in your tour?  How many
other groups will be in the site or vicinity?  Some parks
and reserves have established limits for visitors overall or
during certain seasons.  Does the tour use animal labor such
as riding or pack animals?  How are these animals treated?
How is wildlife treated?  There is a certain amount of truth
in the cliche, "take nothing but photographs, leave nothing
but footprints." Yet today we may ask that eco-travelers
leave even less.  Stay on marked trails and avoid shortcuts
that create paths for erosion or soil compaction - politely
called "social trails" but actually very real disturbances
in fragile ecosystems.  And unless you have reliable
information to the contrary, avoid picking wild fruits and
flowers and do not collect souvenirs.

In fact, some articles of natural and cultural heritage
should not be touched.  Dermal oils or even excessive carbon
dioxide may harm rock and cave art, friezes, carvings, and
other monuments.  Wildlife may be harmed or patterns
disrupted by getting too close.  Young can be particularly
vulnerable and should not be approached if there is any
doubt.  Become an eco-traveler who slows down and spends
more time studying and learning about one place.  This will
not only increase your level of enjoyment, but decrease your
travel costs and probably contribute less carbon and ozone
to global climate change, too.

Perhaps most important, vote with your money.  Support the
operators who adhere to high standards and admonish the
others to do better.  The tour operators must be competitive
to survive, but the eco-traveler can endeavor to see that
only the green survive, and that the very greenest prosper.
Ensuring that nature-based travel establishes and maintains
high standards will be a challenge for all parties.  The
roles are different for each player, but together they can
find the ecologically sensitive and economically viable
methods and practices that will ensure survival of the
attractions of nature and culture, without harming the
resources.


Resources
Doreen Robinson

Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? 1999.  Honey, Martha.  Island Press, Covelo, California.

The Ecotourism Equation: Measuring the Impacts. Malek-Zadeh,
E. Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, Connecticut.

Ecotourism: A Guide for Planners and Managers, Volume I &11, 1998. The Ecotourism Society.

Tourism, Ecotourism and Protected Areas. Ceballos-Lascarain, H. 1996.  IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Rethinking Tourism and Ecotravel: The Paving of Paradise and What You Can Do to Stop It.
1998.  McLaren, D.

Ecotourism and Conservation: A Review of Key Issues. 1996.  Brandon, K. World Bank.  Environment Department Papers No. 033.

The Green Host Effect: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Tourism and Resort Development.
1999.  Sweeting, J., Bruner, A. & A. Rosenfeld.  Conservation International, Washington DC.

Ecotourism: The Potentials and Pitfalls.  Volumes I & 2.  1990.  Boo, E. World Wildlife Fund, Washington DC.

Guide for Local Authorities on Developing Sustainable Tourism. 1998.  World Trade Organization, Madrid.

Ecotourism Guidelines for Nature Tour Operators. 1993.  The Ecotourism Society.

Sustainable Tourism as a Development Option: Practical Guide for Local Planners, Developers and Decision Makers. 1999.   Steck, B. Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development & GTZ, Eschbom, Germany.

Websites

The Ecotourism Society: www.ecotourism.org. This website is packed with fact sheets and guidelines on how to be a responsible ecotourist and features a comprehensive list of ecolodges.
The Ecotravel Center (Conservation International): www.ecotourorg
Green Travel: www.green-travel.com
Tourism Concern: www.oneworld.org\tourconcem
World Travel and Tourism Council: www.wttc.org
World Tourism Organisation: www.world.tourism.org
ecotourism.homepage.com Developed by John Shores, RPCV.