Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Since the 1980s ecotourism has been considered a critical endeavor by environmentalists, so that future generations may experience destinations relatively untouched by human intervention. Several university programs use this description as the working definition of ecotourism.
Defining Ecotourism
The International Ecotourism Society defines Ecotourism as: "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people".
Many serious studies of ecotourism including several University programs use the following as the working definition from Martha Honey's excellent book "Ecotourism and Sustainable Development".
Ecotourism is touted as a successful tool for promoting sustainable economic practices in developing nations, and for encouraging environmental conservation worldwide. The guiding principle of sustainable development is to meet the needs and aspirations of a region’s present generation of people without compromising those of future generations. Sustainable development policies also seek to develop economic systems that run with little or no net consumption of natural resources, and that avoid ecological damage. Ecotourism, like other successful sustainable development strategies, provides a strong economic incentive to protect natural resources. Economies that depend on ecotourism dollars have an obvious interest in preserving the natural and culture features that these amateur naturalists and explorers pay to see. Furthermore, the environmental impacts and resource needs of ecotourism, which include development of trail systems and access roads, use of fuel and vehicles for transportation to and from the wilderness, and establishment of campsites, are minimal, especially when compared to the land use practices that commercial nature travel often replaces. Finally, the firsthand experience of traveling in the wilderness, of observing natural complexity, and of reflecting on the fragility of ecosystems stressed by human uses often gives ecotourists and their local guides a new perspective on the value of environmental preservation and resource conservation
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