As naturalists and travelers, we spend a large portion of our time with Mother Nature. As such, it is important to give back and protect the environment. Ecotourism allows you to make the best of your travels, without disturbing or damaging the pristine conditions of nature and habitats, especially with regards to flora, fauna and cultural heritage.
Ecotourism has a broad scope, but we’ve narrowed it down to the essentials, to give you an idea on how to practice it during your travels, and create a better, greener, more sustainable earth while you do so.
What is Ecotourism?
According to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), it is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the wellbeing of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”. This can be achieved through an international network of individuals, institutions, and the tourism industry, where tourists and tourism professionals are educated on ecological issues.
Principles of Ecotourism:
Ecotourism is more than just minimizing physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts. It is also about building a culture of environmental respect and protection while providing positive experiences to visitors and hosts.
According to TIES, these are the main principles of Ecotourism:
- Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.
- Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
- Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
- Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.
- Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates.
- Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.
- Recognize the rights and beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.
Tips on Practicing Ecotourism:
Travel Green: If you want to contribute to environmental conservation, the best way to travel is to hire bicycles, or walk. If you can’t opt for those, you should try to take public transport, whenever possible.
Choose eco-friendly accommodation: Staying in large chain hotels or internationally owned resorts does more harm than good. Stay in eco-friendly, small scale, family-owned lodges or AirBnbs, to help the local community and keep your conscience clean.
Be empathic: Ecotourism is largely dependent on the travelers being empaths. You need to understand, appreciate, and be thankful to nature, host country, local culture, tradition, and history when you go on your adventures. Be respectful, humble, and educated.
Let animals be: This rule applies especially for when you take safari rides. The animals in the wilderness are not a source of entertainment. You are a visitor in their home, and you should merely observe them from your jeep. Do not provoke wild animals, or cause a disturbance to their natural equilibrium.
Support local economy: Pay a fair price, buy local ingredients, eat from small restaurants, and purchase locally produced souvenirs. Tip graciously whenever you can, as it will directly benefit the locals.
Leave no waste: Keep things as basic as you can. Recycle and reuse, don’t waste water and energy, leave no trace, don’t grab or kill anything, don’t light unnecessary fires, be wise and travel light.
Photos sourced from Dan Lundergberg, Thimindu Goonatillake, Bo Jørgensen and Amila Tennakoon.
