Sustainable Travel Part 2: Ecotourism

4th Bridge Camp - Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
In part one of sustainable travel ideas, we looked at air travel and ways to lesson your carbon footprint. Today will explore some resources for finding great ecotravel adventures and explore what eco and sustainable travel really means.

What is Ecotourism?
Ecotourism can mean many different things to different people. But some general concepts comprise what is generally considered by most as ecotourism.

According to the United Nations, the five basic principals required for ecotourism and sustainable travel are:

It is motivated toward "the observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures prevailing in natural areas"
It contains "educational and interpretation features"
It is organized "for small groups by specialized and small, locally owned businesses"
It minimizes negative impacts "upon the natural and socio-cultural environment"
It supports the protection of natural areas by 1) generating income for host communities 2) providing alternative employment and income opportunities 3) increases awareness of the need for conservation of natural and cultural assets.

The Quebec Declaration on Ecotourism defines ecotourism, in part, thusly:
(ecotourism) embraces the principles of sustainable tourism... and the following principles which distinguish it from the wider concept of sustainable tourism:

Contributes actively to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage
Includes local and indigenous communities in its planning development and operation contributing to their well-being
Interprets the natural and cultural heritage of the destination to visitor
Lends itself better to independent travelers, as well as to organized tours for small size groups

Greenwashing and other Concerns
Greenwashing is claiming environmental virtue as a marketing ploy where no real virtue – likely green or otherwise – exists. Much like the SUV commercial on TV showing the attractive young couple lightly treading their 2-ton monster through the pristine wilderness, greenwashing appeals to environmental ideals while actually selling a decidedly non-green product. A very good article on greenwashing, along with tips on sniffing it out and case studies, is available from the Center for Media and Democracy.

Other concerns are that even well-meaning (and most often well-healed) travelers travel long distances to exotic and remote locales in their quest for eco adventure leaving a trail, despite their best intentions, of carbon, trash, and waste. In the process, some environmentalists fear the negative impacts on the local population from this tourism are greater than the benefits. The ideals of ecotourism are not always fully met - even for ecotourism projects with good intentions.

A Giraffe in Silhouette - Chobe National Park, Botswana In my opinion, this is a good point, but also a sticky wicket. I feel that in many cases low impact and "eco" travel creates a means to help preserve precious wildlands and provides economic opportunity to at least a portion of the local population.

In 2004, Jayne and I traveled to Botswana to participate in an 8 member wildlife safari in northern Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, the Okavango Delta, and Chobe National Park. Obviously, we had to fly literally halfway around the world to arrive in the small town of Maun, where our adventure began.

This was a trip of a lifetime for us, if for no other reason than the high cost of such an adventure. But through low-impact nature-based tourism, Botswana is considered the “jewel” of Africa, able to preserve its natural heritage while providing a viable economic opportunity for at least some of the local population.

If there wasn’t this motivation and economic incentive to preserve this absolutely stunning environment, then many of the ills of poaching and environmental degradation that plague so many other parts of the continent would be likely to occur in Botswana as well.

This, I think, is the best we can hope for. Jayne and I came away with an experience that will last a lifetime, and a renewed sense of urgency for saving what is left of the natural world – our around the world, fuel-guzzling, carbon emitting plane odyssey notwithstanding (We did use offsets for the air travel) - and Botswana stands as a model for sustainable tourism in one of the world's most incredible environments.

I think traveling is an important aspect of awareness and understanding. As I stated in part one of this series, the least impact one can have is to stay home. But then our world becomes small and the walls of mistrust and apathy have a better chance of closing in. And that serves no one.

Resources for Ecotourism
Let me get down off my soapbox and offer some jumping off points when looking for an eco-adventure:

EscapeMaker.com - Car Free and Eco-Friendly travel.

ResponsibleTravel.com

Wilderness Travel Adventures - Our tour organizer for the Botswana safari. Highly and personally recommended.

Sierra Club - Eco-adventures sponsored by the Sierra Club

Sources and Further Reading
Sustainable Travel International
The Nature Conservancy
Wikipedia - Ecotourism and Greenwashing
UNEP - Tourism

Tom and Jayne's Wonderful Adventure
Botswana Travelogue

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