Eco-Tourism: Real or Ruse?
By Alternative Channel's Contributor Jackson Kern
In the great tide of green that has risen over contemporary popular culture it can be difficult to differentiate the authentic from the artificial. Revelations of dishonest and misleading corporate tactics abound. Although such instances of ‘greenwashing' come in many and insidious forms, the term essentially includes any disingenuous attempt to present a product or service as green. This murky distinction between the authentically and artificially green has today extended to those most sacred tenets of our society: holidaymaking and travel.
«Green travel» remains something of an oxymoron because of the massive releases of jet fuel into our lower atmosphere that all but the most local journeys entail. Aside from efforts to increase the efficiency of modern commercial aircraft and to enhance the effectiveness of new fuel initiatives, little can presently be done on this front. All the projections indicate that air travel volumes will grow by leaps and bounds in the coming decades. However we have a much greater immediate ability to manage the impact of travelers, tourists and pleasure seekers on the local environments that they visit.
Hence the rise of ecological, eco-friendly, or simply eco-tourism. The true eco-tourist seeks not only to experience foreign ecological environments but to do so in a way which minimizes or eliminates entirely the negative impact that he or she has on that environment and its indigenous peoples. These simple observations can help you to be a responsible eco-tourist and not an unknowing poser.
The primary concern of eco-tourists is focused on the local biological environment. Many so-called ‘eco-lodges' and similar establishments are built and developed only at significant cost to the local habitat and eco-system. The ways in which the infrastructure needs of such lodges are addressed, such as plumbing, electricity and waste disposal solutions, should be investigated. Many would-be eco-tourists are often unaware of the large burdens that these seemingly simple amenities impose on an environment's resources. The degree to which these burdens multiply under "population pressure" as visitor volume increases should be examined. Another concern is the possibility of forced displacement of local populations to clear way for development of tourism infrastructure; this is akin to worries over adverse effects on local flora and fauna, which also pose concerns of no little significance.
Aside from the impact on the strictly biological environment, it is equally important to consider the effects of a local tourist industry on its economy. It is fundamental that these industries pursue long-term economic sustainability rather than extractive short-term profit. Local populations are adversely affected if they are exploited for their low-cost labor; tourism initiatives should serve to enrich local populations through education and on-job training. In this way they foster the development of a capable workforce which can contribute to the global economy. Rising incomes will also allow them to be a future market for the goods and services of others. Ideally the integrity of the local culture and identity should be preserved, but we must not forget that the history of all cultures is a history of change.
Naturally these guidelines cannot address the specific pitfalls of all eco-tourism destinations. It is most important that we simply be aware of the potential for greenwashing of the travel industry, and that we then investigate individual destinations of their own merits. In this way we can begin to advance toward a more responsible travel paradigm in the twenty-first century.
Posted by on 10/20 at 02:36 PM