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Exploring Ecotourism |
IYE 2002 |
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Integrating Biodiversity into the Tourism Sector: Best Practice Guidelines |
Chapters 5, 6 and 7
By definition, ecotourism is a tool for conservation of natural and cultural resources (including biodiversity) and an instrument for sustainable development, especially in rural areas.
Undoubtedly, biodiversity conservation planners around the world should focus on ecotourism as an important ally in their struggle for preserving the natural environment. It is the biodiversity resource base which mainly attracts an ecotourist to a destination, but this use of the resource is a non-consumptive one.
We need to know how current ecological resources are being used, if this use is sustainable, and what are future options for use. An understanding of potential conflicts is essential. Current land and sea resource use and livelihoods must be carefully examined.
It is important to have in mind that many tourists like to combine ecotourism with conventional tourism activities. An interesting and appealing mix will also attract more mainstream tourists to ecotourism practices.
An ecotourism inventory is not equivalent to an exhaustive scientific inventory of all the biodiversity resources in a given region. It is rather a selection of those most attractive elements of the biodiversity resource base (and other natural and cultural components of the area) which you want to market, and which should be the base for your promotional activities. But ultimately, the goal is that by promoting ecotourism to your natural area, you will be contributing to conserve the whole environment.
Through ecotourism, park managers can:
- increase direct income - by higher admission charges and other fees,
- help create an environment in which local tourism businesses can thrive,
- offer local people new employment opportunities in the protected area or nearby.
Many protected areas need assistance in improving visitor management. For tourist management plans to be realistic, a method for determining •acceptable change' due to tourist use must be developed (see Section 3.2.3). The agreed indicators and limits will then be used for monitoring and taking the required management measures.
A tourism management strategy for a protected area implies carrying out a research on the market segments you wish to attract.
Ecotourism also provides economic value to biodiversity resources, so that all stakeholders involved will be vitally interested in conserving biodiversity.
Ecotourism may foster the creation of fruitful links between tour operators and conservationist groups and universities. Ecotour guides frequently provide vital information on distribution and breeding patterns of certain rare and endemic species (particularly birds and mammals) and also report environmental damage or resource misuse. Many times ecotour operators and their clients participate in specific conservation tasks: reforestation with native species, cleaning up garbage, etc. Of course, this implies carrying out continuous training programmes among the tour operator's staff (especially their guides).
Each protected area or other natural areas with ecotourism use should include in their management plan a good interpretative programme, that will aid visitors in understanding the local ecosystems and the interaction between humans and the natural environment. This programme should be of a holistic nature, presented in an attractive and didactic fashion, addressed to different educational levels: adults, children, local inhabitants, tourists, etc. As a part of the interpretative programme, a good interpretative centre is required in most ecotourism destinations (including protected areas). Always maintain the functional nature of interpretation facilities.
Apart from the destination level, other adequate information/communication resources for interpretation should be widely deployed to support ecotourism and other forms of tourism. Research shows people generally do not want expensive and sophisticated visitor (interpretative) centres (e.g. El Yunque in Puerto Rico), but instead prefer simple (and economical) options such as information labels, trail signs, and hides (blinds) for viewing wildlife.
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) Costa Rica: This small, Central American country has earned a well deserved reputation as one of the leading ecotourism destinations of the world, and has been a pioneer in many ecotourism practices. Most national parks and private reserves include ecotourism planning and management as a key component of their management plans. Over the last 15 years or so, tourism (with a strong ecotourism emphasis) has been one of the two main foreign exchange earners of the country, and it is widely recognised that this has considerably helped conserve the rich biodiversity of Costa Rica. 2) Costa Rica: The Ecotouristic Shelter La Catarata is managed by a private family association. Five families, originally dedicated to farming, participate in the project. In view of plummeting prices of their main agricultural products in the mid 90s they decided to create an association for environmental protection and sustainable development of their region. The project includes cabins for ecotourism, a butterfly garden and a tepezcuintle (spotted paca) zoo-breeding farm. At present, the project generates income from visitors' payment for food and lodging, as well as from guided visits to a nearby waterfall and the sale of butterflies and medicinal plants and derived products. The cabins generate enough income to pay salaries and for repayment of loans.
3) Costa Rica: The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a long standing success story in the annals of ecotourism. Originally this private reserve was intended for research and protection, not tourism. By the mid 70s ecotourists started arriving in considerable numbers. Growth of the tourist offer (lodging, food services, transport and support services) not only promoted investment in infrastructure and services, but also stimulated and increased conservation efforts bringing about the creation of new natural reserves, public and private, and new tourist attractions (such as butterfly farms, an orchid garden and canopy tours); it was also the catalyst for undertakings in organic farming and adequate waste management. By 1995, Monteverde generated 18% of the total tourist income at national level, and, although there are no new statistics available, it is thought that this figure, far from having diminished, has been maintained and probably has increased. New tourist products such as the Sky Walk and Sky Trek (systems of suspended bridges over the forest) and gardens for observing hummingbirds have provided added value and are generating much employment, and have also prompted the tourists to stay one more day on the average, which has a positive effect on food and lodging services. Over 50,000 tourists visit the reserve every year. At present, Monteverde remains a must for the nature-loving tourist thirsty for knowledge on tropical ecosystems.
4) South Africa: Kruger National Park (KNP) is the most celebrated and most visited of South Africa's protected areas. Within its nearly 2 million hectares of bushveld, a series of sustainable activities are carried out: ecotourism (mainly wildlife watching), environmental education, captive breeding of rare species, habitat manipulation, environmental and conservation management, and research and monitoring programmes. Community development forums are regularly carried out between the Social Ecology Department of South African National Parks (SANP) and neighbouring communities. Preferential purchasing of products from local rural entrepreneurs and black-empowerment companies is carried out, as well as facilitation of entrepreneurial activities which financially benefit the local communities and the park. The Makuleke people have recently regained ownership of a piece of land within KNP from which they were forcibly removed in 1969. They have full rights to commercialise this land but it will be managed according to the KNP master plan. A number of community associations have been developed, economic partnerships are being investigated and training of the people is taking place.
5) Venezuela: Hato Piñero, a private reserve in the Llanos (originally a cattle ranch) has become a well known destination for international ecotourists (especially US bird watchers). The family who owns this large property decided to conserve a major proportion of the land in its natural condition, converted some of the ranch facilities into tourism lodging facilities and now, apart from the traditional cattle raising activities, ecotourism has become a prime source of income and has generated many additional jobs.
6) Mexico: Soon after Sian Ka'an was declared both a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage site by UNESCO, an NGO called Amigos de Sian Ka'an (•Friends of Sian Ka'an) was set up, to serve as a collaborating agent of the Mexican government in the conservation and sustainable use of the valuable resources of this tropical area, containing extensive marshlands, mangroves and forest. Ecotourism has become a key part of Amigos' activities and it provides an important funding source for the reserve and the local communities. Tours by foot and by boat, guided by local people, are offered to the national and foreign visitors.
7) Mexico: On the lower slopes of the Ajusco Mountain, just south of Mexico City, Parque San Nicolas Totolapan was created in 1998. The park is an experiment in Mexico's growing ecotourism trade. Two thousand visitors, almost half of them cyclists arrive each week. Many take guided trips led by residents of the nearby settlement of San Nicolas, or stay in the camping areas. The locals, most of them farmers, hope the work will help pay their bills. Environmentalists hope it will encourage conservation at the grassroots level. For more information see: www.planeta.com/
Best Practice Guidelines
- Encourage tourism authorities to prominently include ecotourism in their planning schemes and promotional campaigns.
- Distinguish between a purely scientific inventory and an ecotourism attraction inventory, i.e. what you want to market, what you want the tourists to actually see. Define what part of the biodiversity resource base in your specific area can handle visitation.
- Develop ecotourism attraction inventories in a systematic and categorised way, clearly identifying focal (flagship), complementary and support attractions. These inventories are the base for your promotional and marketing efforts.
- Clearly define the type of ecotourism activities you wish to promote in your area or region, always endeavouring to involve the local communities in the process and ensuring that on-going monitoring of both positive and negative impacts is carried out.
- Develop an intensive and extensive campaign, publicising the national importance and attractiveness of natural protected areas, raising the public awareness towards biodiversity. Of course, this has to go hand in hand with the development of appropriate physical facilities and operation of adequate ecotourism programmes.
- In the case of protected areas, ensure that the management plan includes a section on ecotourism management that clearly specifies what may be done and what should not be done.
- Also in the case of protected areas, promote the creation of "Friends of the Park" schemes, where the protected area acts as an authoritative and credible institution to help foster relationships and exchanges.
- Be involved in on going training programmes, which include park staff, local communities, tour operators (especially guides), local authorities and even the tourists themselves. These training programmes must include the subjects of ecology, biodiversity conservation, wildlife and plant identification, interaction of man and the environment, local culture, first aid, etc.
- Emphasise the existence of a protected area (when visited by ecotourists) through appropriate signs, especially at the entrance of each area.
- It is important to encourage the creation of private reserves which, apart from serving as attractive ecotourism destinations, will be supporting biodiversity conservation.
The International Organization for Standardisation (ISO), based in Geneva, has recently set up a new international voluntary standard for environmental management systems (EMS) known as ISO 14001 (a part of the ISO 14000 core series), which is currently the subject of heated debate. Proponents of ISO 14001 argue that the new standard will be an effective tool for improving industrial environmental performance and help to ease burdens on environmental regulators. At the same time, many in the environmental community worry that compliance with ISO 14000 does not guarantee environmental improvements. The ISO 9000 series embodies comprehensive quality management and quality assurance concepts and guidance, together with several models for external quality assurance requirements. ISO 9000 standards have proven to be a template for the creation of a sound quality system. The official ISO web site is: http://www.iso.ch/
Penalties and fines for environmental damage caused by different types of economic activity, including tourism are at this time ludicrous in most countries around the world. Additionally, economic interests many times overrule technical criteria and recommendations on the building or not building of tourist infrastructure at set places. Depending more on particular interests, environmental impact studies are frequently not heeded to. Control and follow up of these activities, as well as coordination to implement and see them through are not efficient. Some reasons for this in many countries are a lack of mechanisms for coordinating inter-institutional and inter-sectoral activity, as well as a lack of awareness as to the importance of coordinating this type of activity, lack of personnel and training on the part of the official environmental authorities and the Department of Justice, as well as by municipalities. Legal processes for indemnifying negative impact on the environment are still lengthy and penalties do not compensate damage to society. Instruments for regional planning are insufficient or faultily applied, which becomes one of the most important flaws in the management and use of lands.
National standards and regulations (which are of a compulsory nature) should be inserted into an international guideline framework (of a voluntary nature). Codes of ethics should be adopted also voluntarily by the different stakeholders, establishing the most appropriate rules of conduct for their constituents. Education is also essential, and a good partner with voluntary initiatives in achieving sustainability. Summarising, education and voluntary guidelines and codes are required, followed by laws and their strict enforcement by authorities.
For achieving a good interaction between biodiversity conservation planning and tourism, regulations and guidelines should consider the following general themes: ecological, social, economic and cultural aspects. In order to be more effective, standards should provide fiscal incentives and promote development of small businesses.
Ensure consistent monitoring and review of tourism activities to detect problems at an early stage and to enable action to prevent the possibility of more serious damage.
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) International: In January 2001, the UNEP Tourism Programme produced a final version of Principles for Implementation of Sustainable Tourism for UNEP's 21st Governing Council Meeting. UNEP surveyed a considerable number of the main guidelines that are already available worldwide, and consolidated and summarised these into a single set of principles, in a general and concise way. These principles, which hopefully will be widely applied, are grouped into four main themes:
- Integration of Tourism into Overall Policy for Sustainable Development
- Development of Sustainable Tourism
- Management of Tourism
- Conditions for Success
To read the document, see: www.uneptie.org/tourism/home.html
2) International: The World Tourism Organisation has launched the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, which addresses environmental, social and economical principles, practically defining a baseline for what sustainable tourism should be. Articles 3, 5, and 9 address the environmental and social aspects of sustainability. See WTO's web site: www.world-tourism.org
3) Costa Rica: In Costa Rica the Biodiversity Law, first of its kind in Latin America and arguably in the world, was approved in 1998. The "pro-national park stamp" (a type of tourism tax), created by the National Park Service Law in 1977, must be paid by every foreign tourist and national citizen when they leave the country. The value and certain characteristics of this stamp were modified by the Biodiversity Law and 10% of the collected funds will now go to the National Commission for Biodiversity Management, created by this Law.
4) Belize: This country has established a departure tax for every foreign visitor leaving the country (presently about US$2.50) for environmental conservation. The key parks system resources are currently managed by the Belize Audubon Society, which receives no funding from Government, but rather raises its funds through entrance fees, Protected Areas and Conservation Trust (PACT) taxes, and international donors.
5) Canada: Experience in Canada has shown that legislation is an important component of an overall approach to conserve biodiversity and ensure the sustainable use of biological resources, including tourism. Federal, provincial and territorial governments have enacted numerous acts and regulations that affect biodiversity, including:
_ the Canada Wildlife Act and the provincial and territorial wildlife acts;
- the provincial endangered species acts;
- the National Parks Act and provincial parks, wilderness and ecological reserves acts;
- federal and provincial environmental protection acts;
- the Migratory Birds Convention Act;
- the Fisheries Act;
- the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act;
- the Oceans Act;
- the provincial forest acts; and
- the provincial land use planning acts.
Responsibility for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is distributed across the breadth of Canadian society, rather than being in the hands of one body, such as the Canadian Biodiversity Office. Due to the complexity and pervasive nature of biodiversity and its importance to Canadians, much of the responsibility for ensuring its conservation and the sustainable use of biological resources, including tourism, remains in the hands of the various orders of government
6) Canada: Recent park agencies' focus on establishing marine protected areas has involved identifying distinctive marine ecosystems, developing planning and legislative tools, and intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms necessary for creating systems of marine protected areas. Canada is at a very early stage in its efforts to establish marine protected areas. In 1996, the federal government passed The Oceans Act, providing a new mechanism for establishing protected areas in the marine environment. In 1998, the governments of Canada and Quebec jointly created the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, the first marine park resulting from a federal-provincial agreement.
7) Canada: A number of Product Clubs (NGOs) operate in protected areas, and are oriented to rural tourism, ecotourism or adventure tourism. Some, such as the Conservation Lands of Ontario initiative, and others, are founded upon principles of sustainable tourism, and actually have stipulations that part of their membership fees should go back to the environment and local projects, and have developed their own more detailed codes and guidelines under which to operate tourism.
8) South Africa: The South African Biodiversity Policy recognises the country's constitutional and legislative responsibilities for biodiversity conservation. It also recognises the importance of creating conditions conducive to integrated planning and development, for the conservation and sustainable use of national biological resources. Tenable incentives, guidelines, certification systems, enforcement and regulations are all tools used to facilitate the implementation of responsible tourism The co-ordinated development of a law enforcement strategy, effective deterrents, and the strengthening of capacity is supported by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEA&T) in balance with incentives to conformity with the law. Mechanisms such as legislation, planning controls, guidelines, and protected area designations are applied to conserve the wide range of biological resources
Best Practice Guidelines
- Acknowledge that in many cases a number of good laws already exist (regarding environmental impacts, water conservation, waste management, forest conservation, etc.) but that these laws need to be enforced, and this may be dependent on budgets for legal administrators. Consider legislation that has already been developed or is being developed.
- Strengthen institutional frameworks for enforcement of legislation to improve their effectiveness where necessary.
- Strengthen regulations for coastal zone management and the creation of protected areas, both marine and coastal and land-based, and their strict enforcement.
- Provide resolutions that warrants each client a amount of vital space, incorporate a visual impact assessment, right to solar radiation, etc.
- Ensure that the language of regulations, guidelines and codes of ethics are understandable to local communities, visitors, and local authorities.
- Standardise legislation and simplify regulations and regulatory structures to improve clarity and remove inconsistencies.
- Establish institutional and staff capacity for monitoring the overall progress of touristic areas towards sustainable development.
- Monitor the implementation of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation set out in EIAs , as well as the effectiveness of such measures, taking into account the effectiveness of any on-going management requirements for the successful operation and maintenance of those measures for protection of areas where tourism takes place.
- In countries where there are strict traditional codes of conduct, have tourists sign a document stating that they will follow appropriate cultural and environmental practice. For example, in Muslim countries, tourists should agree to sign a document by which they are committed to remain covered with appropriate dress in public.
A standard is a level that every one must meet (e.g. safety standards for being a river raft guide); certification should place more requirements, raising the bar in terms of the criteria that need to be met. Certification is something destinations must decide for themselves and should be carried out on specific measured environmental performance.
Local or regional certification schemes are normally preferable, but based on international guidelines, and they must include biodiversity as one of the main components.
Certification should provide economic benefits to all stakeholders (including tour operators). Most tourism certification in the past has not duly considered factors like environmental quality, biodiversity conservation, and respect for local cultural traditions. In the future, certification should appropriately link tourism with biodiversity conservation, and should be performance-based. Biodiversity (including conservation, maintenance, and enhancement), socio-economic (comprising gender issues, level of participation of local people, and benefit sharing), and cultural criteria must be considered in every certification scheme.
It should be recognised that many certification programmes are currently unreliable (resulting , e.g. in lack of training in hotels). Try to attract tourists who are already complying with certification schemes.
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) Australia: The National Ecotourism Accreditation Program (NEAP) was launched by the Ecotourism Association of Australia in 1996, and is jointly run with the Australian Tour Operators Network. The NEAP arose out of the fundamental problem of how to distinguish between genuine ecotourism operators and other operators who operate in natural areas. At the end of 1998, there were about 130 attraction, accommodation and tour products accredited, according to eight basic sustainability principles. Depending on how many points operators achieve, they can either be awarded accreditation or advanced ecotourism accreditation. The Accreditation Program has been critical in helping ecotourism operators improve the profile of their products, which in turn has led to greater customer recognition and an emerging market edge. See web site: www.ecotourism.org.au/ 2) Costa Rica: The National Accreditation Commission for the Certification for Sustainable Tourism issues a Certificate of Touristic Sustainabilty (CTS) to those operators that comply with a series of environmental and cultural guidelines. The Blue Flag is also a certification scheme which is awarded to Costa Rican beaches that comply with requirements of cleanliness, environmental education , and community organisation, thus warranting the sanitary and aesthetic qualities of the beaches.
3) International: The Mohonk Agreement is an agreed framework and principles for the certification of ecotourism and sustainable tourism, which was unanimously adopted at the conclusion of an international workshop held at Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York in November 2000. This document contains a set of general principles and elements that, according to the workshop participants, should be part of any sound ecotourism and sustainable tourism certification programmes. Participants came from 20 countries and delegates represented most of the leading global, regional national, and sub-national sustainable tourism and ecotourism certification programs, conservation and environmental organisations, and others with expertise in tourism and ecotourism certification and environmental management. Workshop participants recognised that tourism certification programmes need to be tailored to fit particular geographical reasons and sectors of the tourism industry, but agreed on a basic set of principles that, in their opinion, must frame any ecotourism and sustainable certification programme It was agreed that the development of a certification scheme should be a participatory, multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral process (including representatives from local communities; tourism businesses, governments, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, and others).
Best Practice Guidelines
- Be sure that the objectives of your certification scheme be clearly stated.
- Ensure that your certification scheme will provide tangible benefits to tourism providers and a means for tourists to chose wisely, as well as tangible benefits to local communities and to biodiversity conservation.
- Set minimum standards while encouraging and rewarding best practice. Criteria used should meet and preferably exceed regulatory compliance.
- Clearly define what is being certified: tour operators, destinations, attractions, programmes, hotels, guides, etc. Each has an implication for biodiversity conservation.
- Ensure that your certification scheme includes a process to withdraw certification in the event of non-compliance.
- The scheme should establish control of both existing and new seals/logos in terms of appropriate use, an expiration date and, in the event of loss of certification, that it is withdrawn.
- Make sure the certification scheme is subject to a periodic review and includes provision for technical assistance to stakeholders.
- The scheme should be designed such that there is motivation for continual improvement - both of the scheme and of the products/companies/bodies to be certified.
- Ensure that criteria used embody global best practice in environmental, social and economic management.
- Ensure integrity: the certification program should be transparent and involve an appeals process.
- Be sure that the certification body is independent of the parties being certified and of technical assistance and assessment bodies (i.e., administrative structures for technical assistance, assessment and auditing should avoid conflicts of interest). The scheme should require audits by suitably trained auditors.
- Make the certification programme recognisable and understandable by tourists. Use clear labelling of hotels and other tourism products and services (based on environmental performance).
It is very important to increase public awareness of environmental issues through tools such as TV and radio programmes, magazines and posters. Consumer education campaigns are needed to support this process. Governments can further promote environmental and social goals through general awareness-building campaigns focused on a wide range of groups, including hotel owners, tour operators, government offices, tourists, school children, and local communities.
Education for tourists should include specific examples of a region's biodiversity, its particular ecosystems and any endemic species present. Education campaigns for the tourism sector should include an ethical mandate, in the sense that tourism needs to benefit both the natural and social environment, improving (and investing in) social and public infrastructure, as well as endeavouring to eliminate local poverty.
Hotels, restaurants and tour operators are all encouraged to carry out ongoing training programmes among their staff (at all levels), striving to teach them sound environmental practices.
The interaction of tourism and biodiversity conservation should be imparted at schools where tourism is taught (at different levels, i.e. technical, university, graduate).
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) Costa Rica: INBioparque is a recreational park providing an educational space to inform people on the national parks and biodiversity of Costa Rica. Recently set up by the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio), it received from the National Tourism Chamber the "Tourism Entrepreneurial Merit Award", an award that recognises and rewards those ventures which significantly contribute towards strengthening in a sustainable way the national tourist industry. The Park contributes to the Institute's effort in "bioliteracy", which is a life-long process in educating and changing peoples attitudes and behaviour towards biodiversity. INBioparque offers interpreted nature trails, a natural lagoon to observe native wetland plants and animals, and interactive exhibition halls with multimedia and audiovisuals. For more information see: www.inbio.ac.cr/inbioparque/
2) Tobago: At the Footprints Resort, guests are actively invited to participate in environmental educational activities, such as planting trees to support national reforestation efforts.
3) Costa Rica: Guests of the Lapa Rios ecolodge are provided with information about government environmental policies and encouraged to write letters to politicians regarding conservation matters. 4) Bahamas: In the Out Islands the government is assisting the travel industry in informing travellers about environmental protection efforts in order to increase tourist support for and participation in conservation initiatives.
5) Thailand: The government is carrying out a "Magic Eyes Anti-littering Campaign", which has greatly improved litter control in that country (Sweeting et al., 1999).
6) Denmark: At the Neptune Hotel in Copenhagen, training is given to all staff to incorporate environmental housekeeping practices in their daily routines.
7) Hong Kong: At the Hotel Nikko, all staff are trained to apply good housekeeping measures during their daily tasks: turning off equipment when not in use, closing curtains in unoccupied bedrooms to reduce heat transfer, using washing machines according to manufacturers specifications, and reporting leaks and other defects (IHRA/UNEP, 1996).
Best Practice Guidelines
- Implement various levels of guest education, appropriate to the type of guest and requiring varying degrees of staff time and expense.
- Provide a means for guests to support local conservation and community development efforts.
- Encourage the teaching of biodiversity conservation/tourism interaction in tourism schools.
- Set up specific environmental educational programmes for the entire staff of a hotel or a tour operating company, identifying good practice examples and duplicating successful models.
- Use the Internet and other communication systems to disseminate biodiversity conservation principles to the whole tourism industry, as well as sustainable tourism standards to biodiversity conservation planners.
It is important to apply methods such as incentives, compensation and certification to promote environmental best practices in tourism, including the use of mechanisms such as taxes or voluntary strategies for sponsoring reserves. Such practices should contribute to alleviate impacts and also to carry out research in impacts. Taxes and donations need to be collected with transparency. Tourists should be given the opportunity to support through donations and not necessarily through higher costs that can disadvantage tour operators. Protected area managers should try to involve local hotel managers and tour operators in specific conservation activities.
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) Belize: A classic example of tourism revenue being used for conservation is the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) , which began operation in 1996. It was designed to collect money directly from tourists via the airport departure tax (US$4.35). The money is held by the trust and distributed directly to protected areas for projects that focus on protected area enhancement and ability to conserve including education programmes and infrastructure development. The PACT money is not intended for government administrative purposes.
2) Costa Rica: The Paid Environmental Services Programme (PES) is an instrument of innovative policies that consists of compensation (payment) to owners of forest lands for environmental services that these areas provide for Costa Rican society specifically and the global community in general. This is significant both for the environmental policy and the economy because for the first time it is acknowledged through national law that forests provide goods and services apart from wood and lands for agriculture which must be paid for, and the valuation of which must be carried out adequately, although for many of these there is as of yet no traditional market. The different ecosystems offer diverse services that provide local, national and global benefits. In Costa Rica, recognised for the PES are: mitigation of greenhouse effect gases, protection of ground waters for urban, rural or hydroelectric use, protection of forests, protection of biodiversity with the aim of sustainable use and the maintaining of natural landscapes for touristic and scientific purposes. PES is applied to private farms under the condition that they maintain sustainable, environmentally-friendly activities, such as ecotourism. The relevance of this system is the opportunity it offers owners of obtaining direct benefits for conserving or adequately managing forests on their property. Thus, conservation and sustainable use on private lands is being promoted as a complement to efforts that have been made in protected wilderness areas. Thanks to the PES in 1999, for example, native forests under private protection covered 3.8% of national territory.
3) Botswana: Concession fees from park visitation go to local communities and are also applied to natural resource management.
4) UK-Nepal: In an innovative partnership, Dartmoor Park Authority (UK) are working with counterparts in Nepal to aid in enhancing tourism management. They are producing useful and informative leaflets for tourists to several Nepalese attractions - which then generate income for the local people who sell them (DFID, 1999). More information at: www.dfid.gov.uk/
5) Netherlands: "Nature for Tourism, Tourism for Nature" is a project launched by the Netherlands Committee for IUCN (The World Conservation Union) which is focused on the positive effects tourism may have on the conservation of nature. The project aims to create close co-operation between Dutch tour operators and local nature conservation organisations and projects in the countries in which they operate, making use of the IUCN network. This gives tour operators the opportunity to financially support nature conservation (through a percentage of turnover) with local community involvement and contribute to the preservation of nature, which is in effect the basis of their existence. The project aims for small-scale projects directed at biodiversity conservation through training, education, capacity building of local NGOs and sustainable ecotourism. More information on their web site: www.nciucn.nl/
6) Costa Rica: Volunteer work has been emphatically fostered. One example is the COVIRENAS (Committees for the Surveillance of Natural Resources), which, since 1992, carry out different support tasks for conservation such as control and surveillance work (preventing fires, poaching, illegal hunting, fishing and timbering), reforestation, care of springs, cleanliness of rivers and beaches, education and awareness for tourists and students, specially in areas adjacent to protected areas and their surroundings. They also actively participate in training and consultation workshops. Other examples of good volunteer work are the "resource watchers"; the "brigadiers", who collaborate especially in fire control; and "volunteers", who support work in the protected wildlife areas (PWAs), the latter coordinated by the National Volunteer's Association (ASVO).
Best Practice Guidelines
- Set up practices such as incentives, compensations, concessions and donations so that the tourism sector can contribute to biodiversity conservation.
- Compensate by means of paid environmental services those land owners that keep native forest and carry out other sustainable activities, such as ecotourism.
- Encourage volunteer work among tourists and local communities that will contribute to biodiversity conservation.
It is also important to transfer know-how and provide training in areas linking biodiversity with tourism, such as planning, legal framework, setting of standards and regulations, management control, and application of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and sustainable tourism management techniques and procedures (UNEP, 2001)).
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) UK: The UK has acknowledged strengths in helping to increase institutional capacity and the Department for International Development (DFID does considerable work in this particular area, such as producing how-to documents such as Changing the Nature of Tourism (www.dfid.gov.uk). Another institution with relevant expertise and contacts is The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum. (www.oneworld.org/pwblf).
2) International: The World Bank and other multilateral agencies (Organisation of American States, Commission of the European Communities, South Pacific Commission, etc.) have produced many practical manuals for developing capacity building in various sectors, including tourism and environmental conservation. For references see Annotated Bibliography.
Best Practice Guidelines
- Improve and strengthen human resources and institutional capacities to facilitate effective implementation of sustainable tourism practices that will contribute to biodiversity conservation. - Promote contributions and donations to capacity building from individuals, international organisations, the private sector and the tourism industry. - Make possible the transfer and assimilation of new environmentally-sound, socially acceptable and appropriate technology and know-how, seeking a good mix and interaction with traditional sustainable practices. - Encourage support from the tourism sector in those countries which have not yet arrived at successful implementation of sustainability mechanisms in training for appropriate linking of biodiversity conservation planning and tourism.
7.4 Developing Information and Communications Mechanisms
Better information exchange must exist at all levels: between the different sectors, within these sectors, and among countries. Today's consumer must be encouraged to be more discriminating. For how else will people get tourist operators competing to meet values other than simply price?
The 21st century offers information and communications mechanisms which were not previously available only a few decades ago. The spread and progress of mass media such as TV, radio, newspapers, specialised magazines, and especially the Internet provide extraordinary tools for disseminating information linking tourism with biodiversity. Other new technologies like the use of CD-ROM open enormous possibilities.
Traditional tourism information should be revamped, so as to include clear information on biodiversity, natural ecosystems, endemic species, conservation issues, cultural traditions and attractions. Information must be scientifically precise, but presented in an uncomplicated and attractive way.
From brochures to information offered by tour guides, points of contact offer key chances to create more considerate and responsive clients. However, in spite of all the technological breakthrough in information and communications systems, it is still believed that over half of all tourist choices are based on word-of-mouth, so it is important not to raise expectations on site that cannot be met.
The relatively recent proliferation of books on all sorts of nature themes, such as field guides for identifying birds, mammals, butterflies, plants, etc.; descriptions of national parks, animal behaviour, natural ecosystems, endangered species; monographs on the natural history of very many different countries; treatises on biodiversity, etc. have all contributed to raising awareness on biodiversity matters and are also fostering a remarkable interest in travelling to natural destinations around the world. In parallel with these books on natural history subjects, there has been a notable propagation of general travel guides to practically every corner of the planet (such as Lonely Planet Guides, Rough Guides, Michelin Guides, etc.) Appropriate information for visitors is critical in ensuring that tourists' behaviour is sensitive not only to fragile natural ecosystems but also to local cultures. Problems with inappropriate dress are well known (i.e. especially Islamic countries).
Many countries (e.g. Mexico) already have a long standing tourism reputation as conventional tourism destinations, but the international public usually retains the standard images, so that these have to change to reflect new images, including nature. In the case of Mexico, traditional images of mariachi musicians and beautiful beaches should be complemented by images reflecting the enormous biodiversity richness of that country.
For an extensive listing of web sites of institutions providing important information services on biodiversity/tourism matters, refer in this document to Appendix III: Annotated Bibliography.
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) Costa Rica: The Costa Rican National Conservation Areas System (SINAC) provides ample and available information on the Internet (www.minae.go.cr). SINAC also provides authors of international tourism guides on the country, reliable and up to date information about the protected wildlife areas (PWAs). Also, with support from the private sector, NGOs such as INBio, more and better information is being updated and generated every year.
2) International: The Internet web site http://www.planeta.com provides practical, continuously updated and in-depth information on ecotourism options in Latin America and other countries. It also organises frequent discussion fora on different aspects of sustainable tourism.
3) International: There are several offices around the world providing online and e-mail information on the GEF/UNEP/UNDP BPSP (Biodiversity Planning Support Programme). The Latin American and Caribbean regional component of the BPSP offers a particularly efficient system of information on all matters pertaining to biodiversity conservation planning (including links with tourism). Contact: Association for Biodiversity Information: Ms. Julie Bourns -- Julie_Bourns@ABI.org
4) Costa Rica: The INBio-SINAC Joint Programme has as one of its main components the production of informative materials and diverse publications such as field guides and other books related to Costa Rica's biodiversity, both in Spanish and in English. Themes cover an extensive range of groups of interest such as plants, vertebrates and invertebrates. La Guia de Aves de Costa Rica (Field Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica), published in 1995 in Spanish, is a book that is considered "a bible" on the country's birds, and is widely used by nature guides and tourists, both national and foreign. Other books published are: Field Guides to the Mammals, Beetles, Scorpions, Butterflies, Flies and Related Insects, Ornamental Plants, Bromeliads, Orchids, and Fungi of Costa Rica, as well as specialised guides for a number of protected areas.
5) Costa Rica: Dissemination of information to generate greater awareness in the population on the importance of biodiversity is the task of many groups in the country, and it is on the increase. Three important groups, aside from NGOs and State, are television, radio and national newspapers. Television channels have for years aired weekly programmes produced by private companies that guide the viewer through the natural beauty the country has to offer. On the radio, it could be said that nature is present in the media everyday. These broadcasting activities are, without doubt, generating a great interest, which has very probably been at least partly responsible for the increase of national visitors to protected wilderness areas.
6) Chile: The Chilean Government hosts a standard tourism web site which includes information on agrotourism and ecotourism attractions and services. The National Parks Service also has its own page. For more information see: http://www.chilesat.net/sernatur/
7) Chile: Rangers of the Chilean National System of Protected Areas are recently providing environmental information aboard selected national flights, interpreting features (e.g. geomorphology, vegetation distribution, endangered ecosystems, and ecotourism attractions) .seen from the plane as a form of environmental education and promotion to visit the national parks.
Best Practice Guidelines
- Exchange information between governments and all stakeholders on best practice for linking biodiversity conservation and tourism, including information on planning, standards, legislation and enforcement.
- Make sure that your information for tourists includes aspects on biodiversity, the natural and cultural environment, appropriate behaviour and conservation issues.
- Make good use of TV, radio, newspapers, guidebooks and magazines to spread the word on biodiversity/tourism interaction to all sectors of society.
- Ensure that the specific tourist destination defines the image that the country wishes to promote as a whole.
- Keep your web site constantly updated, otherwise it will soon lose credibility.
- Use international and regional organisations (including UNEP) for assistance in information exchange.
- Make sure that guidebook and Internet information is constantly kept updated, to avoid confusions (e.g. having tourists refuse to pay current prices).
Tourism is a big industry based on many small businesses. If we want tourism to contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, tourism must then be a profitable enterprise, providing substantial economic benefits to the people involved in the different facets of this complex activity. Even in the case of ecotourism or rural community tourism, the process must be characterised by being a good business. While significant major players offer large numbers of popular packages, even in mass destinations the small businesses are the bedrock of visitors' experiences. The importance of small businesses to nature tourism in rural areas of developing countries cannot be overstated.
A code of ethics based on "Profit with principles" should be present in every tourism business. Especially in the case of ecotourism and rural community tourism, profits should be analysed on a long term basis. Aiming for quick profit may bring catastrophic environmental and cultural results.
More appropriate funding mechanisms are required in the tourism industry. Unfortunately, there are no specialised banks for tourist investment, nor are the banks usually aware of the sector's specific needs. However, there are a number of financial mechanisms which may be applied for funding tourism projects, such as venture capital schemes and through the private equity market. In the case of new technologies, all interested credit cards need to work to assist the tourism sector (including local) communities to enter into e-business as regards ecotourism and other community-based enterprises.
Governments are often focusing on larger products to the disadvantage of all small tourism businesses. Community products may be further disadvantaged by their remote location and isolation from other products. Micro-credit programmes should be set up for developing tourism in rural areas. Financial training is widely required for successfully launching micro-credit initiatives.
As regards funding for national parks and other protected areas, it is vital to have tourism participating in the provision of proceeds towards the conservation of these areas and the biodiversity therein contained. The appropriate pricing of entrance fees to protected areas is a key factor for channelling tourism revenues to the management and protection of these areas. Concessions, which are another important means for obtaining revenues for protected areas, should be granted in a careful way to organisations with a good environmental track record and according to strict guidelines, which should be incorporated in contractual documents.
Even with the best of products, if the right people do not know about it (what it is, how it can be obtained) it will not sell. The same holds for true for tourism, including ecotourism. In the case of tourism to protected areas, while it is certainly recognised that some protected area managers want few if any tourists, those parks interested in promoting tourism or dependent on tourism receipts for their economic justification are in need of marketing skills. Marketing is, however, still viewed with scepticism by many conservationists and protected area managers.
The principles of marketing environmentally-friendly tourism (including tourism to protected areas) are largely the same as for marketing any other product.
Basically, marketing includes the following phases:
a) inventory of existing attractions and activities,
b) targeting of appropriate market segments of specific groups of tourists,
c) evaluation of the appeal of the various attractions and activities for each targeted group, and
d) promotion
In order to promote tourism to environmentally significant destinations, both domestic and foreign tourists should be targeted. Domestic tourism is sometimes as much as ten times bigger than foreign tourism and by promoting nationals to visit their protected areas we will be fostering environmental awareness and pride related to the natural heritage of a country. In many countries, frequently nature tour operators are left out of the directory pages of the standard tourism industry.
Sustainable tourism marketing may involve the need for specific strategies like demarketing and niche marketing (e.g. what Seychelles is doing in order to control tourism numbers and ensure environmental integrity.
There needs to be cross-fertilisation between nature-based tourism and the broader tourism industry. We need to use this as an option to promote conservation practice to the broader industry. Normally there is no money for operators/communities to do this, so it needs to come from governments and/or big business firms.
Tourism shouldn't be only market driven. In many African countries, for example, local people feel bad about tourism use proscribed to the community. Tourism is widely seen in these countries as an activity restricted to rich foreigners.
Specific Examples of Best Practice from Selected Countries
1) International: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is part of the World Bank Group, has a unique mandate: to encourage private investment, foreign as well as domestic, in developing countries. Founded in 1956 by 31 countries, IFC today has more than 160 member countries. It is the largest multilateral source of financing for private sector projects in developing countries, with annual investment approvals in excess of US$2 billion. IFC also helps companies to raise capital in the international financial markets and provides a full array of advisory services to private businesses and to governments. IFC recognises tourism's contribution to economic development primarily through the support of hotel investments, although private sector tourism infrastructure can also be financed. IFC has provided loan and equity financing for hotels and other tourism businesses for over three decades. IFC's involvement in the tourism sector focuses on projects that promote sustainable development, enhance conservation of natural resources and the environment, and promote high standards of environmental safety. Web site: http://www.ifc.org/
2)Bangladesh: In this country the Grameen Bank reversed conventional banking practice by removing the need for collateral. So far it has loaned US$2.5 billion to over 2 million members. Other micro-credit schemes have also demonstrated powerful results in developing countries. The message - that dedicated and energetic entrepreneurs, appropriate support, and micro-credit make sense - is now a major force for change. See: www.grameen.com/
3) Barbados: Within the overall framework of Gems of the Caribbean, a promotional campaign called Gems of the Barbados was carried out through a joint effort between the government and the private sector of that country. A unified brand for the different tourism businesses, with strict quality control and surveillance was set up.
4) North America: The North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (NACEC), working within the framework of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has a database on funding sources for small, environmentally-friendly businesses, including ecotourism ventures. Web site: www.cec.org/databasas/tourism/
5) Canada: The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) also provides a list of financial aid/loan programmes in its web site: www.ctc-ctx.com/
7) Australia: The Ecotourism Association of Australia is developing, in coordination with QANTAS airlines, short airline videos that promote conservation through tourism in Australia for the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE 2002).
Best Practice Guidelines
- Bestow as much importance to the business and financial matters of your tourism operation (especially if it is an ecotourism venture or a community-based operation) as to the biodiversity conservation concerns. community development.
- Always apply a "Profit with Principles" philosophy to your tourism operation, considering not only short term planning but long term.
- Promote conservation-oriented tourism, including ecotourism, through mass media and integrate into conventional mass tourism promotion and marketing. Target both national and international tourists.
- Develop opportunities through tourism shows to demonstrate and promote community tourism experiences and for communities to share experiences.
- Develop integrated branding strategies (through local or regional organisations) so as to achieve more efficient marketing and better economies of scale (e.g. in purchasing, advertising, etc.).
- Provide wider information on alternative financial schemes (if available) to local communities and small businesses.
- Be sure your nature tourism products are integrated into the general directory pages of the standard tourism industry and strive for obtaining government promotion support.
- If you are a protected area manager (and you want to attract visitors), be sure that you have a good web site on the Internet (periodically updated) that provides the right information to the public (both at the national and international levels).
- Use standard trade shows for promoting ecotourism and visitation to protected areas.
- Ensure that the fixing of entrance fees to protected areas is properly negotiated with the private tour operators.
- Be sure that concessions for tourism services within protected areas be granted to organisations with a good track record, according to strict environmental norms which should be clearly included in the contractual documents.
Index: Integrating Biodiversity into the Tourism SectorNote. This is not an official UNEP document, but a report delivered to the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility and the Biodiversity Planning Support Progamme in June 2001. Hector Ceballos-Lascurain is the International Coordinator of the BPSP Study on Biodiversity/Tourism and Director General of PICE ( Programme of International Consultancy on Ecotourism) and is based in Mexico City. Email: ceballos@laneta.apc.org; Web: http://www.ceballos-lascurain.com
The Role of the Internet in Integrating Biodiversity and Tourism - Ron Mader/Planeta.com Exploring Ecotourism Education Resources Travel Resources
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