| Let's play a game. What
we could use is something I'll invent called an Attention
Monitor which looks like one of those Trivial
Pursuit game pieces in which winning requires completing
a series of challenges.
For countries eager to win the mantel of serious ecotourism
champion, we'll ask for the following:
Documentation that the country has a serious environmental
policy and nurtures public conversation
about these issues as they matter to the stakeholders/players.
Documentation that the country is received well by international
and national visitors.
And on and on for whatever we agree would be good measuring
sticks. The objective here would be to create some incentives
for deep commitment and long-term continuity.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ATTENTION IS MISSING
In order to develop sustainable
practices we have to move beyond an on-demand world with
a short-attention span. We must find ways to extend our attention
span as many of the critical issues -- environmental and social
-- require that we pay attention for several years, not weeks
or months.
Poor attention is a proverbial stone
in the road for those working in ecotourism
and responsible
travel. Sustainability requires long-term focus and continuity,
not without a fair measure of flexibility. After all, the players,
aka stakeholders, have varied expectations
of one another.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ATTENTION DEEPENS
When we value attention, we create incentives for those working
toward ecological and cultural good will. Examples include a
trio of awards: Ecotourism
Spotlight, Indigenous
Tourism and Biodiversity and Colibri.
One solution is focusing on improving our skills dealing with
flow, a state
in which attention, motivation, and the situation meet. This
results in productive harmony, then sustainability is an option.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Conduct public inventories and evaluations of work already
underway. Pay attention and avoid duplicating efforts.
Focusing on place
improves the depth of coverage.
Create your own rules for the Attention Monitor game!
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