CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP

Global Reports

PLANETA FORUM

From 2001-2003 Planeta.com conducted a global workshop focusing on the pros and cons of ecotourism certification. A Summary and a Certification Guide are recommended reading.

PHOTO GALLERY: Signage

Minimizing negative effects on wildlife is an important aspect of "treading lightly" during ecotours. I've been working for some time now with Karen Higginbottom on a survey of effects of wildlife tourism on wildlife and we will soon be publishing our report for the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism.

We've summarized quite a bit on what we know of effects on wildlife, but I just thought I'd very briefly mention three of the major areas that not nearly enough is yet known about:

a. the effects of hand-feeding: a highly emotive issue, and one which is not likely to have a simple answer but to vary with the species being fed, other species sharing the locality, the naturalness of the habitat, the kind (and amount and frequency) of food, the control over what and how much is fed, etc plus the effect of feeding on the feeder - whether for instance "bonding" with charismatic animals (in situations where damage is not too likely) helps to build a conservation ethic ... etc.

b. the effects of spotlighting and flash photography: again this will depend a lot on the species and situation, but we need to know which animals are sensitive to different light levels and colours, which ones will recover quickly rather than leaving their feeding grounds for long periods or crashing into branches half-blinded etc.

c. the effects of wildlife tourism on shy cryptic species that are not the primary focus of the tourism (if they run and hide long before tourists or operators see or hear them, neither operators nor tourists will be aware if they are constantly keeping them from feeding or caring for their young etc.)

We still need best-guess guidelines for the certification process in any tourism involving wildlife, but also much further study to define these guidelines. I'd be interested in any discussion on the above.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/295

[See section highlighting NEAP]

I'm the Program Officer in Ecotourism/WWF Brazil. And I'm writing my dissertation about the viability of ecotourism as a economic alternative to the community in Brazilian Pantanal. I'm a biologist, but working 10 years with tourism. The WWF-Brasil Ecotourism Program have been working with community-based ecotourism since 1996. We have proposed methodologies to implement and management field projects, principally at protected areas. Now, we are doing the edition to publish the Ecotourism-Based Community Manual.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/111

I am a Cree Indian from Ontario Canada. I have worked as a park ranger in the provincial park system for 14 years before starting my own wilderness guiding business. I lead canoe trips that focus on my Aboriginal heritage where I share my knowledge of medicines, animals and my people's collective knowledge about the land. I am interested to hear what participants think about the importance of utilizing the local population whenever traveling on land of the indigenous people. How does this play into the certification process? Does it belong there? I think that certification needs to come from the ones that drive the industry like us, not from governments. I have great reservations (no pun intended) when wilderness travel companies come into my peoples traditional area and leave nothing behind but their foot prints. We get left out of the employment loop, no training for our people and we sell trinkets to the clients. There is no incentive for our people to consider this industry as a viable employment or business objective. Of course there are many other obstacles that are limiting our development in the tourism sector but that falls outside this discussion.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/108

In Canada, the federal agency responsible for tourism has taken the approach of sharing best practices for all operators, at whatever "quality level" they may currently operate, rather than certifying them. One of the documents which operators find useful, in terms of assisting them to improve on a range of fronts, is a Catalogue of Exemplary Practices in Adventure Travel and Ecotourism, which we did for the Canadian Tourism Commission. If you would find this of interest, it is at: http://www.canadatourism.com. We are finalising similar documents that share lessons and approaches, which will eventually find their way onto the CTC website -- Best Practices in Tourism Partnerships, and Best Practices in Collaboration Between Parks Agencies and Eco-Adventure Operators.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/122

Yes there is a lot of definition out there. But many -- chosen by countries, regions, - share similar values in regard of what should be an ecotourism experience or destination. Certification is certainly a tool to push furthermore the concept of ecotourism, like some kind of criteria checklist that a business or a product should comply to, in order to put these values in practice. Of course, if every one could agree on a common definition it would be easier, but it would not stop those -- who really don't care about the definition and the values of ecotourism - from proclaiming themselves ecotour operators or eco-something.

The definition that was chosen for the Quebec maritime region is the following: Ecotourism helps discover relatively undisturbed natural area and its cultural components while preserving the integrity of that area. Ecotourism involves an educational experience through interpretation, encourages a respectful attitude from the part of travelers, is managed in a sustainable manner, and generates socio-economic benefits for the host community.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/220

About the case of Costa Rica's Sustainable Tourism Certification (CST), the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) started process six years ago, the first step involved hotel industry, and since a year ago is totally implement. Three years ago ICT started the same process with tour-operators, and probably they will be working in other parts of the "tourism chain" in Costa Rica. An important thing, CST is not an ecotourism certification, ICT is trying to do a sustainable certification for many reasons i.e. environmental impact, marketing, tourism industry sustainable growing, competitively. In this sense CST is a route to improve a better sustainable performance in whole segments of tourism industry.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/168

One of the very first, if not the first international congress on ecotourism occurred in Merida Mexico in 1990. During that conference, we discussed issues regarding "Defining Ecotourism," monitoring and how to validate "real" ecotourism, how doe we define ecotourists? community involvement and impacts. It appears that we have gained little ground and are still discussing the same issues nearly on the same plane as we did 11 years ago. Meanwhile there is little doubt that the progress in the business is how to market ecotourism and to get as many folks out there to see nature any way and any how we can.

Case in point is the "retrofitting of tour operators in Costa Rica. To survive, the nature operators which specialized in 15 pax groups max to see birds and wildfire are now owners of large fleets of buses and glean most profits from groups of 40 or more. A survey we did 3 years ago in Costa Rica indicated a decline in true nature tours while showing a rapid increase in mass tourism" to see the jungle."

Meanwhile, at the Ecotourism Society Conference in Costa Rica several years ago, I was asked to chair a panel made up of representatives of communities that were involved in ecotourism projects that were being funded and managed by various conservation NGOS. I agreed to work with the representatives to help them prepare their presentations and papers. We had 5 communitas selected to participate. We spent 3 months in preparation. Unannounced, 4 of the 5 community representatives were replaced by representatives from the conservation NGOs. They did not provide the input that had been prepared by the representatives I was working with. The one representative that did come did an excellent job of describing not one but 3 projects which all failed within 2 years. They failed because they did not take into account the socio-economic realities of the community, the lack of understanding on product quality requirements, and marketability.

The comments and discussions of this seminar have demonstrated that there has been little real change in the academic approach to a real world problem that is very real and growing.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/212

The Sociedad Santa Lucia is a community-run organization which owns 650 hectares of montane cloud forest in the southern part of the Choco Bioregion, about 80kms NW of Quito, Ecuador. The group's primary objectives are to conserve their cloud forest and its diversity of flora and fauna, and to develop sustainable alternative sources of income for its community members. With the help of local and international conservation groups, Santa Lucia has started an ecotourism operation on a small scale. They have already begun receiving volunteers to help in the ecotourism project, and this summer expect to be ready to receive birders and other ecotourists.

As a community-based ecotourism operation, we can see the need for some sort of ecotourism certification, as it lends credibility and legitimacy to an organization's claims to be operating in an 'environmentally sound manner.' But we share the concerns expressed by others in this conference about the potential for certification systems to be 'closed', creating monopolies for larger, more well-funded and well-known locales. Whereas, ironically, it is the smaller operations who (as someone else has pointed out), should have less impact on the environment in general. Moreover, if such small grassroots ecotourism operations are owned and operated by the community itself, then the potential for conflict between the interests of conservation and that of locals is minimized, because the latter obtain direct benefit from conserving rather than exploiting their natural resources. But on the other hand, grassroots community groups are often ill-funded and therefore not able to invest in 'state-of-the-art' environmental technology, such as solar panels or composting toilets. So if certification systems look for these sorts of technology, they may not find them in the case of small community ecotourism projects. Another concern is that community ecotourism operations are often relatively less well-known, and therefore less likely to be on a 'short-list' of places to be certified or given awards. Nor can these operations afford to pay for certification. Any certification system for ecotourism which does not actively seek out small, grass-roots operations will fall far short, since by most definitions of ecotourism, community participation is fundamental. This takes us back to some of Ron Mader's questions, posed earlier: Who does ecotourism certification benefit?
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/133

The Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association - ASEC - was founded in 1991. Since then the main objective is to contribute to the sustainable development of Ecotourism in Ecuador. In 1995 with the Ecotourism Society and the Clemson University, we developed a process called Green Evaluation, the first in Latin America. 50 private tour operators, members and not members of ASEC took part in this process. The results are going to be published in our web site, in the next weeks. At the moment we are working with the Ministry of Tourism, with the support of Subir project of CARE International, in the development of a National Regulation for Ecotourism, guidelines for the implementation of an Ecotourism office in the Ministry of Tourism and an economical study of Ecotourism in Ecuador.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/67

In December, we, The Black Sheep Inn, were invited to participate in an Eco-Tourism Conference in Banos Ecuador. We were invited because of membership in ASEC, the Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association. We were honored and flattered to be invited, and tried to view this short trip to Banos as a vacation as it is very difficult to leave our business especially in the high season. The conference was sponsored by CARE, ASEC and the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry of Tourism is trying to come up with a definition of Ecotourism in order to incorporate it in a NEW tourism law in Ecuador. I was surprised that we were involved in trying to set a standard for the rest of Ecuador. It will be interesting to see what the Ministry of Tourism comes up with, at least they are trying to consult many different operations that already exist in Ecuador. Undoubtly, a Eco-Tourism law in Ecuador will hardly be enforced.

I find many of the points brought up in this conference to be interesting. We have an attitude of wait and see what comes up in Ecuador for Certification. Nina Rao said "Eco Tourism is an advertising slogan." It is in our interest to control who can use it. It is also in our interest to be regulated and therefore learn new ways to protect our environment (impact) and better ways for conservation. Our wait and see attitude comes from having a successful business, where our guests walk away feeling like they have learned something about Eco-Tourism...... Yes we want accreditation, assessment, evaluation and certification, but we will wait for that standard to be created.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/151

The folks at Araucaria Ecotours suggested that it might be a good idea to pay guides extra if they show their clients a howler monkey or other wildlife. I feel that this is a mistake - it would lead to zoo-like places where monkeys etc are "wild" but are kept in the area with food handouts etc. They also suggest some kind of ultra-cheap certification processes to enable families and local guides to be included because they can't afford the more expensive certification processes. I think that certification processes shouldn't cost the guide/outfitter - otherwise the richer outfitters could simply buy a certificate saying that they are "eco".

In Ecuador, as Araucaria mentions, there are some cheap processes. These mainly consist of groups of local people in remote areas who band together and self regulate. This works to some extent and is certainly a big step in the right direction. I encourage using local guides cheaply to provide them with income, but paying for wildlife spotting will probably backfire in the long run. It is better to ensure that guides are properly fed and sheltered on trips, and give a tip at the end of a trip if the guide is hard-working and knowledgeable, not link the money to the success of wildlife spotting.

Travelers must clearly express their needs. The so-called "guide" who took you on a river trip and talked incessantly with his friend after breakfast was not a guide. That sort of thing is not acceptable (except in the context of simply traveling with the locals). Travelers need to explain clearly why they want to go out after dawn for some birding, and want to eat breakfast afterwards: because birds are most active after dawn. If they can't find a guide who knows something about birds, they at least need a person who understands that quiet is needed. Travelers can teach guides what is wanted and explain why it is wanted. This is not necessarily education, per se. Why the rainforest should be conserved is education that might not be appropriate, but telling a guide whom you are paying that you want to go birding at dawn and want to keep quiet is appropriate.

The folks at the Black Sheep Inn in Ecuador also came up with some food for thought. They suggest that the guidebooks of Ecuador could include a section to help guide consumers to real Eco places, and to help create a minimum of standards. That's a good idea, except that few standards work for every place. Composting toilets are clearly a mistake in a first-class hotel in a city. Using locals is a great idea, but many excellent eco places (including the Black Sheep Inn), while using locals, are owned by foreigners. I could go on, but you get the idea.

What I have ended up doing is describing places to stay, outfitters, guides and local groups in the text and explaining right there and then what these places do to be eco-friendly. Admittedly, this requires the reader to delve a bit more deeply into the book, rather than referring to a list of eco-places, but it avoids the concept of a rating system and I prefer it that way.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/213

I have been working on tourism at WWF-UK for two years. In broad terms, we aim to influence the performance of the big mainstream tour operators in the UK and encourage them to take sustainability seriously - important in generating demand for certification. We released an independent report on tourism certification last year, which some of you may have seen or heard about. The report examines Green Globe 21 in detail and presents a comparative analysis with reference to six other schemes: CST, Ecotel, Green Tourism Business Scheme, NEAP, Nordic Ecolabel and Green Key.

My colleague Sergio Salazar Salvati in Brazil mentioned it in a previous post and I have now posted a link to the report in the Links section. I believe many of you will find it to be interesting reading. Let me offer a couple of caveats, however. Although the report was produced by Synergy, an independent consultancy, the Executive Summary was prepared by WWF-UK and reflects our position in August 2000. Since then, WWF has participated in the first meeting of the Green Globe 21 (GG21) International Advisory Council where it was revealed that steps were being taken to make GG21 certification 'performance' as well as 'process' based - a welcome move that addresses one of the principal criticisms of the GG21 programme in the report.

Another issue which was raised and one which I would like to hear more on, is that of 'accreditation' (the 'certifying the certifiers' kind, not the NEAP kind). My own view is that, in principle, an independent non-profit umbrella accreditation body, with a global brand or logo, would be a useful means of combating, among other things, the confusion caused by the proliferation of tourism certification schemes. Such a body would be akin to the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). It has been suggested during this conference that Green Globe 21 fits the bill because, like the FSC, it insists on use of the GG21 logo, so working towards universal standards and a global brand. I believe a key distinction here, that places GG21 very far from the FSC, is that GG21 is a profit-making company. These may be naive 'paper' thoughts rather than insights based in tourism and certification realpolitik, but thanks for listening and I look forward to the final week.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/176

We are running tourism development projects since 95. Last year we had a EU-Enterprise in sustainable tourism in Oulu/Finland with about 200 participants in the meetings and the accompanied seminar. Participants were coming from all over Europe. We are planning a three year project on sustainable tourism in Europe, so we want to continue with the cooperation we started in 1999. There is also quite a bit of research going on at the dept of geography at the university of Oulu. Several of these are coming out in the next years. So a group of people is thinking about ecotourism and sustainability in the North of Europe.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/207

We see the issue of certification as non transparent as it is being practiced today. For certification to be meaningful guideline should be part of the dialogue between governments, industry, local groups and businesses and residents. Once the process is transparent, there will be volunteers or NGOs who do not require infrastructure to do verification. Certification should extend to the consumer as a low impact tourist. Authenticity and belief in our values and systems don't need to be certified. This begins when we do wrong things because the market demands a pay off. Accreditation is again a method to exclude, to cartelise and to club so that the weak lose their autonomy and come under the hegemony of the strong.

Eco Tourism is an advertising slogan. We do not want to be know by such a label, it already has baggage. We look beyond the threshold of market led mass tourism, to see our own pattern of journeying and visiting return to the forefront We also don't need to be looked at as those who need incomes, for what? Why is there no alternative to market values and capitalism for all of us who value our beliefs, our traditions, our heritage and our entitlements to national and world resources. Is it right for an eco tourist to consume my share of these? do I get the opportunity to share in his/her entitlements?
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/147

For the past 30 years I have assisted in the development of responsible ecotourism in Mexico. I work as a tour guide, organizing specialized tours around the country. I was also one of the original co-founders of AMTAVE, Mexico's national association for ecotourism and adventure tourism, and was president for two years. Now to answer some of the questions posed early in this workshop.

As a certified guide by Mexico's tourism secretariat -- SECTUR, I saw the urgency of introducing the idea of specialized certified guides for sports in nature and have worked with SECTUR on the rafting specialty and scuba diving. Has this occurred? No. It's moving ahead very slowly -- due to the frequent changes of public officials. In AMTAVE there is an ethical code, based on international certifications. But there's no certification program.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/161

For the operator nothing can be as forceful or can certify his program as clearly as delivering to the tourist what you told them, in your sales information package that they were going to get. But we have a problem, for we can not communicate this (that we deliver) beforehand, to the public in a manner they can believe unless we go through the complicated process of getting certified by a company that also got accredited to certify by who knows who, so you can put their logo on your company information as to the fact that you are certified, that you are ok.

UNLESS, the operator or company certifies itself by announcing, a 100% satisfaction guarantee on the services the company says it will render. which will mean that if your customer or tourist is not satisfied with the services you provided, the operator will give back his money. I do of course know that this is another topic, but it is a good way of saying that you will get what your pay for -- which then brings us to the question, Do our tourist have enough integrity to go into such a program? or maybe then, we will also need an organization to certify our guests.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/208

Although we're still trying to get across the message of what ecotourism principles are here, certification of various parts of the tourism industry is currently under discussion (particularly with urban and rural accommodations). Materials and indicators are available to assist in the process of certification but with businesses, communities, government and ngo's involved but lacking real capacity, is it possible to provide one certification scheme that really complies with ecotourism principles? Who should prepare the criteria and scrutinise the products and services that certification is based on?

There has been some interest recently to start a small association for rural tourism enterprises to enable communication and cooperation of individual herders spread over this vast country and assist in marketing their products and services to tourists. A certification scheme could be of great benefit to them in attracting visitors but it would have to be different from a scheme that the large tour operators subscribe to, since the products and services are so diverse.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/11

In this egroup discussion (just like in other discussions over the last ten years) I found two lines of thinking that are not compatible. One is of those who want to act on certification on ecotourism fast. The other of those who do not want to support tourism development unless it contributes to social and economic justice for local communities (including indigenous peoples), like myself.

Of course ecotourism, like any form of sustainable tourism, should support social and economic justice, and everyone involved in it should do his or her best to involve local people in any stage. But let me come to a concrete proposal to act, looking at sustainable tourism as it was defined in this egroup: tourism that contributes to sustainable development. In the discussion in the 7th Commission on Sustainable Development it was agreed that the most important issue for sustainable tourism to act on is the participation of local communities and indigenous people in all stages of tourism development. This should be the focus of any action on sustainable tourism.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/240

We have little tradition of the tourist industry putting resources directly back towards the supporting communities, or towards the upkeep and maintenance of natural resources. Obviously there are exceptions! Any economic spin-off is secondary through employment or through visitors sustaining local services during the peak visitor period, but this is rarely recognised by host communities.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/46

Our work is concerned mainly with cultural conservation. Our lodge is in a Lisu village (the Lisu are one of the several animistic ethnic groups who inhabit the hills of South-East Asia, commonly known as hill tribes). These people have long been a tourist attraction for the region - currently over 200,000 people go trekking in this area, staying in houses of one of the se minority groups. We provide more up-market accommodation, but our Lodger was built to local designs, we employ only local PEOPLE OF THE TRIBE, ALL FURNISHINGS AND food is produced in the area.

We emphasize the experience of staying at the Lodge as an experience for our guests of sharing in the Lisu culture, rather than observing it.We believe that we are providing an economic alternative to the now damaging slash and burn farming methods and improving the self esteem of these people for their own culture which is in danger of being lost through integration into the dominant Thai culture - itself collapsing under the contagion of western consumerism. We want to be less reliant on hydrocarbons, and in general to 'clean up our act' - but the technicians to bring this about are hard to find. We have won ecotourism awards from PATA, CI, BA and TravelAsia, but we are not good enough. We need to share our experiences with others.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/165

I coordinate the Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team (tim-team) in Bangkok, Thailand. I'm a geographer ands political scientist by training and have done action research in the field of tourism for about 15 years. I have published a number of articles focusing on political economy and environmental issues related to Third World tourism and critically reviewed concepts and policies promoting "alternative" or "new" forms of tourism, projected as responsible, sustainable, eco-, fair, etc. Golf and tourism-related developments have been another focus of my work, and I was one of the co-founders of the Global-Anti Golf Movement (GAG'M) formed by NGOs and citizens groups in the Asia-Pacific region in Penang, Malaysia, in 1993.

tim-team was set up in 1994 as an independent research and monitoring initiative to provide information for public use and to engage in campaigns for social and ecological justice in tourism development in cooperation with public interest groups and networks concerned with development, environment, human rights and tourism issues in Southeast Asia and beyond. We produce a bi-monthly newsletter called New Frontiers that highlights the issues of tourism, development and environment in the Southeast-Asian Mekong sub-region (Our newsletter and other materials are available at http://www.twnside.org.sg/tour.htm).

tim-team is part of a coalition of NGOs and citizens who have called on the World Tourism Organization and UNEP, the organizing agencies of the International Year of Ecotourism 2002, to initiate a fundamental reassessment of ecotourism issues (documents that explain our positions and the campaign are posted at http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/iye.htm) . Just yesterday, we have put forward another appeal to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to allow that the programme will be re-focused and renamed "International Year of REVIEWING Ecotourism". Since (eco)tourism certification has become a "hot" issue and there are strong forces to push for it at global scale, it needs to be subjected to scrutiny and debate, and that explains my interest in this conference. I'd just like to raise a few critical points here, my analysis is far from complete:

Firstly, I'm concerned that (eco)tourism certification just adds to the piecemeal work, which is symptomatic in mainstream tourism research, planning and management. This can undermine efforts towards more holistic approaches aimed to tackle the multi-dimensional issues and problems associated with tourism. Therefore, we as activists are urging again and again for complete assessments that take into account the political, economic, and developmental conditions in destinations and macro-economic issues such as globalization and liberalization that drive the international tourism industry.

Secondly, all these voluntary initiatives in tourism - environmental certification, eco-labels, eco-awards, best practice initiatives, etc. -, should be seen in the context of the powerful push for self-regulation by transnational tourism companies and big business associations such as WTTC and PATA. Looking this way, the (eco)tourism certification programmes developed by international setting bodies and promoted by industry are profoundly at odds with efforts towards DEMOCRATIC REGULATION of the tourism sector and genuine "bottom-up" initiatives to properly scrutinize, monitor and control tourism-related developments through organizational and legal mechanisms. In this age of globalization, I would therefore argue, there is a strong case particularly for Third World governments and societies to restrain from such activities imposed from outside because it may seriously weaken not strengthen their capability to develop and manage tourism on their own terms.

Thirdly, I'm most worried about the lack of a JUSTICE agenda in all these certification programmes discussed here primarily by North-based experts. Lessons should be learned, for example, from the many attempts to impose Western conservation policies on Third World environments and communities - exactly those areas that are now targeted by the ecotourism industry. The results have been devastating in both environmental and social terms because the different perceptions, values and lifestyles of local people have been ignored and disrespected. Likewise, all those involved in Western-style ecotourism, who believe that their well-intentioned but "top-down" activities can be matched with local people's demands for social justice, economic equality, community rights and democracy, may not only experience disinterest, but growing conflicts and resistance from resident groups whose practices they seek to influence.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/171

I am a Naturalist and Managing Director of Paria Springs Eco-Community. I have been involved in ecotourism since 1993 as a Tour Guide, Tour Operator, and now Ecolodge Operator. I hail out of Trinidad and Tobago, in the Caribbean. I will jump right in. First let me put my position on the way things should go. First there should be a generally accepted definition of ecotourism, for we must know what we are talking about before we can certify it (I was very active in the definition forum that was posted in a recent posting). From the definition we can set standards that must include an Environmental Assessment (EA), clients (Ecotourists) opinions on the facility, and a long-term monitoring program. Then if all is well a certificate is granted. The certificate is up dated depending on the results of the monitor program and if it is run well.

Now I saw earlier that many find that certification is expensive, in my case the EA's cost was quite prohibitive. Someone suggested that the cost could be passed onto customers. That my be so, but what if you are starting an ecotourism project and have no customers?
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/159

It would be good to review the ecotourism definitions created by Indigenous Peoples and NGOs at the CSD8 (2000). I will send them in a separate email later today. Most notable in that definition (which was again used by Indigenous Peoples and communities at COP5) is the right to say NO to ecotourism development, and the focus on community education and control. There is a strong focus on ecotourism being only one component of a larger community or regional sustainable program. Only by looking deeply at critical issues (including criticism of ecotourism and certification programs) can anything of real value result.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/221

During the past few years I've had the occasion to review dozens of standards used in sustainable and ecotourism certification programs. I've yet to see one that looks like a "real" standard, and most fail to include essential details that would enable the standard to be enforced. (As noted in my introductory message, I come from the standardization and certification side of the business rather than tourism.) For instance, most tourism standards do not have a number and indication of the revision level (or a release date, or an edition number). As a result it's awkward to cite the standard and difficult to differentiate between earlier and later versions -- we regularly correct, revise and upgrade our standards, don't we? Almost all the tourism standards I've seen have ambiguities and inconsistent syntax. The developers don't seem to understand the difference between "should" and "shall", or to construct sentences that would enable their standards to be interpreted and enforced consistently. Another problem is organization and presentation of requirements, and methods for demonstrating compliance. To some these may be minor quibbles, ("Hey, it's all in there. Search around and you'll find it!") but they can discourage wider usage and acceptance of the standard, can waste time trying to get authoritative interpretations of specified requirements, and can complicate and even preclude enforcement.

If others believe these are real problems, or they need guidance for an new committee charged with developing a standard, I'll volunteer to work with a small task group to prepare a draft "Standard for Voluntary Tourism Standards." This would be based on proven, widely accepted practices developed over the years in other sectors. This draft could be reviewed, revised and "approved" when the workshop reconvenes.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/236

I am pleased to inform you, that the World Tourism Organization is preparing a series of regional preparatory conferences that will add up to the World Ecotourism Summit (Quebec, Canada 19-22 May 2002) in the framework of the International Year of Ecotourism 2002. These events will address the important issues of ecotourism monitoring and certification, among others. In the next regional preparatory conference to be held for the Americas in Cuiaba, Brazil (22-24 August 2001) the 2nd theme of the conference programme is directly addressing the topic of ecotourism certification.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/297

Certification is a great idea, but are the organizers of the IYE conference doing anything to promote the eco establishments?

In reference to Gabor Vereczi's message by what standards was the host city, conference center or hotels chosen?
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/307

Over the past 30 years, we have used, planned, and later evaluated facilities for various groups, the press, or to write about ourselves. We have found very few facilities outside of Africa and India that actually monitor impacts of their guests, program or operations on the habitats and wildlife that is often their "bread and butter". The most "highly acclaimed" lodges in Central and South America-receiving many international awards for being "ecolodges" have no methodology in place to monitor or evaluate impacts. Further, they have no habitat management plans or program management plans (which should address such things a not going to certain areas during nesting, avoid disturbing primates during resting periods, etc). They also do not measure such things a chlorine levels or nutrient levels of streams or ponds that may be subject run off from septic tanks, drains, etc. This is the bottom line as far as determining if a facility or a program is indeed ecotourism or sustainable tourism or whatever we call it in the market place today. The sad part of this is most professional organizations and development agencies have no clue either and proceed to support activities which are truly as detrimental as any other tourism or, in some case timber cutting. We have developed a system of monitoring that is highly effective, low cost and does not take PhD's to work it. It is amazing how few of the "recognized" facilities are willing to put it in place.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/319

Accreditation systems are usually set up between governments, large hotels and certification agencies. Little is done to stimulate or engage the interactions with travelers themselves. Certification is often presented as a "label" or an "award" given to help the traveler make a decision. After all, travelers are the ones making the conscious decision to accept this or that tour or accommodation. Shouldn't travelers have a greater voice in the evaluation of services? I am troubled by the lack of openness from the government sector and the development agencies. Personally, I'd like to see more information online.

If Conservation International or the Adventure Travel Society is taking part in a meeting with World Bank officials, then those notes or the agenda ought to be public. If the Institute for Policy Studies organizes a topical conference, great -- but post an announcement in the online ecotourism forums before the event. If Green Globe organizes meetings or receives benefits the World Tourism Organization, then the specifics ought to be public. The point in all of this is not just to "create more information" but to expand the networks of people who can work together. This is the goal of transparency -- it's not just a duty, it's a means of creating benefits for all involved. So let's open the doors a bit.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/152

Detractors of this word have every reason to be cynical. Green hotels with zero contact or benefits with the local population are marketed as "ecotourism" just as easily as jet ski water tours. Also, it's rare to have a conversation with an ecotourism proponent who doesn't question the meaning of the word.

Still, I find myself returning again and again to the promise of the word "ecotourism." Whatever its name, the concept offers a challenge -- to rethink the notion of tourism. How do we begin to assess the impacts of travel? How do we create benefits for conservation and environmental awareness?

A popular phrase is that "It's not a party until something is broken." We can modify that to fit our own work here as "it wouldn't be an ecotourism conference until we started to argue about definitions."

It's interesting to note how the consultants and policy-makers have very clear ideas about what constitutes ecotourism and what constitutes sustainable tourism, etc. That said, the world of "paper ecotourism" is different than what is employed in the field. I enjoyed John Davies personal definitions because the others "don't fit."
>> http://www.egroups.com/message/ecotourism_certification/167

For what it's worth, in our conference last year on North American Ecotourism, we addressed the definitions. Thanks to Karl for posting Hector Ceballos' summary. Additional documentation is online
>> http://www.egroups.com/group/na_ecotourism
and
>> http://www.egroups.com/group/na_ecotourism_definitions

Whether or not we insist on a single definition is not the task of this workshop. We need to focus on the applications. I am a bit skeptical of the prestigious institutions which define the terms and publish books on the subject and then host their meetings and workshops in hotels and convention centers which have not been sensitive to the environment.

It will be very interesting to see what takes place in the development of the 2002, International Year of Ecotourism. Will the organizers walk their own talk?

This workshop has been very helpful to me in understanding what people are doing around the globe -- both at the ground level and in policy-making circles. Thanks go out to everyone providing detailed descriptions of their experiences and observations about certification issues.
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ecotourism_certification/message/174

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Food, Health and Building Communities 2008
Tourism and Climate Change 2008
Ecotourism Challenges Dialogue 2007
Urban Ecotourism Conference September 2004
Environmental Impact of Transportation October 2003
Sustainable Development of Ecotourism April 2002
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