NOTES FROM THE ECOTOURISM
FORUM
One of the threads that emerged during the recent Ecotourism
Emerging Industry Forum focused on Non-Governmental Organizations
or NGOs. Critiques were to the point: "It is really not
advisable to use an NGO structure to manage ecotourism."
Another participant wrote: "I was told by one NGO representative
that social impacts resulting from a community ecotourism project
they supported were not their concern, 'as long as the community
was conserving their land.'"
There have been notable contributions from NGOs to ecotourism,
including Conservation
International and The
Nature Conservancy. There are many fine examples of NGO
work, but it remains a challenge to differentiate among the
players, from those who are the best and those who call themselves
the BEST. Missing far too often is genuine communication.
ENCOURAGING DIALOGUE
So, how about rewarding those NGOs that participate in online
dialogues, that answer questions, that share lessons learned,
if when that includes admitting to a failure here and there.
Critiques of NGOs were not limited to this particular dialogue.
Recommended reading includes Mark Dowie's Conservation
Refugees: When Protecting Nature Means Kicking People Out
Mac Chapin's Challenge
for Conservationists and Byron Real's Oneges.
The discussion of NGOs leads me to a few questions, starting
with whether NGOs working toward ecotourism require certification.
And if that proves tricky, how about evaluation?
COMMITMENT
Planeta.com is committed to updating our NGO
Spotlight Index and working with interested groups on our
forum.
PROPOSAL
Is there a means of creating incentives for in-depth communication
(online and locally where the NGO operates)? What about an award
for best NGO web portal for coverage of its own ecotourism work
and how it collaborates with others?
|
