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Sustainable Tourism and Whale Watching in North America |
Marine Tourism Forum
Editor's Note: This document is a draft and will be updated to include additional quotes, related links and resources and details from the official report on the conference. - (03/30/01)
LA PAZ, BAJA CALIFORNIA - The North American Environmental Commission (NACEC) sponsored a forum on Sustainable Tourism and Whale Watching in North America: A Baja to Bering Case Study. The event took place in La Paz, Baja California, March 22nd and 23rd, 2001.
Fifty experts -- representing government agencies, environmental organizations, universities and several consultancies -- from Canada, Mexico and the United States were invited to share experiences and develop some common strategies. Locals from La Paz were also welcomed at the sessions.
Workshop objectives included 1) the development of market-based strategy to support the conservation of shared species and critical habitat in the Baja to Bering coastal region; 2) sharing information about the trends (size and characteristics) of nature-based tourism, highlighting whale watching; 3) identification of common constraints and plausible solutions and 4) linking communities to the industry.
Most of the operators expressed strong interests in conservation, many stating that it was due to conservation interests that they developed their individual businesses in the first place.
"The health of the whale-watching industry depends on the health of whales and the habitat they live in," explained Jim Borrowman, a Canadian operator of Stubbs Island Charters.
When market studies were cited, tour operators complained that they had never been consulted, thus putting the reported figures into question. However, no one disputes that the whale-watching business is experiencing tremendous growth and that it offers an alternative to whale hunting.
"A live whale is worth more than a dead whale," said Mexican ecotourism consultant Hector Ceballos Lascurain. "Fifteen years ago whale-watching barely existed as a business and now it is a billion-dollar industry."
Several participants, including Ceballos Lascurain, questioned to what degree "market-based strategies" assisted conservation. A focus on profits often undermines conservation strategies. Others were more critical about the lack of an equitable relation among local communities and tourists.
In addition, two major recommendations that came out of the conference:
First was a request for the CEC to announce an open competition for pilot projects for whale-watching ecotourism projects in the NAFTA member countries.
Second, participants requested greater transparency from the CEC. This included a request for more timely announcements and summary reports. In addition to improving the CEC website was a request for a more creative use of the web, not just for archiving information, but also for stimulating a discussing discussion and action across sectors.
Additionally, participants asked that the CEC elevate tourism within the context of the CEC's priorities.
"I suggest that we can do more to convince the governments to do that than the Secretariat can, so if it is important to us, we need to communicate this to the EPA, Semarnat and Environment Canada that they ought to be paying more attention to this," said San Diego-based attorney Mark Spalding.
Planeta.com also has a resource guide to Whale Watching on the Web.
The Sustainable Tourism and Whale Watching Forum was linked to a larger Baja to Bering Marine Conservation Initiative.
The topic of whale-watching and ecotourism is of growing interest around the globe. This fall Elizabeth Halpenny's book International Marine Ecotourism: Impacts, Guidelines and Best Practice Case Studies will be published by the International Ecotourism Society.
Ron Mader lives in Mexico and travels frequently throughout the Americas. He hosts the award-winning Planeta.com: Eco Travels in the Americas website -- http://www.planeta.com -- and is the author of the Mexico: Adventures in Nature guidebook and the Exploring Ecotourism in the Americas Resource Guide.
Whale Watching on the Web Eco Travels in North America Exploring Baja California Mexican Ecotourism Network
North American Center for Environmental Cooperation (NACEC)
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