Ecotourism is defined as "responsible travel
to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of
local people." (TIES, 1990) The International Ecotourism Society is a non-profit organisation with members in over
120 countries. They promote awareness of sustainable practice in the tourism
sector, and provide guidelines on standards, training, technical assistance and
educational resources. In the decade between the Earth Summit in 1992 and
the International Year of Ecotourism in 2002, a web of over 100 certification
and award programs appeared, (most of which are of varying quality).
The World Ecotourism
Summit (WES) is organized by UNEP and the World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) aiming to strengthen ecotourism as a tool for sustainable development
and conservation. Separately, the World Ecotourism Conference
aims to provide a networking platform for businesses and policy makers, but
with little apparent impact. The European Ecotourism Network
(EEN) and the European Ecotourism Labeling Standard (EETLS), which is co-funded
by the European Commission, has been recognized by the Global
Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and in
comparison with WEC and WES, there is more focus on certification and
standardization. However, there is no single ruling body for global ecotourism
certification, and this has inevitably led to considerable controversy
and uncertainty. As it stands, the GSTC appears to be the most
credible.
The Green Globe
Standard was one
of the leading certification bodies to come out of the Earth Summit in 1992 and
is based on the following international standards and agreements: GSTC, Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism Criteria (STC
Partnership), Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas, The ISO 9001/14001/19011 (International
Standard Organization) and Agenda 21. EcoAustralia, in
conjunction with Green Globe, has proven to be a successful international
standard and has also employed in India.
Basic ecotourism principles:
- Sustainable management e.g. design and construction, health and safety and communications.
- Socio-economics e.g. supporting local community initiatives such as education, fairly traded goods and securely integrated local employment.
- Cultural heritage e.g. protection of historical, archaeological and spiritual sites and respectful incorporation of local culture.
- Environmental e.g. sustainable management of water, energy, waste and protection and awareness of biodiversity.
Case Study – Lapa Rios Eco-lodge, Costa Rica
In 1993, a professional couple from Minnesota
liquidated their assets and bought 930 acres of rainforest in the south west of
the country. In 2013, they signed an agreement endorsed by The Nature
Conservancy and CEDARENA that perpetually protects the land as a primary
forest. It neighbors a National Park, which is home to 2.5% of the world’s
biodiversity and acts as a migration corridor.
Although Lapa Rios eco-lodge is a leading example
of ecotourism, it has not been certified by organisations such as Green Globe.
Instead, they are certified by the Costa Rican tourism board agency known as
the Certification
for Sustainable Tourism (CST), following similar
principles outlined above. The CST has been recognized and approved by the
tourism ministries in every country in Central America, as well as Mexico,
Belize and many countries in South America have expressed interest in
developing similar programs. Learn more about Lapa Rios here.
It is evident
that ecotourism can and does create real positive change, even when it operates
outside of well-intentioned conferences, however, many resorts will often use it
as a buzzword to attract gullible travellers, so beware!
Conor Dolan
