Eco Tourism
There is always something of a delicate balance between nature tourism and trying to keep humans from causing damage to nature. There are definitely some strong arguments for getting people out close to nature, but people tend to do damage–particularly in large numbers. Even when people are trying to help, then end up doing things like “feeding the bears” which doesn’t take long to start causing dangerous problems–for both the people and the bears.
Eco-tourism has the goal of minimizing these negatives. It is partially an issue of educating people and partially giving them ways to experience nature and wildlife that doesn’t cause damage. It is naive to assume that you can bring a bunch of tourists into close proximity of wildlife without having any type of impact on the animals, but this can be minimized through careful planning. One of the biggest aspects is education. People don’t naturally think about the long term effect of their actions–particularly when dealing with unfamiliar things like wildlife. Just explaining how feeding the wildlife can upset a delicate balance of survival can make a big difference in people’s behavior because it isn’t something they are going to think of on their own.
Their are a number of tours that try to do things in a way that benefits the animals through increased awareness and still provides the full entertainment benefit people are looking for. It is amazing the diversity that exists in this type of vacationing. Whether you are looking for a Uganda gorilla safari or want to spend a week living in tents on the African Savannah, there are a growing number of responsible options.
Some of the most effective eco tour operators have found that they are able to provide a form of edu-tainment that gives people a great experience while leaving them with a lasting impression on how conservation efforts are helping to keep a good habitat for wildlife and balance human needs for consumption with preserving a natural environment.
