Principles of Ecotourism

Principles of Ecotourism

Principles of Ecotourism

Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow the following ecotourism principles;

·         Minimize impact.

·         Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect

·         Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.

·         Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.

·         Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.

·         Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate.

Advantages of Ecotourism

1.       Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing markets in tourism industry.

2.       They help to generate local employment and earn foreign exchange.

3.       Ecotourism helps to bring awareness and conservation measures for ecologically fragile and endangered places.

4.       Attracts government policies and better regulation (than none) and brings funds for conservation.

Criticisms of Ecotourism

Ecotourism

Ecotourism

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well –being of local people.” (TIES)

“Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.” (IUCN)

Ecotourism is broadly defined as low impact travel to endangered and often undisturbed locations. It is different from traditional tourism because it allows the traveler to become educated about the areas- both in terms of the physical l

Environmental Management

Environmental Management

It involves two management approaches -

1.       Command and control approach or top down approach – Government controlled, hierarchical order based approach.

2.       Participatory approach – decentralized, with participation of local communities, civil society. NGO along with government e.g. Approach suggested by Western Ghats Expert Ecology Committee.

Ecological Approach

While for a biotic resources such as the minerals approach of ‘sustainable use’ is to be applied. Here the discussion is about biotic resources. Besides flora and fauna, the biotic resources can be categorized as (a) Natural ecological resources i.e. wildlife including both plant and animals and (b) Managed ecological resources such as agricultural crops ,  planted trees, shrubs, etc.

In the management of ecological resources, all the activities should be governed by ecological principles which include aspects of nature as following;

1.       Evolution, dispersal and distribution of plants and animals;

2.       Extinction of species

3.       Biological succession

4.       Biogeochemical cycle –

Ecosystem goods and Services / Ecological Services

Ecosystem goods and Services / Ecological Services

Types of Succession

(1)    Primary succession: The succession process which starts in those base areas where there was no vegetation and animals earlier, is called primary succession. Such sites may be fresh lava flows, volcanic ash plains, newly formed sand dunes of flood plains, etc. it takes a very long period for the development of proper soil and arrival of pioneer vegetation communities. Slowly a vegetation community begins to develop passing through the seral stages such as herb community, scrub community, forest community or preclimax and finally climax community (climatic climax) . The vegetation supporting it is called climax vegetation. In the intervening stages all those rules of evolution such as intra and inter-specific competition, survival of fittest, natural selection, invasion of new plant and animal species, changes brought in by external forces etc work in full force.

(2)    Secondary succession: It refers to development of sequence of vegetation in those areas which had vegetation cover earlier but now have been rendered nude due to destruction of vegetation, either partly or completely, through either natural or manmade process e.g. Development of new forest on an abandoned land after shifting cultivation or jhum.

Ecological Niche

Ecological Niche

Ecological Niche

Ecological niche refers to the functional role and position of a species in relation to other species in the given ecosystem. In a natural ecosystem, several species of plant and animal communities perform different roles in getting food and thus each community is confined to certain locality having certain functions. Such locality having ideal environmental conditions for the survival of a species is called niche. The species of a given niche may not service in other niches. The ecosystem stability depends upon diversity of a niche. Greater the niche diversity, greater the stability of ecosystem. The ecosystem becomes unstable if one or more species are eliminated because then niche becomes empty and other species which were dependent on the eliminated species food now become vulnerable to elimination.

Biotic Succession / Ecological Succession