Ecotourism a way forward?

The debate around sustainable forms of development have become one of the primary objectives towards human development. The United Nations mandated since the early 1990’s, seventeen goals each country should aspire and accomplish in the coming 21st century. This included reducing the levels of poverty, inequality improve healthcare and education as well as protect the environment and tackle the growing threat of climate change (UN 2020).

The term sustainable derives the particular meaning that the object being considered will not only last for current users but also for the future users that will come. Sustainable development therefore states that our consumption and dependence on natural resources and the environment ideally should be such a manner that it does not deprive the future generations of its use. Just like Leo Tolstoy’s “How much land does a man need?” greed should not be our primary motive. It will endanger the survival of those who come after us.

Sustainable development by definition will also include the natural environment and resources consumed through tourism. Tourism is defined as Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours (Wikipedia 2020). It has become a large scale activity for the elite, upper middle and middle classes of society. Sustainable tourism on the other hand is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.” (WTO 2020).

Ecotourism is a subset of the sustainable tourism discourse and mandates is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low-impact and (often) small-scale. It helps educate the traveler; provides funds for conservation; directly benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, and fosters respect for different cultures and for human rights.Take only memories and leave only footprints is a very common slogan in protected areas (Wikipedia 2020).

Therefore can ecotourism be adopted on policy level? Yes it can, European national parks have pushed for ecotourism based which includes local employment, visitor caps and low scale urbanization. Tourism spots when not regulated lead to mass urbanization, mass visitation and increased stress on local resources and the natural environment. If not managed within a specific period of time it can harm the overall sustainability of the region. This case is strongly apparent in recent times when we consider the case of the Himalayas, incidents of water shortages and pollution in the city of Shimla should be of concern too us (Nepal 2002).

Mass tourism has been seen in the region for quite some time; building of roads, hotels,home stays all to increase comfort and revenue for the state and the stakeholders has led unsustainable pressure on the resources and natural environment. These methods may hold strong in the short run but long run returns will definitely plummet.

The path forward therefore is adopting responsible tourism. This includes educative sessions for visitors, providing livelihood and employment to the local communities and ensuring that the natural environment and the cultural values of the region are preserved. This would then mean camping rather than a cozy hotel, lower scale of rural to urban migration due to increased alternate livelihood opportunities.

The final and larger point that has to be made is that a ecotourism based policy approach may mitigate the effects of mass tourism. It will reduce pressure on natural resources in the region, reduce the air and water pollution and lastly reduce the effects of urbanization and building of home stays, hotels and highways. Revenue in the case of ecotourism can still be generated and the long run effects are will not drop.

If implemented in a proper manner it will benefit all parties involved and can be sustainable.