The Need for Teaching Ecotourism
When the subject of teaching ecotourism comes up, people may give the person who brought up the subject a quizzical look. This is not because there is a feeling of condescension towards the subject but because it seems like an odd subject to teach. After all, what could possibly be the importance of teaching ecotourism to people who are not involved in the hotel and tourism trade?
Well, if a teacher is successful in presenting the true facts of the subject of ecotourism, then the quizzical looks will quickly disappear as people begin to realize the absolute seriousness of the issue. Hopefully, they will understand that ecotourism is not all about leisure, but also about properly dealing with common threats to the environment.
If one perpetuates teaching ecotourism to where the awareness level of the subject arises, then the teacher will be doing the world a great service. Of course, in order to do this, the instructor must properly convey the information so that the desired result is achieved.
Stressing Importance When Teaching Ecotourism
In order to make teaching ecotourism effective, it becomes critical that the instructor stresses the notion that ecotourism is a serious issue that requires serious attention. This is not to say that an instructor should bring a sense of alarmism with him towards the issue. Alarmism never works and will more than likely backfire if employed.
But if the instructor brings a firm approach to the subject matter and infuses into the instruction a notion that action is required to help promote environmental causes that are helpful for the greater good, then the process of teaching ecotourism will prove successful.
Avoiding Preaching When Teaching Ecotourism
Keep one thing in mind, teaching is not preaching. That is, the teacher must not climb on a soapbox and perform the duties of an advocate. This undermines the purpose of teaching and will ultimately lead to the audience turning against the instructor.
The classroom is not a place where an advocate can climb on a soapbox and subject his feelings towards a captive audience. Regardless of how good the instructors intentions are, such a heavy handed approach is ultimately self defeating.
If the instructor does teach the material properly and it is the material is properly absorbed by the students, then they will take it upon themselves to do the right thing and advocate ecotourism when the need arises. When they do this, they will greatly aid in the conservation of the environment and the teachers main purpose will have been achieved. Is that not the goal in the first place?
Ecotourism Carribean
You can see the local peoples involvement in the Community Baboon Sanctuary in Brazil, or the volunteers taking part in Overseas Cooperative Assistance in Senaru Village, Lombok, Indonesia as good examples.
These people think that the tree does not feel any of it, but in fact the tree can. The first reason why ecotourism is bad, specifically in woodland areas and areas where animals live, is the element of surprise to the animals. Something else that many people like to do while they are camping is carve their names into trees. However, most benefits seem to only percolate to the lower strata of the local population, which means that there is a general drainage of labor and also abandonment of land, thus concentrating the economic benefits to just the ecotourism destination and not affecting the rest of the region and country. Such ecotourism debates are centered on the position that there is a blue-green environmental spectrum in which even nature has a basic economic value.
Take for example the elevated buildings and walkways in the Caribbean that does not affect the ground vegetation.
Such a description is somewhat limiting, however. An ecotourism trip is significant in that it takes you to localized areas as well as those parts of the world whose environment is unique and which provides places of interest including places such as rainforests and also natural habitats of wildlife. The impacts of eco and mass tourism can be seen in widely differing ways with mass tourism not doing what ecotourism does which is to bring renewed internal consciousness as well as instills pride in the native culture of the destination and maintaining the historic sites as well. Furthermore, it is easy to see that the long distances one travels by air to reach these ecotourism destinations may in it be the cause of ecotourism damage albeit indirectly. Ecotourism aims at balancing economic development of tourism, and conservation as well as protecting the natural resources is central to it, while mass tourism is like a juggernaut that pays scant heed to any lofty ideals and is instead hell bent on churning profits and thus pays little attention to sustainable development, and as such, this is another of the many important differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism. An unfortunate example of this is when people bring drinks that come in plastic rings.
(This has been dubbed by some as The children ecotourism gambit) Unfortunately, there will be those who remain forever skeptical of anything with the words personal growth attached to it.
There may be need to hold meetings as well as conduct conferences with those that are interested in ecotourism development, especially in protected areas, and also recruiting as well as training teachers who can then act as guides for ecotourism tours and who will be able to incorporate the various ecotourism environmental education programmes. If you have a City Hall, go there and inquire. If the present issues are taken properly and seriously into consideration and dealt with properly, then the problems surrounding ecotourism will at least lessen, allowing the positive remnants to be shown more clearly. Though ecotourism does pay heed to preserving the natural resources, there are often instances when it does negatively impact the host country. In fact, introducing children to ecotourism may prove a valuable investment in their future. Some may expound the benefits and there are sure to be many detractors as well. |
