Ecotourism has been growing rapidly over the last decades. Yet, while ecotourism has the potential to create positive environmental and social impacts, it can unfortunately be as damaging as mass tourism if not done properly.
Typically located in pristine, fragile ecosystems, ecotourism projects run the risk of destroying the very environmental assets on which they depend. The loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitats, the production of waste and polluted effluent in areas that have little or no capacity to absorb them are just some of the worries. Furthermore, serious concerns about ecotourism exist as regards the degree of social fairness involved, and that of stakeholder involvement and control.
Recognizing the global importance of the issue, the United Nations designated 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism, and the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) mandated the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization to carry out activities for the Year. Its goal is to review the lessons learned in implementing ecotourism, and to identify and promote forms of ecotourism that lead to the protection of critically endangered ecosystems, sharing the benefits of the activity
with local communities and respecting local cultures.
The last three Conferences of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s have dealt with tourism’s contribution to the sustainable use of biodiversity. They have also stressed that tourism generates significant revenues, and that as a growing percentage of the activities are nature-based, ecotourism does present a significant potential for realizing benefits in terms of the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of its components.
As a contribution to the International Year of Ecotourism, UNEP and the International Ecotourism Society have jointly prepared this guide that should act as a basic resource book for governments and practitioners who want to develop environmentally and socially sound ecotourism practices. It includes background data and reference sources as well as practical guidelines. Case studies illustrate how these guidelines can be applied. The document has benefited from inputs by academia, and a broad range of experts coming from NGOs, inter- governmental agencies and ecotourism practitioners at both the international and local level. UNEP