>> Thursday, January 22, 2009
Summary of:
Balancing Conservation with Development in Marine-Dependent Communities: Is Ecotourism an Empty Promise?
by Emily H. Young
in Political Ecology: An Integrative Approach to Geography and Environmental Development Studies
Ecotourism seeks to minimize ecosystem impacts and provide local people with an incentive to reduce ecosystem impacts through tourism. While ecotourism may be a viable alternative in some situations, a number of drawbacks have been discovered, such as impacts of wildlife and ecosystems from development, disruptions of local community traditions, low benefits to local people and environments, and conflicts.
In Baja California Sur, ecotourism has become a popular response to growth in local fisheries, and consequent declines in fish stocks and conflicts. Two towns have adopted Gray Whale tourism as a non-expoitative means to provide livelihoods to local fishers; Bahia Magdalena, and Laguna San Ignacio. As the tourism industry has grown, however, conflicts between local and
outside tour operators have also grown. Bahia Magdalena is easily accessible by car from outside cities, and thus day trips are a popular option. Bahia Magdalena does not have sufficient waste disposal and treatment services to meet this influx of visitors.
In both Bahia Magdalena and Laguna San Ignacio, communal lands or ecotourism cooperatives have formed the basis for the industry. Yet communal lands are becoming privatized in access and benefits, generating conflicts between communal landholders. Additionally, non-communal land holders have had similar complaints of the appropriation of land. In Laguna San Ignacio, cooperative management has been threatened by the challenge of new groups, and during the summer seasons as gray whales leave the region, crowding and competition over remain whales sightings become fierce. In both situations this heightened state of conflict, uncontrolled and rapid growth, and reckless conduct in tour boats threatens people and wildlife.
In addition, while outside operators generate a vast majority of revenue from these ecotours, local tour guides and businesses receive a minor fraction of these revenues (<1.2% in Laguna San Ignacio, and <1% in Bahia Magdalena). The Mexican government has attempted to alleviate this problem by requiring guide permits, which are given out to only local guides. Additionally, environmental NGOs have raised awareness of local residents to sustainable fishing practices, and improving local ecotourism.
Ecotourism must provide sufficient economic benefits to reduce the rate of depletion of local fisheries; otherwise it has not achieved its main objective. There are many cases in which resource users successfully self-manage their practices through common goals of stewardship without the need for ecotourism. Yet, the ecotourism approach can be effective, but only if it properly allocates access rights and benefits from use.
Balancing Conservation with Development in Marine-Dependent Communities: Is Ecotourism an Empty Promise?
by Emily H. Young
in Political Ecology: An Integrative Approach to Geography and Environmental Development Studies
Ecotourism seeks to minimize ecosystem impacts and provide local people with an incentive to reduce ecosystem impacts through tourism. While ecotourism may be a viable alternative in some situations, a number of drawbacks have been discovered, such as impacts of wildlife and ecosystems from development, disruptions of local community traditions, low benefits to local people and environments, and conflicts.
In Baja California Sur, ecotourism has become a popular response to growth in local fisheries, and consequent declines in fish stocks and conflicts. Two towns have adopted Gray Whale tourism as a non-expoitative means to provide livelihoods to local fishers; Bahia Magdalena, and Laguna San Ignacio. As the tourism industry has grown, however, conflicts between local and
outside tour operators have also grown. Bahia Magdalena is easily accessible by car from outside cities, and thus day trips are a popular option. Bahia Magdalena does not have sufficient waste disposal and treatment services to meet this influx of visitors.
In both Bahia Magdalena and Laguna San Ignacio, communal lands or ecotourism cooperatives have formed the basis for the industry. Yet communal lands are becoming privatized in access and benefits, generating conflicts between communal landholders. Additionally, non-communal land holders have had similar complaints of the appropriation of land. In Laguna San Ignacio, cooperative management has been threatened by the challenge of new groups, and during the summer seasons as gray whales leave the region, crowding and competition over remain whales sightings become fierce. In both situations this heightened state of conflict, uncontrolled and rapid growth, and reckless conduct in tour boats threatens people and wildlife.
In addition, while outside operators generate a vast majority of revenue from these ecotours, local tour guides and businesses receive a minor fraction of these revenues (<1.2% in Laguna San Ignacio, and <1% in Bahia Magdalena). The Mexican government has attempted to alleviate this problem by requiring guide permits, which are given out to only local guides. Additionally, environmental NGOs have raised awareness of local residents to sustainable fishing practices, and improving local ecotourism.
Ecotourism must provide sufficient economic benefits to reduce the rate of depletion of local fisheries; otherwise it has not achieved its main objective. There are many cases in which resource users successfully self-manage their practices through common goals of stewardship without the need for ecotourism. Yet, the ecotourism approach can be effective, but only if it properly allocates access rights and benefits from use.
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