Ecotourism and Community Development

Ecotourism and Community Development

Economic Impacts of Ecotourism

Ecotourism infrastructures often bring major economic gains to rural areas in many countries. A 2009 study of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Asian Russia by Watson et al., for example, showed that nearly one-third of visitors to the area were arriving from locations outside of Russia to enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing and other nature-based activities. The authors of this study noted that Non-Russian visitors reported over spending $4,000 USD per trip, while Russian visitors reported $1,500 USD per trip, offering this very rural area of Russia continued economic gains that may lead to a potentially significant rise in both consumption and personal income. The key impact of ecotourism development occurs when tourists and investors from outside the area arrive and spend or invest money. In the case of the Kamchatka Peninsula visitors are arriving from Central Russia, France, the United States and Canada, bringing financial resources and investments into a very rural area, which will gradually help spurn the development of local economy. In many cases, economic development of manner that would likely be impossible without the popularization of ecotourism, and thus many potentially popular destinations are developed in order to take advantage of economic gains (Watson et al., 2009).

Social and Cultural Impacts of Ecotourism

Rural areas and communities that experience significant changes due an influx in tourism also experience a myriad of social changes. These small communities undergo physical and economic development that often brings both tourists and new residents to an area, and populations grow as a result. In many cases small, isolated areas, rich in environmentally or recreationally significant sites will encounter vast transformation both socially and culturally as an area catches the interest of visitors, investors, and local workers who seek business or employment opportunities. Zambrano, Broadbent, and Durham (2010) documented specific examples of such social impacts in their study of ecotourism in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. This research found that the development of a tourism destination in rural locations often brought male workers into the community from outlying areas. These workers tended to enter relationships and form households with female members of the Osa Peninsula community, creating new and differing family structures in place of those that existed prior to the development of tourism. Investigators note that the development of tourism was also associated with increases in a variety of social issues such as crowing, crime, and in many cases, a transient influence on the population that is caused by the movement of workers due to variability in tourists seasons and work opportunities (Zambrano, Broadbent, and Durham, 2010).

In an extensive investigation of the social and cultural impacts of ecotourism in the Tambopata region of Amazonian Peru, Kirkby et al. (2010) found that development of ecotourism in the area had a vast social impact on jobs and lifestyle. Many landowners who previously lived off of the land through farming are prohibited to do so since the widespread development of ecotourism changed farming and land-use laws. As a result many families that once lived in rural areas and sustained themselves by growing food products and farming livestock altered this lifestyle and sought other sources of income and employment to support their families. The cultural impact, in this case, is obviously tremendous because families that once lived very simple, rural lifestyles are often forced to change or modify that way of life. While an influx of ecotourism can bring positive growth to an area, creating jobs, and encouraging an increase in population, and economic development, the influx of newcomers into the community can vastly change the cultural fabric of a rural area (Zambran, Broadbent, and Durham, 2010).

Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism

As ecotouristic areas develop and attract more visitors the influx of visitors will naturally place an enormous strain on the area's environmental resources and ecological health. Zambrano, Broadbent, and Durham's (2010) study in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica showed that a very wide variety of environmental changes -- both positive and negative -- occur from the widespread development of ecotourism. First, these developments typically offer locals a wider knowledge of conservation and alternative or "green" agricultural and land management practices. Many tourism developers in Costa Rica, for example took active measures to create recreational spaces with low impact usage strategies. Many of the tourism-related jobs offered local farmers on the Oso Peninsula new work, and once employed they spent less time farming their land, leaving larger spaces to become overgrown. Researchers noted that this had this gradually led to reforestation of the area rather than the expected deforestation that is typically associated with the development and construction of tourism infrastructures such as roads, buildings, and even waste treatment and management facilities (Zambrano, Broadbent, and Durham, 2010).

An extensive review of conservation and ecotourism conducted by Buckley (2009) notes that the principal means of promoting conservation in ecotouristic areas is to carefully monitor and control recreational activities and locations. Buckley divides management factors into the broad categories of behavior and technology. He notes that ecotourist destinations must consider both the technology they use in development as well as the behavior of the communities members and tourists who will ultimately contribute to any lasting environmental impact on an area or conservation efforts. Technological factors used to reduce environmental impacts include emission and noise reduction, recycling and water services, and waste management, and building materials. Planning and selecting all of these systems with conservation in mind will help minimize the negative impacts that development may have on an ecologically fragile area. Behavioral factors that reduce environmental impact include tour operation regulations and laws developed by local governments, marketing techniques used by tour operators, building and planning regulations, and education initiatives taken by local government and tour providers.