The Drum Beat 550 - Ecotourism

This issue includes:

• Selected DEFINITIONS of ecoutourism.
• Please visit The CI's NRM theme site.
• Strategic THINKING on ecoutourism.
• VOTE in a poll on effective representation.
• EVALUATING the ecotourism approach.
• Latin American ecotourism INITIATIVES.
• Want more in SPANISH? Visit La Iniciativa de Comunicacion.

ECOTOURISM: A FEW DEFINITIONS

 

1. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
...defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people" - the sharing of socio-economic benefits with local communities and indigenous people by having their informed consent and participation in the management of ecotourism enterprises... [read more]
 

2. Untamed Path
...explores buzzwords such as "eco-tourism", "adventure travel", "sustainable tourism", "responsible tourism", "nature-based travel", "green travel", "multi-sport adventures", and "cultural tourism"... [read more]
 

3. Wikipedia
..defines ecotourism as an effort to "educate the traveller; provide funds for conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights..." [read more]

 

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For MORE on ecotourism and related issues, please visit The CI's Natural Resource Management theme site.

 

Here, you will find recently shared knowledge in all communication- and media-related NRM content submitted by our network!

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PERSPECTIVES

 

4. Community Initiatives in Ecotourism: A Case Study from Sikkm, India
...explores participatory community ecotourism planning carried out in May 1996 amongst local groups of stakeholders in Yuksam, one site of the Sikkim Biodiversity and Ecotourism Project (SBEP) in a small Himalayan state in Northeastern India. At the heart of SBEP are participatory approaches that link enterprise operation with conservation action while merging traditional cultural practices... [read more]
 

5. Shall We Gather 'Round the Campfire'?: Zimbabwe's Approach to Conserving Indigenous Wildlife
by Carolyn Fischer, Edwin Muchapondwa, and Thomas Sterner...from 2005, this article examines a nationwide programme in Zimbabwe, which directs shares of the profits from hunting and benign tourism toward the local community. Research shows that CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources) involved local people not only in benefit sharing but also in decisionmaking... [read more]
 

6. Exploring Ecotourism: Stones in the Road
by Ron Mader
...identifies 8 factors and solutions that have an impact of the level of success of ecotourism initiatives. For example, the author suggests that agencies employ better online and offline communication strategies... [read more]
 

7. Marketing Sarawak's Ecotourism through Web 2.0
by Valerie Leong Siew Chai
...examines the growth of internet marketing in the context of ecotourism, with a focus on activities in Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It discusses the effectiveness of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool for ecotourism Sarawak through active participation of travelers, travel agencies, and conservation groups... [read more]
 

8. Role of Communications in Sustainable Tourism: TIES Perspective
by Martha Honey
...from July 2006, this presentation explores the role of communication strategies in sustainable tourism from the perspective of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), including guidebooks, the press, and interpersonal communication on the part of tour operators... [read more]
 

9. Defining and Uniting the Global Ecotourism Movement through Improved Communication
by Antonis B. Petropoulos
...a May 2007 presentation that advocates giving individual ecotourism practitioners, academics, and enthusiasts communication tools to foster transparency and knowledge diffusion, and stresses the role of bi-directional communication in strengthening the independence of the ecotourism movement and preserving its core values - i.e., providing a social service rather than selling something... [read more]
 

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Please VOTE in our Democracy and Governance Poll: Effective Representation

Which of the following is most important for effective representation of the interests of marginalised groups?

• media representation and coverage to create public awareness.
• group organisation for self-advocacy.
• representation and advocacy support through NGOs.
• government representation through assigned intermediaries.

Please click here to VOTE and COMMENT.

 

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ECOTOURISM: RESEARCH APPROACHES & RESULTS

10. Life as Commerce - India Case Study on Ecotourism as a Market-based Conservation Mechanism
...a December 2008 case study from the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) documenting a study undertaken to understand how a rights-based approach to ecotourism might be applied in 4 states in India. "The local self government institutions need to be involved in all level of ecotourism development from approval of the project, to planning, implementing, development, marketing, evaluating, monitoring, and research." Women's participation in decision-making in all levels of the 3-tier governance system is noted here as important... [read more]

11. Scenarios as Models for Knowledge Integration: Ecotourism Futures in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
Presented at the 18th World International Meeting on Automated Compliance Systems (IMACS)/Modeling and Simulation (MODSIM) Congress, Cairns, Australia, 13-17 July 2009 ...participatory research that examines "scenario planning" to elicit views of what the future might look like in 2040 within the context of ecotourism in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea... [read more]
 

12. Evaluation of the Potential of Ecotourism to Contribute to Local Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Tengtou Village, China A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, New Zealand
by Jingjing Jiang
...from December 2008, a thesis analysing the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for sustainable development. The case study was conducted in Tengtou village, China. "Appropriate regulation, sound planning, and local population's cooperation were found as important factors that can help to move ecotourism towards sustainable development. Further, the importance of local people's active participation in enabling ecotourism to bring more benefits to its people has also been emphasised..." [read more]

13. External Review 'Tourism as a Tool for Development': UNESCO-Lao National Tourism Authority Nam Ha Ecotourism Project
by Chris Lyttleton and Alison Allcock
...a July 2002 report describing and evaluating the Nam Ha Ecotourism project's effort to develop a framework for sustainable ecotourism in Lao People's Democratic Republic. "By bringing tourists to villages in large numbers, the project has set in place a form of social interaction that is powerful in its implications and to date has managed to create a framework and mechanisms that make the process proceed cautiously and sensitively..." [read more]

14. Community-based Transboundary Ecotourism in the Heart of Borneo: A Case Study of the Kelabit Highlands of Malaysia and the Kerayan Highlands of Indonesia
by Sarah L. Hitchner, Florence Lapu Apu, Lian Tarawe, Supang Galih@Sinah Nabun Aran, and Ellyas Yesaya
...a June 2009 article examining the current state of community-based transboundary ecotourism in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, Malaysia, and the Kerayan Highlands of Kalimantan, Indonesia. "Genuine community-driven ecotourism development requires that local communities determine the type and trajectory of tourism development, not merely react to the needs and desires of foreign tourists and accept top-down implementation of tourism projects by outside agencies..." [read more]

15. The Ecotourism Equation: Measuring the Impacts
by Elizabeth Malek-Zadeh, ed.
...this bulletin (December 1996) from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies addresses: What are the impacts of ecotourism and how are they measured?; what are the parameters of ecotourism success?; how can ecotourism projects be successfully designed and implemented? Policy and management perspectives are offered... [read more]

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If you have COMMENTS on this new format of The Drum Beat, please send them to drumbeat@comminit.com
 

We'd love your feedback!

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ECOTOURISM EXPERIENCES: Latin America
 

16. Posada Amazonas Lodge (PAL) - Peru
...a 30-bedroom lodge situated within the 2,000 hectare, private, communal territory of the Ese'eja Native Community of Infierno. A key strategy for generating community awareness as to the opportunities and threats brought about by ecotourism in this rainforest has involved hiring community members as full-time communicators... [read more]

17. Instituto Ilhas do Brasil - Brazil
...working to empower traditional communities who depend on marine resources for their livelihood by, in part, developing projects that are designed to conserve biodiversity and generate income - with young people playing a main role in honouring (and disseminating) local knowledge... [read more]

18. Trueque Amazónico (Amazonian Exchange) - Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
...tour operators and indigenous communities involved in ecotourism in the Amazon met with researchers in 2003 to share experiences and form alliances. "These are three cases in the Amazon with true community participation..." [read more]

19. UniversitÁrea Protegida - Nicaragua
...sought to give Nicaraguan students an opportunity to conduct scientific research, participate in community-based conservation projects, and develop ecotourism in rural parts of their country. Students conducted scientific research and provided support to the NGOs, while completing their degrees through thesis work... [read more]

20. Osa Conservation Dialogues - Costa Rica
...a series of face-to-face dialogues conducted from July-December 2003 involving groups working for the conservation of biodiversity in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica... [read more]

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To explore related experiences, evaluations, resources, and strategic thinking in the Spanish language, please visit La Iniciativa de Comunicacion: Latin America's Gestión del Riesgo's theme site.

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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kier Olsen DeVries.

The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries. Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI's Editorial Director - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

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