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Ecotourism is a word that Haribon frequently
encounters. We are often asked about it and we often argue about it.
We see the term abused and misused. There are tourist areas
that we have been to and because there is a caged animal or two or
ten big trees, they have been (mis) labeled as ecotourist spots.
The government has a National Ecotourism Strategy but when we
inquire about it, we get big question marks instead. There are
identified ecotourism sites across the country but there is no
integral strategy to market these places and more importantly
policies or guidelines to protect them from the tourists themselves.
So I did a little research and, according to BirdLife International,
ecotourism as a word was first coined in 1972 but as an activity,
probably began in Africa 20 years before. Its development into
a fully working and recognized conservation tool is a relatively new
concept and the effects, function and methodology of ecotourism have
only been recently studied. It was in the 1990s that
ecotourism really came into its own. Since then the number of tour
companies genuinely offering a “green” way to enjoy traveling
and watching wildlife has hugely increased. Ecotourism is now
able to offer an essential lifeline for much of the world’s
endangered wildlife, especially for birds. One
definition of ecotourism is “the practice of low-impact,
educational, ecologically and culturally sensitive travel that
benefits local communities and host countries.” This is in
stark contrast to many holidays, which go to places that have
destroyed every vestige of natural habitat to provide a totally
unsustainable, resource-hungry, experience that profits only the
companies involved and often exploits the local populace.
As part of BirdLife
International’s global network, Haribon has seen the potential for
bird ecotourism for our country. I have met fellow
conservation workers from our global family and have been highly
impressed by their enthusiasm and passion to travel to any part of
the world just to be able to see endemic and highly threatened
birds. Haribon regularly gets its share of such visitors and
when we take them birding in the forests of Subic, Mt. Makiling or
Mt. Kitanglad, they are always in awe of the beauty of our unique
birds particularly of the Philippine Eagle. Unfortunately, this
awareness seems lost in the Filipino’s consciousness. What
is also encouraging for us is that these visitors are willing to pay
entrance fees and other related expenses to national parks just to
go to our forests and see the birds.
BirdLife states that a large
number of the world’s ecotou-rists come from Europe and North
America. Africa and North and South America have a large share
of existing ecotou-rism projects while Asia, Oceania and Australasia
have the least. To attract sufficient ecotourists, any project
must have the special wildlife that acts as the initial draw.
This is not a problem for our country as five out of 10 plants and
animals in our country is endemic or can only be found here.
Now, I would call that the best marketing strategy! We have been
told that bird ecotourism is a million dollar industry and surely
having even just a small slice of that pie will do our country a lot
of good. And I definitely think that this is better than
having our forests totally logged and mined out. Other
requisites are accessibility, political stability and good
facilities and infrastructure. Wildlife has to be part of the
attraction and this can be rich in variety and spectacle or have
prominent species. It can be a selection of venues and
activities in the form of a trail. The wildlife must be easy
to see although there are never any guarantees.
Thus, successful ecotourism will
generate increased local revenue and provide income nationally.
It should improve existing or establish conservation areas locally
and conserve biodiversity by providing an alternative to destructive
activities. True eco-tourism should promote the sustainable use of
wildlife by providing jobs to local populations and share the
benefits with communities with their consent and participation in
the ecotourism activities. It should also evoke a positive
attitude among the local community by maximizing the incentives and
minimizing its own impact on the environment by being affordable and
economical in its use of local resources. So think about this
if you do intend to have an “ecotouristic” experience this
summer.
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