Ecotourism: The Five Minute Scoop
Ecotourism can best be described as capturing
the idea of traveling responsibly. In particular, this mode of traveling
zones in on factors such as minimizing impact on the natural environment and
building cultural and environmental awareness. Conservation ethics play a
big key in the process as well as activities that bring the traveler closer
to the community they are visiting, for example, activities such as trekking
through the mountains of Patagonia or bird-watching in the Amazon
rainforests. Local guides are usually part of the journey as a way to teach
the travelers the basics of the culture and local plant and wildlife of the
region being visited. Since around the mid-1980s, ecotourism has caught on
as a major economic force for nations around the world.
Ecotourism Favorite Links
International Ecotourism
Society - This site provides an overview of ecotourism issues for both
consumers and those in the industry.
Planeta.com - This site specialized
in ecotourism reporting and focuses on ecotourism, conservation, and
responsible travel. The site has an immense amount of information ( more
than 10,000 pages) written by experts in the field.
Conservation International - The website
of Conservation International, an organization dedicated to conserving
global bio-diversity. It’s a good site to background yourself on the
conservation issues of the world, highlighting conservation regions around the
world.
Big Volcano
Ecotourism Resource Centre - This site contains a pretty
solid collection of research papers and articles related to ecotourism.
Ecotour - Sponsored by Conservation
International, a useful website that
serves as a link to finding ecotourism destination and tour operators.
Ecotourism Shopping Best Bets
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