Ecotourism: Avoiding Monkey Business by Kelly Fischbach

Issue 100 - September 2023, Sustainable Travel, Things we like
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Navigating the Ethical Maze of Eco-Travel: Balancing Wildlife Experiences & Conservation in a Complex World

Eco-travelers are faced with an interesting conundrum– how to experience the wonders of the environment without spoiling them? Intrepid nature enthusiasts might seek animal-centric activities while exploring the globe, but are these opportunities also beneficial for the creatures? Sometimes the answer to this question is obvious– but oftentimes, there’s more than meets the eye.

Eco-travelers have a variety of techniques to reduce their ecological footprint as they globetrot. These strategies include being mindful of the types of transportation they choose, opting for self-propelled options such as biking, or group-transit options like trains, buses, or carpools. For unavoidable carbon-expensive options, travellers can purchase carbon offset credits. Purchasing a carbon offset credit funds projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions or sequester carbon in the atmosphere, conceptually neutralizing the carbon produced. Organizations such as Sustainable Travel International are great places to begin your carbon-offset journey. Always mindful of their impact, these travellers carefully consider what they bring with them, and what methods of responsible disposal they might have available to them as they travel- they carry with them the pack it in, pack it out mentality. Additionally, travellers may have a cultural impact on the regions in which they travel and should be mindful of local customs, dress and behaviour.

But what about animal-focused travel experiences such as wildlife viewing, whale watching, safaris and volunteering at animal sanctuaries and shelters? While these activities attract tourists to travel destinations, do these activities adequately address the well-being of the animals and balance that with the experience that tourists receive?

Minimize Your Impact

Seek companies that adopt accreditation standards to ensure tours operate within certain ethical boundaries. When choosing a wildlife viewing experience, do some research first. Listening to word of mouth, reading Google reviews, and checking the company’s social media are all great ways to get a feel for their approach to wildlife viewing. Be on the lookout for large groups and references to holding, feeding or photo opportunities. These are quick indicators of tours you might want to avoid, as they are not likely to have the animals’ well-being in mind. High impact on animals can cause undue stress, disturb routines and contribute to disease transmission. Feeding or holding wildlife can lead to animals becoming comfortable around or even dependent upon people, and in extreme cases, cause conflict resulting in the injury or death of humans and/or animals. Social media encourages unsafe animal practices when images or videos featuring cute animals go viral; oftentimes seemingly cute behaviours are symptoms of stress.

One example of a program that reinforces responsible viewership is Hawaii’s Dolphin SMART Program. Tour operators voluntarily participate in the program, which has secret shoppers join the tours to ensure that captains always abide by federal regulations and promote ethical ways to view wild dolphins. When tour operators successfully complete the task of being secret shopped, they earn the right to advertise their tour as being Dolphin SMART and also place the initiative logo on their promotional materials.

Maintain a Respectful Distance

Wildlife ecotourism is often motivated by viewing opportunities, which can come at a cost to wildlife populations. Impacts can be acute, such as vehicle strikes, or chronic, such as stress, disturbance, habitat destruction and the introduction of novel species or diseases. Some species that can be subject to higher risk receive special regulations enacted to protect them. For example, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 sets boundaries for how close one can approach marine mammals in the wild. With monitoring and careful attention to detail, these impacts can be reduced but not avoided altogether.

Seek Sustainable Options

Remote locations are often far from the infrastructure to handle waste. As a result, special consideration must be made for reducing the impact of various types of pollution and keeping the environment pristine. Reducing waste while travelling begins at home– when trip-planning and packing. Try to use things you already own, or borrow from a friend, instead of buying new ones. If you do buy something new, discard the packaging at home so that you don’t have to worry about its proper disposal. If you must buy, consider purchasing from retailers that offer gently used items like REI’s Used Goods, Patagonia’s Worn Wear, or from other B-Corp companies that repurpose fabrics into new gear, like Cotopaxi’s unique line of Del Dia packs. While travelling to the Peruvian Amazon, we were made aware that trash facilities would be difficult to find, and were encouraged to live as waste-free as possible for ten days. This experience enabled me to more thoughtfully consider what I was bringing with me, and how options for disposal might not be appropriate. One easy swap was to use shampoo and conditioner bars instead of bottles. I was surprised to see how little waste I could generate when I really made an effort.

Community: It Takes a Village… 

Ecotourism often has a direct impact on local communities, including economic, social, and cultural benefits and challenges, which are all able to be mitigated by including local leaders in the decision-making. Involving the local community can give people a deeper sense of responsibility toward the environment, as the inherent value becomes tangible. Wildlife often benefits directly and indirectly from promoting sustainable ecotourism outfits. Seek Community-Based Conservation (CBC) efforts to get to the root of the cause. CBC initiatives are ones that are operated by local people, with the goal of sustaining biodiversity while reinforcing cultural values. These conservation ideas have a trickle-down effect on the welfare of wild animals, as cultural values often promote the responsible viewing of wildlife to preserve the resource. Financial resources in CBC are often reinvested in the cause, whether making improvements or paying the salaries of workers. In Belize, the Community Baboon Sanctuary (CBS) is a network of property owners collaborating to ensure that black howler monkeys have access to appropriate habitats. Miss Jessie Young, the matriarch of the CBS, is an inspiring leader who compassionately guides property owners to be excellent stewards of the land.

The Ongoing Quest for Knowledge

Learning more about species, ecology and conservation during ecotourism opportunities is a great way to get the most out of an experience and give back to the greater good. Participants in research-based ecotourism have the opportunity to show their great interest in learning emerging information about a culture, community, environment, or species, and the effect it has on the local host is also beneficial. Because the research-minded ecotourist is interested in contributing to science, they are more likely to behave in ways to preserve the pristine uniqueness of the research area.8

But it’s Complicated…

In some cases, the direct impact on individual animals can be levied against the value of conservation efforts achieved as a result of ecotourism. The management of ecotourism is paramount to balance the positive and negative effects.2 In best-case scenarios, ecotourism benefits not only the tourist, and has a net-neutral effect on wildlife, but has positive outcomes for pro-environmental awareness, attitude and behavior of guides and tourists alike.

For example:

The Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation (ARDCF)

Community and ecotourism have important roles in conservation, and this is why sometimes the situation is a little more complicated than it might seem at first glance. The endangered Amazon river dolphin (known locally as boto) faces numerous challenges, including being targeted for slaughter to be used as bait in a fishing industry that targets piricatinga catfish. Although interacting with wildlife is often contradictory to responsible ecotourism, the practice of having boto swim platforms is a way to educate people on the plight of the boto, their role in the Amazon ecosystem, and the pressures they face. Boto platforms also have a second function of increasing the relative value of the Amazon river dolphin by demonstrating to locals that they are worth much more alive than dead.

Determining if your wildlife excursion is an ecologically-friendly one can be complicated. Still, by taking a few moments to review the company and experience with a careful eye, you can be sure to make the right choice.

Happy travels!

About Kelly Fischbach

Kelly is a Master’s degree student with Project Dragonfly at Miami University, where she studies conservation biology. Her studies have taken her to Belize and the Amazon, and this summer, she will explore Namibia as she learns about the conservation of big cats. When she’s not adventuring, she can be found enjoying her home state of Florida with her dog, Koa.

References

This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media