Ecotourism

Continuing with the theme of conservation, and relating to last weeks posts about agri-tourism, today I wanted to talk about Ecotourism. With rapid deforestation, and the equally rapid loss of plant, animal, and marine life worldwide, it is more important than ever to step up preservation and conservation efforts. Some of the richest areas in biodiversity are under threat from pollution, climate change, and human interference. Trying to keep people away from these sites as much as possible may seem like the logical solution, but that will remain a losing battle. By responsibly allowing rain forests, coral reefs, mountain ranges, and tropical islands to become tourist destinations, we can not only protect these threatened habitats, but provide incentives to permanently preserve them.

*Conservation International Photo

As Sarah talked about in her blog on March 10, in 2008 the human race has officially become predominantly an urban people. For thousands of years the majority of people have lived in rural areas, growing food, living off the land. But no more. Megalopolises are springing up at an ever faster pace. To keep up with satisfying the needs of our mega cities, more and more of the Earth’s resources are being plundered. More and more trees are being cut down for timber; more and more forests are being cleared by property developers; more and more fish are being extracted to feed the world’s growing population. Quenching the thirst of our crowded planet comes at the expense of our most valuable habitats. Conservation International, a leading international NGO specializing in biodiversity preservation, estimates that one species goes extinct every twenty minutes.

Conservation International Photo

Ecotourism is one way to help preserve these habitats. Tourism is a massive industry will only grow in the future. The idea behind ecotourism is to encourage responsible travel, educate people on the value of our ecosystems, protect these ecosystems, and provide income for the local populations – and thereby creating incentives to preserve these ecosystems. Governments can prohibit deforestation all they want, but if the local population will earn more money by chopping down trees than they would by leaving them untouched, then laws will do nothing. Preaching about the environment to the poor who live in Brazil’s rain forest, for example, will do absolutely nothing unless they are provided with an alternative livelihood. Ecotourism can create these alternatives.

According to Conservation International, ecotourism has provided income, management, and care for more than 33,000 protected areas. They are actively creating opportunities for local populations and preserving areas across Africa, Central America, and South America. One such project is the Chalalán Ecolodge located in Bolivia’s Amazon Rain Forest. Logging and hunting was destroying parts of the rain forest there and the local populations wanted an alternative. With the help of Conservation International, they built an ecolodge, made out of local materials and owned by the local population. Tourists can visit the forest, and participate in activities like birdwatching, canoeing, hiking, swimming, and more. They receive about 1,000 tourists a year and it provides income to more than 70 local families. Logging and the destruction of the forest has not continued in this area.

In an effort to promote my latest experience in Ulaa, Chile, I wanted to talk about the Alerces. Located in the rainforests of Chile, the Alerces are trees that resemble sequoias. They are some of the tallest and oldest trees on Earth, often over 5,000 years old. Historically, in Chile these trees were chopped down and used for wood, and because the wood was of high quality, it was often used to build houses. But, the Chilean government outlawed the cutting down the Alerces. Ulaa is located near these trees and it provides a unique opportunity to visit them.  For volunteers on the farm (read the post about volunteering in Ulaa), you can visit the Alerces by horseback, upon the completion of your volunteering experience. It is a day long horseback trip, with stunning views of the forest and the mountains that you ride through. Since these trees are often 5,000 years old, it is truly a virgin forest, having never been touched by man or even forest fire.  Preserving the Alerces is historically and environmentally important.  By attracting tourists to see and learn about the Alerces, Ulaa hopes to raise awareness for this cause. 
For those who are interested in conservation and biodiversity, you can find a wealth of information at www.conservation.org. For those who wish to volunteer on an organic farm, Ulaa is the place. Not only can you volunteer on an organic farm, but you can do so in the beauty of Chilean Patagonia AND you have the opportunity to travel, by horse, to visit some of the oldest trees on Earth.

Conservation Through Private Ownership

Of all the uncertainties in the world today, climate change undoubtably represents the most daunting threat to not only peace and prosperity, but to our very existence on this planet.  There are many causes of global warming – the burning of fossil fuels from industry, power plants, and cars; agricultural waste; and deforestation. 

It’s the latter that often gets overlooked as a major contributor to climate change.  Currently, deforestation represents 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions per year.  This occurs because normally trees act like filters, sucking up carbon dioxide and spitting out oxygen (photosynthesis).  The average tree inhales 12 kilograms of carbon dioxide and exhales enough oxygen for a family of four for a year.*  The result is a cleansing of the air.  The more trees that are cut down, the less filters we have to keep the air clean.  But to make matters worse – when those trees are cut down, not only do we have less trees to clean the air, but each cut down tree releases all the carbon it ever inhaled, pushing all that contained pollution back into the air, so the negative effects are double. 

When you think of the worst polluters in the world, you usually think of the top two: 1) China, 2) USA.  But, who comes in at number 3?  You would probably think of a big industrialized country, maybe in Western Europe somewhere.  But no, the third largest source of greenhouse gases comes from Indonesia, because of the rapid deforestation occurring there.  Indonesia has some of the richest tropical forests in the world, and they are being demolished, year after year, releasing massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.  Brazil is the fourth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, also mostly because of the large scale deforestation.  Each year, rainforests about the size of Greece are chopped down.** 

People often talk about the devastating environmental effects of emissions from automobiles, and justifiably so.  But, conservation of the world’s plant and marine life are as important, if not more important.  To some, protecting tropical rainforests often conjures up images of hippies chaining themselves to trees to stop big logging companies from hacking down large forests.  It might seem like an uphill battle and while admirable, that might not be the long term solution to preventing large swathes of forest from permanently disappearing.  What we need is government action, and preferrably international regulations on deforestation.  But, that’s always put off ’til next year, if at all.  So in the absence of government action, what do we get?  Quite a innovative idea to conservation – private ownership.

Douglas Tompkins has a mixed track record in Chile and Argentina.  He originally was the founder of North Face, the outdoor clothing company, and the ESPIRIT clothing company with his wife Susie.  He sold his c0ntrol of ESPIRIT and began focusing on conservation.  He began buying up large territories of natural forests to protect them from development.  He bought forests in Chile and Argentina, mostly in the Patagonia region of southern Chile.  With his foundation, The Conservation Land Trust, he buys forest and then returns the land to the state of Chile, ensuring they are irreversably preserved as national parks.  He works with his current wife (former CEO of Patagonia Company) and her foundation, Conservacion Patagonica.  They are responsible for the preservation of  over 2,000,000 acres of forest.  He has been met with both praise and opposition.  Some Chilean nationalists fear a foreigner owning such large amounts of land; some developers wish to acquire the land for economic gain.  But Tompkins has slowly gained the trust of many people. 

Chile has very rich forests and much of it is untouched.  However, much of it is also unprotected.  Through private ownership, Tompkins has prevented the invasion into such pristine forests, and uniquely turned over ownership to the government of Chile with the condition that they are preserved as national parks. 

Deforestation remains one of the major causes of climate change.  But when government fails to act, or is unwilling to do so, the future of such forests may rest with the boldness of people like Tompkins. 

 

Picture from Executive Style

*Fact from ESA (European Space Agency)

**Fact from ESA (European Space Agency)