Vol. 2, No. 1 Contents
Headline Back Issues Winter 1997
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Ecotourism: (cont'd) Even the cruise ship industry is marketing itself as an increasingly environmentally aware travel option, according to Randy Brooks, Canadian Co-Chair of the New Atlantic Frontier Association (NAFA), an association of ports from NY to Montreal. Of the 60 ships coming into NAFA ports, about a third have naturalists on board, said Brooks. Also, he said, cruise ship companies operating in the Gulf of Maine are using "greener" practices in response to public sentiment, increased environmental awareness, and tighter US and Canadian regulation. Blue Magruder, Director of Public Affairs for the Earthwatch institute, based in Watertown, Massachusetts, credits her organization with creating the movement "where people want to be involved as not just a tourist, but want to be part of something real." The group sends about 4000 volunteers annually last year 46 countries were represented to work with scientists all over world including in the Gulf of Maine. "When I started 20 years ago, there were 300 volunteers a year. It was very radical to find people who would pay to work," Magruder said. Earthwatch may be the most established organizer of environmentally oriented trips, but considers itself an educational, rather than an ecotourism organization, Magruder said. "We're supporting scientific research, but people are getting the best possible education they can get," she explained. The nature of responsible travel If Earthwatch isn't ecotourism, what is? "The main thing is that it is not just nature tourism it's responsible travel," said Megan Epler Wood, president of The Ecotourism Society, a Vermont-based international association of 1,400 tour operators, travel agents, airlines, and other members.
Wood said the only country collecting data on whether self-proclaimed ecotourism outfitters are living up to the moniker is Australia. Definitions of ecotourism may come down to semantics, but for the well-meaning prospective traveler, the numerous variations on outdoor travel can make the search for a true ecotourism experience confusing. For instance, "nature travel" may bring visitors to natural settings, but without the educational or ecological emphasis. Adventure travel often takes place in natural outdoor settings, but may focus more on the activity than the environment. Also, ecotravel concerns extend beyond the natural environment to cultural considerations. And, according to Sid Quarrier of the Maine Island Trail Association's (MITA) Rockland office, it just as important to respect the locals when traveling within the region as it is on a trip from Boston to Belize. Strings of out-of-town kayakers paddling across a coastal Maine channel may genuinely appreciate their natural surroundings, but they can also delay local fishermen attempting to squeeze every working minute out of a good weather day, Quarrier said. The Maine Island Trail consists of 75 coastal islands along the Maine coast that MITA manages for what Quarrier describes as "low-impact recreational use." Half the islands are state-owned and open to the public; the other half are privately owned and open to MITA members. For muddled travelers seeking an environmentally and socially responsible travel experience, TES offers "screening" tips on its web site, such as checking on whether your potential outfitter employs naturalists, uses a responsible waste management policy, and participates in conservation efforts in their home communities. The organization also offers a Marine Ecotourist Fact Sheet. Though there's no overarching supervision of the ecotravel industry, in either Canada or the US, Wood said, "We've specialized in standards for the private sector." Benefits worth some risk Some outfitters follow principles of ecotourism more closely than others. And accidental or even willful environmental transgressions sometimes occur. But sources insist that, so far, ecotourism in the Gulf of Maine weighs in with more environmental benefits than harm. Speaking of ecotourism in a global context, Wood said, "What's not working is small potatoes in terms of the overall phenomenon. Ecotourism companies will have impacts, but compare that to the grand scale of corporate environmental abuse."
"The more people have an opportunity to experience the outdoors the better. It makes people think differently," and behave differently when they return home, said David Armstrong, owner of The Outdoor Adventure company , based in St. George, New Brunswick. He said his company makes a point of using environmentally sound practices such as bringing septic waste back from campsites to be treated in sewage systems. Armstrong concedes that some areas should be restricted to public access at certain times, such as during nesting or hatching seasons, but otherwise doesn't favor designating certain areas off limits. So far, he maintained, New Brunswick hasn't suffered any ill effects as a result of increased visitors to natural areas. "Any disturbance to wildlife or natural habitat, if not done carefully and with some thought, could potentially have the impact of disturbing that ecosystem in some very subtle ways," said Barbara Canavan, Director of Earth Wise Journeys, an Oregon-based group that organizes volunteer and ecotravel trips to Gulf of Maine and other destinations. "Do I think people shouldn't go there? No. I think we should make them as aware as they possibly can be and as educated as they possibly can be," she said. Another way to protect a fragile environment is to set strict parameters for how it can be visited. This has been done on Machias Seal Island, nesting territory for thousands of seabirds each summer, including about 1000 pair of Atlantic puffins. Claimed by both Canada and the US but managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Machias Seal sits at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy about equidistant from Maine and New Brunswick. Anyone willing to pay a $50 charter fee can visit the island, but numbers of visitors per day are limited. Those who do come ashore are allowed on the island for only a few hours, and are restricted to certain areas. Officials say these measures are allowing the birds to reproduce successfully while providing an unusual experience for an appreciative audience. Bill Hancock, Director of the Environmental Centers Department at Maine Audubon Society in Falmouth, Maine, believes that some impact on natural resources is an inevitable result of any ecotravel, no matter how tightly controlled. But, he said, "Even where there is lasting impact on trail systems [for example], I think it's well worth the trade." MAS has led environment-oriented trips to destinations all over the world, including whale watch and seabird cruises in the Gulf of Maine, for more than 25 years. But Quarrier of MITA said that while "Most people want to do the right thing," some travelers focus on reaching their destination without considering the effects they may have on an area's natural resources, such as visiting certain islands during seabird nesting season. "Simply that you can get there and do it doesn't make it a good idea from an environmental point of view," he said. MITA advocates development of a management plan for use of coastal areas that takes into account their ecological, economic and cultural significance. Protecting with planning Some work is already underway to study how Gulf of Maine communities can benefit from ecotourism while preventing it from irreparably damaging natural resources. At a Sustainable Tourism Conference scheduled for April 6-7 at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, the Downeast Resource Conservation and Development Council hopes to "to develop a strategy that can be an example for rest of state," said coordinator Dana Nelson. In Canada, where the provinces are responsible for overseeing tourism, Nova Scotia is investigating how to nurture its fastest-growing tourism sector without damaging natural resources, according to Bob Book, tourism development officer for Nova Scotia's Department of Economic Development and Tourism. A recent study by the department examined how nature tourism has affected other destinations. "Hopefully, we would learn from their experiences," said Book. "We've been encouraging organizations representing the tourist industry to develop standards and criteria in which to conduct themselves," said Jerry Conway, operations advisor on marine mammals and plants at Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Earthwatch's Magruder also favors local regulation of ecotourism. "Local people understand the resources and have an interest in protecting them," she explained Along with working to assure its own trips don't overtax the destinations' natural resources or cultures, Earthwatch also helps other groups research how ecotourism affects natural areas. Before the Boston Harbor Islands were designated a national park last year, Earthwatch studied them "to determine where the public could and shouldn't go to avoid damaging [piping] plover habitat and other concerns," she said. Ecotourism operators say more and more, travelers care how their visits affect a local community or natural environment. "I think it is genuinely increasing - the awareness that 'my travel dollars maybe can make a difference. I can give something back,'" said Canavan. Wood agreed that ecotourism "will grow because of the baby boomers' interest in this kind of travel." Nevertheless, while they welcome the burgeoning interest, ecotravel proponents say common sense, foresight, and vigilance are needed to assure ecotourism doesn't overwhelm Gulf of Maine resources as it has other popular destinations. After all, said Wood, "Tourism cannot be ecotourism if it's not sustainable." Pathways to ecotravel Earthwatch Earthwise Journeys The Ecotourism Society Infohub Downeast Resource Conservation and Development Council |
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Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine
"Ecotourism travel companies should be involved in environmental conservation and must work with local communities in their destinations to make sure those communities are benefiting from the income brought into the region by travelers. Only by defining it that way does it become a form of sustainable development," Wood asserted.
Educating people about the natural environment and providing opportunities for them to appreciate it at close range leads them to consider how their actions and lifestyles affect the environment, and how they can support and participate in conservation efforts, say ecotourism proponents. Also, they point out, ecotourism is contributing to increased attendance at parks and other sites, generating revenue to pay for conservation work.
Ecotourism outfitters in Nova Scotia are doing a "pretty good job" monitoring their own practice, observed Book, adding that he doesn't foresee any government regulation of ecotourism in the near future. If it were found to be necessary, it would be in collaboration with the industry, he said.