Ecotourism is a relatively new phenomenon. The International
Eco-tourism
Society defined the term in 1991 as "responsible travel
to natural areas that
conserves the environment and sustains the well being of
local people."
Well-planned ecotourism has proven to be one of the most
effective tools for
long-term conservation of biodiversity. The United Nations
Environment Program
(UNEP) suggests three basic principles of an ecotourism
project: It conserves
biodiversity, promotes sustainable resource use, and shares
the benefits with
local communities.
To better address the guidelines and certification of
ecotourism, UNEP and the
World Tourism Organization declared 2002 the International
Year of Ecotourism. A
World Ecotourism Summit held in Montreal, Quebec, in May
2002 was attended by
hundreds of travel industry professionals.
The nonprofit organization Rainforest Alliance is also
investigating the possibility
of establishing an international accreditation body for
sustainable tourism
certification. As an example, Rainforest Alliance and an
Ecuadorian environmental
group have created a "Smartvoyager" certification
program that sets the
standards for the maintenance and operation of tour boats in
the Galapagos
Islands.
National
Parks
Natural
Monuments
Nature
Calendar
