(PDF) Ecotourism for Conservation? (2020). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334314447_Ecotourism_for_Conservation
The trends in relation to the research of ecotourism tend to focus on a conflation of recreation and other conventional forms of tourism and a focus on ecological or social impact. In the analysis given of ecotourism and its effect, they look further into a large time period and various other indicators to have a more intense study on the effects that ecotourism has. The study focuses on why some forms of ecotourism fail because we categorize sets of normal tourism into said ecotourism or the design is flawed in the first place so it cannot truly benefit wildlife and ecosystems as it was mainly intended to. In that sense, it is a bit better than normal tourism but there can be certain adjustments to make it more sustainable and actually beneficial.
I think a lot of places coin the term ecotourism as an effort to generate a larger crowd of tourists who want to be better with the environment when they come and visit. I think if we really do more further research into what is actually happening and what we can do to truly create good ecotourism then we can have a specific label for ecotourism which would allow for a certainty that all those who use the term are actually following it. It is very easy to get convinced that something might be good or bad if there is not a lot of research out there to convince you otherwise.
Interesting article Isabella- So often we just equate “ecotourism” to “good for economy and environment” which is clearly not always the case. In a certain sense, the definition of it is bringing more people in closer contact with ecosystems, which can be harmful. So do you think a set of general guidelines or types of policies would be helpful for CA? Of course, worldwide there are so many diverse types of ecotourism, but could we create a CA playbook? Or is this best handled on a case by case basis?
I think it’s important to have a set of guidelines that are somewhat loose and can be argued more on a case by case so there is a general precaution before even setting up the case by case since if all of its done case by case it would take a while.