ecotourism

Also known as green tourism, environmental tourism, ecological tourism, natural environment tourism, conservation tourism, ecology tourism, ecosystem tourism, eco-friendly tourism

thumb|Ecotourism in Svalbard Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conservation and environmental education. The definition sometimes also includes being financially beneficial to the host community or making conservation financially possible. There is a range of different definitions, and the correct definition of the term was an active subject of debate as of 2009. The term is also used more widely by many organizations

AI overview

Ecotourism is nature-based tourism designed to minimize environmental damage while supporting conservation efforts and educating visitors about nature. It often aims to benefit local communities financially while making conservation economically sustainable, though experts have debated the precise definition of the term.

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Commons category: Ecotourism

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~48 min read

Article

37 sections

Contents

Risks and benefits
Ecological risk
Risks to local communities
Health risks
Potential ecological benefits
Direct benefits
Indirect benefits
Potential economic benefits
Direct benefits
Indirect benefits
Potential socio-cultural benefits
Direct and indirect benefits
Terminology and history
Related terms
Sustainable tourism
Improving sustainability
Principles
Regulation and accreditation
Labels and certification
Guidelines and education
Small scale, slow growth, and local control
Efforts to preserve ecosystems at risk
Natural resource management
Impact on indigenous people and indigenous land
Criticism
Definition
Negative impact
Direct environmental impacts
Environmental hazards
Who benefits?
Eviction of Indigenous peoples
Mismanagement by government
Case studies
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Since the 1980s, ecotourism has been considered an important endeavor by environmentalists for conservation reasons. Organizations focusing on ecotourism often make direct or indirect contributions to conservation or employ practices or technology that reduce impacts on the environment. However (according to Buckley), very few organizations make a net-positive impact on the environment overall. Ecotourism has also been criticized for often using the same infrastructure and practices of regular tourism under a different name. Like most long-distance travel, ecotourism often depends on air transportation, which contributes to climate change.