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Claudio Delgado

News • Ecotourism and why it matters

Ecotourism and why it matters

July 10, 2024

You’ve probably heard the term “ecotourism” thrown around by travelers and travel

providers. But what exactly does it mean, and what are its implications for the

environment?

What is ecotourism?

Ecotourism is generally understood as tourism that is designed to minimize

environmental impact and foster protection and appreciation of the environment. Part of

the larger field of responsible tourism, ecotourism often connects travelers with local

ecosystems and wildlife through activities like backpacking, birding, or scuba diving.

The revenue it generates helps local families and helps pay for conservation of the

local environment and facilities for visitors.

Seacology’s own popular travel program brings guests to some of the world’s most

fascinating island destinations to meet our partner communities and see the impact of

our work up-close. We always try to partner with providers that prioritize reducing their

environmental impact and benefit local people.

Guests on a Seacology expedition to Fiji meet with local villagers after scuba diving.
Explore our travel program
Dozens of Seacology projects have also helped island communities develop their own

ecotourism initiatives. We fund infrastructure, training, and capacity-building needed for

local people to sustainably benefit from their local ecosystems (more on this below).

Ecotourism vs. conventional tourism

Conventional approaches to tourism can cause severe damage to the environment,

particularly the fragile environments of islands. For example, hotel builders often rip out

mangroves and other coastal wetlands. The runoff from large resorts and golf courses
often finds its way into coastal waters, damaging coral reefs. Anchors dropped from

yachts and recreational fishing boats can drag across the seafloor, digging up seagrass

meadows. And with large-scale tourism, local people are often relegated to low-paying

jobs and have little control over development.

Helping communities prosper long-term

Island communities, especially in the global south, face enormous economic pressure to

unsustainably exploit natural resources. Timber and palm oil companies, for example,

routinely make tempting offers to buy the rights to islanders’ land or water. While selling

off a plot of forest or coastline may bring in significant income, this is usually a one-time

deal.

Ecotourism, on the other hand, provides a financial incentive for conservation instead of

exploitation. A well-protected forest is more attractive to hikers than one that’s been

extensively logged. Scuba divers are more interested in reefs with vibrant coral and lots

of fish. In short, healthy ecosystems are more valuable for ecotourism than degraded

ones, so there’s a built-in incentive to keep them healthy.

In addition to preserving valuable habitats, locally controlled ecotourism can provide

benefits to the community indefinitely, creating jobs, deepening the connections

between local people and their ancestral territory, and fostering dialogue and cultural

exchange between locals and visitors.

Seacology projects: Ecotourism in action

Around the world, we support island communities’ sustainable-tourism projects. These

are efforts that are locally controlled, small-scale, and centered around wildlife and

culture. Here are some of our favorite recent examples.

Paddling for the planet in the DR

Kayakers paddle in San Lorenzo Bay

Ecotourism is a central component of our nationwide initiative to protect mangroves in

the Dominican Republic. We’ve funded mangrove-based camping tours for local kids

and teenagers, helped communities move away from overreliance on fishing by

developing their kayaking businesses, and built boardwalks where locals and visitors
alike can observe the many birds, iguanas, and other animals that inhabit the DR’s

mangroves.

Explore the Dominican Republic Mangrove Initiative

Climbing for conservation in the Philippines

The watershed forest surrounding Lobo Municipality drains into the Verde Island

Passage, arguably the most biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world. Here,

Seacology worked with local people to improve trails and climbing equipment leading to

the Nalayag peaks, a collection of spires that offer stunning panoramic views of the

mountains and sea. After Seacology funded the project, dozens of people have signed

up to work as guides and are replanting native trees along the trail.
Climbers scale the Nalayag peaks.
Explore our Lobo Municipality project
Lodging for lemurs in Madagascar

Madagascar is world-renowned for its incredible biodiversity. Countless unique plants

and animals, including more than 100 species of lemurs, have evolved on this island

and are found nowhere else in the world. These creatures are unfortunately at risk from

deforestation driven by the country’s widespread poverty. Seacology is working with

three villages to protect more than 3,500 acres of Marojejy National Park, one of the

most important forest habitats in the country. Our project refurbished guest cabins,
helping the communities welcome more visitors and generate much-needed revenue.

The money helps fund more patrols of the area, discouraging logging and poaching.

Bungalows built as part of our project

Explore Madagascar’s Villages
Check out all Seacology ecotourism projects

We have dozens of other ecotourism-focused projects spanning the globe. Check them

all out here.

Our ecotourism projects

Managing drawbacks
Many of our ecotourism projects are designed by locals for locals–for example, in the

mountains of Borneo, Tiga Bundu village has repurposed its rattan-gathering trails for

trekkers who come mostly from the island.

But encouraging travel to an environmentally sensitive area involves weighing the many

benefits against the potential impact of large numbers of visitors. International travel

usually involves long-distance flights, which produce significant carbon emissions.

We are often asked if this trade-off is worth it. We think the benefits that ecotourism

provides—provided that it’s implemented appropriately—outweigh the costs. Seeing a

pristine island ecosystem firsthand and learning from local people what its preservation

means to them can be a profound experience that motivates a greater commitment to

environmental protection. The financial support from visitors is often crucial for local

communities.

It’s also important to recognize that not all claims of sustainability from travel providers

should be taken at face value. Resorts and other tourism operators will often advertise

environmental policies that are in practice superficial and don’t significantly benefit local

ecosystems or people (commonly referred to as “greenwashing”). On this point, we’ll

close with a word from Seacology’s Executive Director Duane Silverstein, who has led

dozens of trips to islands from Papua New Guinea to Tierra del Fuego:

“Many hotels make a big deal of the fact that they don’t clean your sheets or towels

every day for ecotourism purposes. This is not true ecotourism that provides sustainable

benefits for the local community while helping to protect nature,” Silverstein argues.
“When ecotourism is well done it is a big plus but beware of places that call themselves

ecotourist lodges that do not do much for the local community.”