Ecotourism

Lectures

On the east coast of Taiwan, ecotourism and culture tourism are realistic occupation choices for our student graduates. I therefore created a class that was a cross between anthropology and business. The textbook that I chose, Ecotourism (2002), was written by professors of tourism and management, Ross Dowling and Stephen Page, with a focus on our southern neighbor, Australia, and was thus available in English and Mandarin. When anthropology works to have a constructive role to play in the lives of the people we study, the endeavor is often called applied anthropology.

Applied anthropology aims to understand the real-life, cultural, and economic activities of people in the world today. Industry is essential to the functions of any society and to producing income for the people living in society. Some industries are more sustainable because they use energy and resources in efficient and renewable ways, and because they produce less pollution. Ecotourism has been identified as a sustainable industry. Studying ecotourism gives students a chance to learn the principles of sustainability in the actual, concrete case of a successful economic industry. Ecotourism also often celebrates the traditional production techniques that local communities have developed over centuries. In Taiwan, this includes the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of the many indigenous populations. The hope for ecotourism is that it builds sustainable livelihoods while preserving cultural heritage.

Introduction

  • Sustainable Development and Ecotourism

    • Videos: Ecotourism in Taiwan: Fushan Botanical Garden, Yilan (linked, 4:13), Caoshan Moon World (linked, 4:12), Kenting National Forest Recreation Area (linked, 4:11), Lanyu (linked, 4:12), What is Ecotourism (linked, 2:30)?

    • Ecotourism came from the social movement of environmentalism. Ecotourism is at the opposite end of the spectrum from mass tourism. Ideally it is small, locally owned, and environmentally sustaining. As a business, however, it exhibits typical features of planning, management, and marketing.

What is Ecotourism?

  • From the Environment-Tourism Nexus to Ecotourism (Chapter 1)

    • Videos: Beach Blanket Bingo (linked, 1:00), The Cuyahoga River Fire (linked, 2:56), Emerging Tourism Markets – Introduction (file, 1:40-6:50), Building Parachuting (linked, 2:30)

  • Systems of Ecotourism (not in textbook, plus appendix)

    • Videos: Ecosystems videos (linked, Ecosystems (2:00) and Food Chains (3:02))

    • This ppt uses systems diagrams to describe ecotourism. They will be used again in the impacts ppt below.

  • Tourism and the Environment (Chapter 2)

    • Videos – Negative Effects of Mass Tourism (linked, 4:30), Biological Carrying Capacity (linked, 4:34), The Impact of Tourism in the Himalayas (linked, 10:23)

  • Ecotourism: Concepts, Definitions and Issues (Chapter 3)

    • Videos: Benefits of Ecotourism (linked, 2:51), Hobbit Heli Mountain Biking (linked, 2:52), Amazon Exchange (linked, 5 parts, 40 min)

  • Ecotourists: Consumers of Nature and the Environment (Chapter 4)

    • Videos: Earthwatch video (linked, 1:12), Cannibal Tours (linked, 67:07)

The Ecotourism Industry and Impacts

  • The Ecotourism Industry, Part 1 (Chapter 5)

    • Videos: Operations Management (linked, 1:35), Tour Operators (Kuoni Group) (linked, 4:04), The Tour Operating Business (linked, 3:25), Travel Agents for Sustainable Travel (linked, 2:00), Australia Travel Trends – Independent Travelers (linked, 2:31)

  • The Ecotourism Industry, Part 2 (Chapter 5)

    • Videos: Audubon Bird-Based Tourism (linked, 3:29), Phinda Private Game Reserve (linked, 4:26), Explore Africa by Private Jet (linked, 2:26), Ecotourism in the Danube Delta (linked, 2:29), Couran Cove Resort (linked,3:04)

  • The Impact of Ecotourism, Part 1 (Chapter 6)

    • Videos: Galveston Island tourism (linked, 2:51), Tourism Leakages (linked, 0:23), Blackpool Lifecycle Model (linked, 2:14), Tourism Expenditures (linked, 1:30), Tortuguero Tourism (linked, 1:49), From Rice to Riches (linked, 13:18)

  • The Impact of Ecotourism, Part 2 (Chapter 6)

    • Videos: Water Villas Bonaire (linked, 1:59), Bako National Park (linked, 3:48), Chimp Trekking in Kibale National Park (linked, 2:11), Whale Watching in Hualien (linked, 2:00), Kids Council TCB (linked, 5:23), Community-based Tourism in Timor-Leste (linked, 2:41)

    • This ppt uses systems diagrams to understand ecotourism. In addition, it uses emergy accounting to evaluate the appropriateness of an ecotourism development for a cite or location.

Ecotourism as a Business