GBA Update Summer 2025

can help maintain biodiversity and protect endangered species. For example, proceeds from ecolodges or guided tours can fund habitat restoration or anti-poaching initiatives. 2. Community Empowerment Ecotourism can offer economic benefits to local communities, enabling them to derive direct benefits from tourism. This reduces reliance on environmentally harmful activities, such as mass tourism and resource extraction, and fosters a sense of pride in cultural and natural heritage. 3. Education and Awareness Ecotourism experiences often include environmental education and can raise travellers’ awareness of the importance of conservation. Visitors gain insights into local ecosystems and the challenges they face, which can inspire them to adopt more sustainable practices in their own lives. 4. Cultural Preservation Ecotourism can help preserve local traditions, arts, and customs by promoting authentic cultural experiences that foster a deeper understanding of these traditions. Travellers are encouraged to engage respectfully with Indigenous cultures, Several destinations worldwide have successfully embraced ecotourism, serving as models for the most sustainable approach to travel: The Great Bear Rainforest, BC A large-scale conservation initiative of global significance, where the 26 First Nations have successfully protected 85 per cent of the old growth, while at the same time developing a thriving conservation economy with cultural ecotourism as one of its pillars. According to CREST, bear-viewing tourism alone outperformed bear hunting in revenue , and the region now hosts over 23 Indigenous-owned tourism businesses , making it a living model of how nature— and culture-based tourism can sustain communities and ecosystems. fostering mutual understanding and appreciation. Prominent Ecotourism Destinations

The Benefits of Ecotourism Real-world evidence backs this up. In the Great Bear Rainforest, research by the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) found that bear viewing generated more sustainable and higher long term economic returns than trophy hunting, while supporting conservation, stewardship jobs, and Indigenous-led enterprises. Similarly, in Costa Rica , ecotourism has been directly linked to the protection of over 85 per cent of the country’s old-growth forests through legal land-use protections, conservation financing, and national park zoning. These examples demonstrate that ecotourism can serve as the backbone of a “conservation economy”—a model in which tourism revenue is reinvested in environmental stewardship and local community development. When implemented authentically, ecotourism can offer numerous benefits for the environment, local communities, and travellers: 1. Environmental Conservation Ecotourism promotes the protection of natural habitats and wildlife. Generating financial resources for conservation efforts

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Summer 2025 • GBA UPDATE