Eco Tourism in Brazil
After the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian ecotourism began to grow exponentially and the country woke up to its eco-potential.
According to official figures, 5 million ecotourists visit destinations like the Pantanal, the world's largest wetlands, and Abrolhos, a coastal whale-watching paradise.
Ecotourism has generated $4.95 billion for the Brazil economy. The tourism industry in Brazil grows by 3% a year, ecotourism is up by 15% and some areas are experiencing 20-30% annual growth in tourism trade.
Aim of Eco Tourism
The primary aim of ecotourism the world over is to minimise impact on the environment while simultaneously increasing awareness and building respect for the land.
TIES's (The International Ecotourism Society) widely-accepted definition of Ecotourism is: "Responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people."
Such a mantra obviously fits in better with the more developing tourist regions, with governments the world over keen to attract the money that tourism brings without ravaging the land that attracts these visitors in the first place. Ecotourism's growth worldwide is impressive.
Eco-resorts are expected to flourish
According to figures from TIES, ecotourism has, since 2004, been growing at a rate three times faster than traditional tourism. TIES also predict that sustainable tourism could grow to 25% of the global travel market within six years, accounting for US$473.6 billion net spend a year. As a result, eco-resorts are expected to flourish, with early investors the most likely beneficiaries of large market gains.
The inaugural Global Ecotourism Conference, held in Norway in May 2007, found that 90% of British travellers and over two-thirds of US and Australian tourists considered it a hotel and resort's responsibility to actively protect its local environment and support its local communities, something that Ecocity Brasil has pledged to do. The same survey found that 87% of UK travellers feel that their holiday should not have an adverse effect on the environment.
What is an Eco City?
Richard Register was the first to coin the term 'ECOCITY' in his 1987 book, Berkeley: building cities for a healthier future.
Register states that "an ECOCITY is an ecologically healthy city," and, while that remains the best general description, the term has developed over the past two decades to refer to a city that can feed and power itself, creating the smallest possible ecological footprint for its residents.
There are many ways in which this is achieved, however, such is the current preoccupation with and trend towards ecological living that, earlier this year, a delegation at the ECOCITY World Summit in San Francisco laid out a series of ways in which a city can become as ecologically friendly as possible
- Providing safe, clean shelter, water and air for all citizens.
- Being built for people, not cars and preventing the sprawl of developments.
- Identifying and protecting ecologically sensitive areas.
- Maximising energy conservation, renewable energy sources and recycling.
- Being safe for pedestrians with efficient public transport.
- Educating and training citizens, as well as supporting community initiatives.
- Encouraging inter-city, domestic and international cooperation and shared learning.
In summary, an ECOCITY is about enhancing the health and quality of life - not just for the ECOCITY itself, but for the area, country and planet. (Published by North Atlantic Books) For more information, please visit: www.ECOCITYworldsummit.org/index2.htm
