posted by Catherine on Apr 24
Should we visit somewhere degraded but in desperate need of tourist dollars – or leave it to recover?
I was talking with a friend about the need to show (financial) support for locations that are in danger of being destroyed by construction or farming, etc – and that the best way to show that an area is worth money as it is, would be to take a vacation there and spend money on local services.
But then I thought, if the location is very fragile or in an area that is highly volitile - would it be better to stay away and let it recover before demanding tours and accomodation to be found (or built)?
Add to this as well, the fact that if you choose not to visit one of your favourite destinations or to see an endangered animal – it might have been your last chance before it is lost forever.
What I Want:
I myself am torn between visiting certain locations around the world as I am worried that my trip there and intrusion in the area could actually be supporting the very things that are destroying it. But if I don’t go, I will have missed my chance to see something truly wonderful.
Whether it is to experience the march of thousands of penguins in the frozen landscapes of Antartica, to marvel at the giant tortoises and marine iguanas in the Galapagos or the chance to see thousands of bats at dusk flying from a cave in Borneo – the very act of my ‘eco’ trip could put stresses on the wildlife or habitat itself by changing their behaviour.
It could also help sustain or even create a market for hoards of others to follow afterwards or even affect the culture of the people who have lived there for centuries.
However, my needs I suppose are only for my own pleasure, unlike the people and the wildlife involved. Just because ‘I want’ to do something, should I do it – even if the trip is ‘eco friendly’ and ‘responsible’?
The Alternatives?
If I decide not to go myself – how else could I help? Well, finding a charity or NGO which was working in the area would be a great start, then donating money or time to them will be of endless help.
Don’t forget you don’t need to offer them directly for that specific location or creature, as all their time and funds are intricately linked. So offering your spare time to them in your local town will ultimately help them spend money to work in the area you are rooting for abroad! I mean if they are able to spend less money in 1 country, they can spend more in another.
And by creating other demands at home you can affect change. Examples include the more obvious ones like choosing not to buy certain products, or products made in certain countries, or by subscribing to eco magazines. Investing in certain energy suppliers or financial companies is another powerful way of showing businesses where you want to spend money and where you don’t.
Even creating a demand for cuddly toys might change future plans for charities and larger companies. How? Well, if more and more people start buying toys and products linked to rainforests for example, then it will be picked up as a national trend and things will eventually happen.
Take for example, the current demand for eco friendly cars. They wouldn’t be making them if nobody was buying them would they? If people were not so interested in the environment these days – the cars just wouldn’t sell – and as result, they wouldn’t make any more.
Imagine if in the 60′s before we knew what ‘climate change’ was, they started making hybrid cars that cost more than ‘normal’ cars – would you buy one? Do you think there would have been a successful business in the 40′s selling carbon credits? What if someone today set up a charity to help save seagulls or raccoons – would you donate money to them?
Everything you do today, has a huge effect for tomorrow – so don’t rush into anything to quickly.
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