Ecotourism Australia has thrown its weight behind the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council’s River Red Gum Forest Draft Proposal, claiming that it will open up important new ecotourism opportunities for the region.
However, another NGO, Timber Communities Australia, argues that as many as 400 families, whose livelihoods are dependent on access to these forests, will be adversely affected by the proposals.
Ecotourism Australia's foray into the debate represents an expression of its mission to contribute to conservation solutions and projects; involving and providing benefits to local communities, but will those 400 families be the targeted beneficiaries?
My dubiousness reflects the pre-existing capacity of genuine ecotourism to access an already existing superb environment. Change of tenure to National Park is not prerequisite. What is does provide though, is subsidisation of the full costs of conservation and commercial operator relief of the requirement to improve the well-being of local people.
Genuine ecotourism is internationally defined as:
Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.
Ecotourism Australia is a membership-based organisation that is strongly representative of protected area managers and holders of commercial activity permits. It has adopted a different definition to the international standard:
Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation.
The Oslo Statement on Ecotourism was recently produced at the Global Ecotourism Conference held in Norway 2007.
‘Ecotourism’ was recognized as being widely used, but also abused, as it is not sufficiently anchored to the definition. The ecotourism community, therefore, continues to face significant challenges in awareness building and education and actively working against greenwashing within the tourism industry.
Hi, I just googled around abouth greenwashing and I`m trying to find companies that actually does this..in the hospitality business. I know a lot of hotels doesn`t keep their promises...but I have a hard time finding any hotels or resorts that I can write abouth ...that really does greenwashing..please help me.
Greetings from Helsinki, Finland =) In Europe
Clearly then Ian you place yourself high above anyone else who decides to go off the beaten track and have a more down-to-earth experience. Your constant, tedious harping regarding anyone else who partakes in eco-tourism suggests rednecks like yourself are the only 'ethical travellers' worthy of such an endeavour. Heaven help us. Just because your morals do not extend to something, doesn't mean it does not exist.
>What the #$%&@ have you done, freddy?
Yeah, I'm sure likely to share my travel experiences with you Ian. On yer bike yobbo.
For your added information,Travis,I clearly recall Ian's farewell dinner at the Balkan Restaurant and receiving many a posting of his travels.Ian could also regale you with many a tale of his yoof on the family farm in the hinterland of none of your business!!!
For your information, Travis, I rode a bicycle from Singapore to Bangkok, Chiangmai, and up the Ganges valley. I rode with a guy who went from Paris to Bali and back. What the #$%&@ have you done, freddy?
Ian obviously sticks to the cities if he ever gets let out and goes o/s. Hypocrisy and absolutes - now there's a pairing.
Look at it another way, Ian:
Imagine that the perversity of existing arrangements was acknowledged and government reciprocated funding arrangements and exclusionary mechanisms, so that travellers were affirmatively encouraged to visit remote locations without having to part with any of their money for entry to private lands and the local inhabitants were paid career-level salaries, provided with all associated expenses and housed in purpose-built dwellings at the centre of management advantage for the environmental landscape of interest.
Parks and Wildlife Services are simultaneously cut-off from funding for every expense and required to recover from user-fees the full cost of providing the public with environmental goods and services, without any development entitlements whatsoever.
Now that would constitute the view from the big rock candy mountains.