Plan For Conservation
Ecotourism depends on careful planning that emphasizes the preservation of natural and cultural resources. The following suggestions can help aspiring ecotourism operators incorporate conservation into their business plans.
1. Learn about the local environment. Learn about the species, habitats, land features and waterways of the area in which you operate. Investigate the threatened and endangered species that inhabit your property and research the guidelines to minimize habitat disturbance. Look for environmental education programs through local colleges, cooperative extension offices or conservation programs.
2. Plan site layout, tours and activities with conservation in mind. Assess your site to determine how many visitors it can handle without causing ecological damage. Continuously monitor the status of plant and animals species, land formations, waterways and historic structures for negative impacts. Take preventive measures to conserve natural and cultural resources. Talk to officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, state parks or county parks to learn more about environmental management.
3. Practice low-impact trail-blazing. Avoid disturbing natural habitat by concentrating high-volume tours and activities on established trails. In backcountry or wilderness areas, limit group numbers and choose a different route during each excursion to avoid creating new trails. If it’s necessary to create a new route, consider building boardwalks to provide accessibility to all visitors with minimal environmental impacts.
4. Minimize motorized travel through wilderness areas. Refrain from building new roads into natural areas and consider restricting travel on dirt roads to bicycles and hikers. Enforce speed limits and safety laws to help protect wildlife.
5. Promote responsible recreation. Develop rules and recommendations for all visitor activities, such as hiking, biking, boating, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and camping. Restrict invasive activities such as motor-boating and biking in sensitive areas. Provide campsites with fire pits and instruct campers how to manage campfires and collect or purchase firewood. Restrict campfires during dry conditions. If pets are allowed, uphold a strict policy on pet control and waste removal.
6. Protect marine life with boating regulations. Boat launches should be built in spaces that minimize habitat disturbance. In sensitive areas, launches can be limited to kayaks and canoes. Motorized boating should be restricted in mangrove tunnels, seagrass beds and shallow waters which provide manatee habitat. Post “slow wake” and “no wake” signs where needed to help preserve marine habitat.
7. Make waste receptacles and toilet facilities readily available for visitors. Waste and recycling receptacles and toilets are essential in high-use areas and should be placed at primary trailheads when possible. Mark these facilities on maps and provide instructions on recycling and waste reduction.
8. Help preserve local culture. Nature tourism often invites tourists into small communities with a rich cultural heritage. While tourism can bring welcome revenue into a rural community, it is important to be aware of the impact of this stream of new visitors. By establishing relationships with government officials, business owners, historic societies and environmental groups, you can gain community support and ensure that your nature tourism business works in harmony with the goals of local residents.
9. Market yourself as “ecotourism” or “green travel.” One of the rewards of your conservation efforts is the ability to attract a new market of environmentally-aware tourists. Market your brand of responsible nature tourism through local environmental groups.
Consider obtaining ecotourism certification through the Sustainable Travel International Eco-Directory. |