How to Practice Ecotourism When Travelling

In many regions, an increasing number of tourists can apply pressure on the culture, traditions, and ceremonies of Indigenous Peoples. The Indigenous Peoples of these traditional territories may experience objectification from tours taking place with stereotypical representation of their communities.

Mitigations and tips:

• Conduct your own research about the traditional territories you are visiting in advance of your trip. Native Land is a helpful tool for identifying the territories, languages, and treaties of where we reside, work, and visit.
• Ensure any tours and accommodations formally acknowledge the land and actively work with the Indigenous Communities of the territories to welcome and educate tourists.

With a boost in economic growth, sometimes communities are at risk of being displaced to pave way for hotels and tourists. For example, in East Africa approximately 70% of national parks are occupying land that was forcefully taken from the Maasai Tribe.

Mitigations and tips:

• Research your tours and accomodations and make sure that their goals and impact are in line with the larger practices of ecotourism.

To visit many places, long distance air travel is required. According to Transport & Environment, if unmitigated, carbon emissions and vapor trails from aviation are estimated to double by 2050. Increasing travel by car and boats for transportation could also disrupt local environments and cause pollution.

Mitigations and tips:

• Consider travelling to a destination close to you and reachable by car, bus or train.
• If flying is your only option, consider a nonstop flight. Although it may be more expensive, it consumes less fuel than flights with layovers. You can also opt-in to carbon offsetting when purchasing your ticket with travel agencies such as Skyscanner and Hopper. Your financial contribution would balance out the impact of your flight’s emissions and directly support carbon-reducing initiatives including reforestation and adoption of renewable energy generation.
• While travelling locally, consider opting for public transportation or rental bikes.
• If you are interested in witnessing wildlife while reducing your carbon footprint, some guided ecotours are safely conducted via horse-back riding or other native animals rather than vehicles.
• You can also curb emissions from your home while you are away. With an ecobee Smart Thermostat and Room Sensor for occupancy detection, you can manage your home’s energy consumption even on vacation. By enabling the built-in Smart Home and Away feature, your thermostat will be able to detect when you are away and will automatically maximize energy savings. Alternatively, you can set a Vacation schedule so that your thermostat knows when you will be away and can keep the temperature much warmer or cooler than if you were at home.

Although ecotourism is designed to alleviate environmental degradation, it can sometimes have adverse effects. Ecotourism primarily takes tourists to relatively untouched ecosystems for an immersive and educational experience. These ecosystems can sometimes be delicate. Increased foot traffic can lead to soil erosion, scaring off wildlife and disrupting the food chain, or higher demand for natural resources.

Mitigations and tips:

• Conduct research into your ecotour organization and ensure it abides by the key principles of ecotourism. With the organization you choose, adhere to the regulations enforced throughout the tour such as staying on the marked path with your group, not littering, and taking nothing from the habitat with you (e.g., rocks, shells, soils, plants).
• Research about the local wildlife to be mindful of the possible threats imposed by human presence.
• Conserve water and energy where possible by consuming only what you need. Store your food in plastic-free containers and pack a reusable water bottle with a built-in purifier to reduce plastic usage.