University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...

Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature
The Ecotourism Society produced the earliest and still commonly used
definition of ecotourism in 1991: "responsible travel to natural areas that
conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people".
Ten years after the introduction of this first definition, lots of things have
changed and the term ecotourism is getting a more precise meaning.
According to the UNEP definition, the term ecotourism has two
dimensions:
• Ecotourism is a sustainable development tool.
• Ecotourism is a form of alternative (nature based) tourism.
(UNEP, 2002)
2.2.1. Ecotourism as a sustainable development concept
It is generally supposed that well planned and managed ecotourism could
be an effective tool for ensuring long-term conservation of biodiversity. As a
development tool, ecotourism can serve to advance three of the basic goals of
the Convention on Biological Diversity:
• To conserve biological and cultural diversity
• To promote the sustainable use of biodiversity, by generating income,
job and business opportunities…
• To share the benefits of ecotourism developments with local
communities and indigenous people (UNEP and Convention on
Biological Diversity, 2002).
The recent development towards clear guidelines, principles and finally
ecotourism certification (see the following chapter) has created a general
consensus on the basic elements of ecotourism:
• Contributes to the conservation of biodiversity.
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