University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...
University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...
University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...
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Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature<br />
exploitation, and it could provide cover for commercial fishing activities. It<br />
would also attract a new type <strong>of</strong> clientele.<br />
As the tourist number has increased, the number <strong>of</strong> guides has been forced<br />
to expand rapidly; this has meant certification <strong>of</strong> a new classification <strong>of</strong> guides.<br />
These guides are mostly native Galapagueños who know a lot about the island,<br />
but lack the scientific knowledge, and frequently only speak Spanish (Honey,<br />
1999).<br />
The guides do not always exert adequate control over their group, either<br />
because <strong>of</strong> a lack <strong>of</strong> conservation understanding or commitment or because they<br />
don’t want to upset their passengers and jeopardize their end-<strong>of</strong>-cruise tip<br />
(Honey, 1999).<br />
Many substandard day boats and on-land hotels are marketing a more<br />
conventional type <strong>of</strong> “sun-and-sand” tourism, which has a negative impact on<br />
ecotourism, and attracting another clientele (Honey, 1999).<br />
b. Rapidly growing human population<br />
Historically, the tiny population, were farmers and fishermen and since<br />
1960s people who worked for the Charles Darwin Research Station or the Park<br />
Service, but since the late 1980s, as word spread on mainland that tourism were<br />
a “gold mine”, there have been a rapid acceleration in arrivals. The arrivals<br />
include colonist, fishermen, poachers, and job and fortune seekers (Honey,<br />
1999).<br />
The new arrivals are lured by stories <strong>of</strong> plentiful jobs and high salaries.<br />
The cost <strong>of</strong> living on the islands is several times higher than on the mainland,<br />
but salaries are also as much as seventy-five times higher (Honey, 1999).<br />
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