Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990316143004.007f17d0@141.219.149.237> Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 14:30:04 -0500 From: Blair Orr <mailto:bdorr@MTU.EDU> Subject: Re: what is sustainable/ecotourism ? was Re: Question about South To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
At 03:10 PM 3/16/99 -0400, you wrote: >Negative definition:
>
>a tourism project is not sustainable when:
>
>- Environmentally: it produces degradation, serious threats on
>biological diversity, natural beauty, resources and landscapes, etc.;
>and does not participate in its protection or recovery with the
>development their infrastructures and operations;
>- Socially it breaks local structures and displaces people, creates
>shanty-towns behind resorts, does not encourage local empowerment or
>participation; produces economic over exploitation, most of the
>generated income or distribute it in very few local; the only exchange
>between the natives occurs during room service, at the beach
>(merchants), and/or with prostitution (Offering cheap children, men and
>women in Dominican Rep. is often used, and not always undercover, as a
>marketing asset by tour operators), ) it does not lead to a process
>where people are encouraged to empower themselves to develop their own
>path for social and individual well being;
>- Culturally it degrades local identity and values and/or does not value
>local cultural and traditional expressions (not included fusion or
>syncretism that are expression of cultural resistance), produces a
>social inferiority complex and indirectly illegal immigration - when
>what is left to local people is a feeling of inferiority, a desire to be
>like these "rich" people that travel and enjoy life, and an impetus to
>leave the miserable condition of their country by any means possible,
>(for instance, the most tourist developed shores in Dominican Republic
>are also the shores from which most of the boat people leave)
>"
This is an excellent point. Many times it is hard to tell if something is sustainable, making it easy to use the word in a meaningless fashion. It is sometimes easier to look for indications that an activity is not sustainable, the negative definition.
A good reference on the topic is:
Eckman, K. 1994. Avoiding unsustainability in natural resources projects in developing countries: the precautionary monitoring approach. PhD dissertation. U. of Minnesota.
Blair Orr Associate Professor of Forest Economics Coordinator of International Programs mailto:bdorr@mtu.edu ph: (906) 487-2291 fax: (906) 487-2915 http://forestry.mtu.edu/peacecorps
Forestry Ecology and Management Michigan Technological University 1400 Townsend Drive Houghton, MI 49931 USA