Wildlife-based Ecotourism: Certifications, Guidelines, Incentives

Wildlife-based Ecotourism (WBE) is touted as a promising strategy for the tourism industry to enable some aspects of environmental sustainability. Ideally, it is environmentally and culturally sensitive, low impact,... [ view full abstract ]

Wildlife-based Ecotourism (WBE) is touted as a promising strategy for the tourism industry to enable some aspects of environmental sustainability. Ideally, it is environmentally and culturally sensitive, low impact, educational, and of conservation value, though the term has often been applied to operations that do not meet those criteria (“greenwashing,” whether intended or not).  However, if conscientiously and ethically practiced, WBE can have net positive benefits to wildlife.  We report on a meta-analysis that examines ecological, sociopolitical, and economic management contexts of 208 recent (2000-2016) WBE case studies.  Impacts on wildlife varied, but certain types (e.g., whale sharks, pinnipeds, dolphins, New World monkeys) experienced higher rates of negative impacts in these studies.  Recommendations to mitigate negative impacts yielded these frequencies (>100% because multiple suggestions per study; n=708): tour requirements/regulations (30%), research and monitoring (29%), improved site management (24%), spatial use planning(10.5%), local involvement (3%), conservation (3%).  We recognize that ecotourism is inherently consumptive, even if less obviously so than practices that directly harm wildlife.  Providing incentives to consumers (tourists), providers (from local to international), and managers, in addition to conducting strict peer review of services and outcomes, can achieve the triple bottom line (financial, social, environmental) accounting that should be a primary goal of all human enterprise. Based on these perceived needs, we describe an approach with which we have been involved:  the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network. This NGO provides Wildlife Friendly™ Tourism standards and an associated certification program, which will provide critical guidance and positive incentive for the uptake of best-practice standards in the WBE industry. Such standards are based on recommendations from leading experts on the species and landscapes impacted by tourism activities. These guidelines can assist conservation and development organizations to design projects that likely to be more sustainable from a conservation perspective. This program provides positive incentives and informed guidance to support operators within the tourism industry in taking precautions to minimize direct negative impacts of their projects on wildlife and to maximize indirect positive conservation impacts through threat mitigation.