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Eco-tourism is a form of environmentally friendly tourism which involves people visiting fragile, unspoilt areas that are usually protected. Eco-tourism is designed to be low impact and small scale.

The main concept of eco-tourism is sustainability to enable future generations to experience places which have been relatively untouched by humans. Eco-tourism is quickly becoming an important industry for many developing countries to bring in foreign income while at the same time preserving some of their most fragile environments.

This can be achieved by some countries preserving their rainforests, as eco-tourists pay to see a country's natural beauty, not the destruction caused by the exploitation of natural resources.

Eco-tourism activities should:

• Cause minimal impact on the environment and local people.
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
• Provide direct financial benefits for conservation and sustainability.
• Provide economic benefits and empower local people, as eco-tourism should be managed by locals.
• Increase visitors' understanding of the country's political, environmental and social circumstances.
• Encourage stewardship and conservation of the natural environment.
• Respect local traditions, eg dressing appropriately so as not to cause offence, especially in religious buildings and places.

Causes of/ reasons for eco-tourism

• Developing countries now want to conserve their fragile environments and view eco-tourism as a significant method of generating income
• Developed countries want to help developing countries conserve their fragile environments by promoting sustainable tourism.
• Tourists want to experience a visit to unspoilt environments.
• Many travellers are bored with run-of-the-mill package holidays and want to try something different.
• Tourists are now more environmentally conscious and want to help conserve fragile environments for future generations.

Positive impact of eco-tourism on people

Eco-tourism can provide local people with employment opportunities, eg park rangers and cooks and cleaners in lodges. This employment provides an income which is often higher than they would receive from selling their crops.

Education is improved as locals are trained as wildlife guides, improving their family's standard of living and lifestyle.

Local communities can earn extra income from the creation of handicrafts which they can sell to tourists.

Visitors are educated by an on-site visit about the local political, social and environmental issues encouraging them to donate money after they have gone to ensure sustainability.

Eco-tourism helps to foster respect for local cultures and the environment increasing the awareness of conservation.

Teachers who have taken part in eco-tourism trips can teach young people to realise the importance of the principles and practices of eco-tourism promoting cultural understanding and environmental awareness.

Negative impact of eco-tourism on people

Locals and residents can be exploited in various ways such as using them for cheap labour. Local people lose their traditional way of life as they become accustomed to 'Western cultures'.

Some locals are used as attractions to enable tourists to get traditional photos of indigenous people. Many companies who run eco-tourism trips profit most, while local people earn very little money. Infrastructure is often only beneficial to tourists, eg airports, as local people cannot afford to use it.

Positive impact of eco-tourism on the environment

Money spent directly in the local economy helps give financial value to rainforest preservation. The Government and local communities can see the importance of ensuring the rainforest is unspoiled. Most tourists are willing to pay for conservation through donations, park entrance fees and tips for guides.

Eco-tourism can reduce the need to hunt animals for income. For example in West Africa, former poachers are hired as park rangers as they have a detailed knowledge of local wildlife and their habitats.

With eco-tourism, income is earned from preserving the rainforest - deforestation is discouraged, as it is detrimental to income from tourists. Money from tourists goes back into the conservation of the area.

Negative impact of eco-tourism on the environment

Eco-tourism is now a large industry and there are not enough regulations to control how it is operated. Some people honestly do not know what eco-tourism involves, whereas others know exactly what it entails but still do things that give eco-tourism a bad reputation.

The destruction of local resources to make room for eco-tourism is a problem, eg trees felled to make lodges for tourists. Natural resources are destroyed to make souvenirs or to use for tourist attractions. Rare species are used as tourist attractions to generate money and not to preserve them.

The destruction and degradation of natural features, eg overused tracks leading to soil erosion and damage to vegetation. Pollution of the ecosystem is a major problem when waste is not managed carefully.

There is a real danger of some areas becoming over-used when too many people come to visit threatening their very existence. Diverting water for visitors can exploit local water supplies, leaving local people, plants and animals without water. Tourist hotels sometimes dump waste into rivers causing water pollution.

Each year hundreds of thousands of visitors trek through Costa Rica's national parks, making tourism the country's largest industry, exceeding coffee and bananas. Some areas are being so overwhelmed by the huge number of visitors that national parks are losing animal species, which flee from noisy tourists.