Short Course: ECOTOURISM AND PEACE IN TROPICAL COUNTRIES

ECOTOURISM AND PEACE IN TROPICAL COUNTRIES
A short intensive course to be offered by the University for Peace
6 November - 8 December 2001
Directors: Dr. Gerardo Budowski
                M.S. Ana Báez

Please send your communications to:
Dean of Academic Administration
E-mail: acadmin@upeace.org
P.O. Box 138-6100 Ciudad Colon
    Costa Rica, C.A.
Phone: (506) 2059000
Fax: (506) 2491929 / 2492971

        Ecotourism, defined as "responsible travel to natural areas, conserving
the environment and improving the welfare of local populations", is
often equated with nature/adventure based tourism. Presently it is the
fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, the world's largest
employer.

Theoretically and ideally the ecotourism industry is credited to provide
a considerable number of benefits. It is supposed to be of low impact
to the environment, to add considerable value to natural areas,
particularly national parks and other categories of protected areas,
both terrestrial and marine, and therefore is expected to stimulate a
better understanding by decision makers of its real value; this in turn
presupposes an increase in the budgets assigned to these areas for
better protection, and for interpretation tools, therefore avoiding the
degradation of natural forests or their conversion to other, often
unsustainable, uses, like planting crops or promoting grazing schemes.
The increase in ecotourism is also expected to advantageously influence
scientific and educational activities, as well as favoring a better
understanding and improving support for biodiversity, in particular the
fate of endangered species and to further biological corridors.
Ecotourism is often described as having a great potential towards
sustainable and peaceful development schemes, including improved
coexistence where there were or still are conflicting scenarios through
such initiatives as the creation of transboundary and other
conflict-prone "peace parks".

Furthermore ecotourism is supposed to promote interest and better
understanding by visitors about local people, specially indigenous
populations and their way of life. Moreover in some countries it has
triggered the development of successful "agrotourism" tours. It is also
common practice to advantageously combine ecotourism with other forms of
tourism.

        But in reality many of these premises are not fulfilled and many
problems have arisen, particularly as the result of increase of
ecotourism. Too often short term objectives have failed to meet long
term needs, as a consequence of faulty policies and management
practices, with scenarios leading to conflicts. Some examples are
omnipresent: little or no reinvestment of the economic gains generated
by ecotourism, to better protect critical natural areas and facilitate
their interpretation; the curtailment without compensation of the
traditional rights of local populations; excessive foreign influence to
reap short term economic gains, often exacerbated by the inequitable
distribution of the benefits; damage to local fauna and flora by
ecotourists (i.e. trampling and compacting poorly constructed trails,
exceeding the
acceptable carrying capacity, etc.); poor design, wrong location and
faulty management practices of buildings nearby the natural resources
(hotels, pollution, etc.); oversale of natural attractions in
publications to attract the largest amount of ecotourists, with no
chance of "delivering the goods"; poor or insufficient research, such as
the collection of reliable statistics of visitors and their perceptions,
lack of quality training of ecotourist guides and some of the other
relevant actors; adverse cultural repercussions, harming for instance
indigenous people; and deficient prevention of prevalent human security
problems or those arising in a foreseeable future.

        The examination of positive and negative scenarios, the latter
including a more thorough understanding of arising conflicts, and the
analysis of guidelines towards the management -hopefully resolution- of
conflicts, will be the main focus of the course, oriented to a worldwide
audience.

REQUIREMENTS

The course is designed to meet the training needs of the professionals
working in conservation and management of natural and cultural
resources, especially those who are responsible for protected areas.
Participation is open to practitioners in ecotourism, as well as to
other professionals working in other aspects related to the topic of the
course.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COURSE

        About half of time will be devoted to lectures, presentations by
students and group exercises, while the other half will be devoted to
traveling to selected different protected areas of Costa Rica. Visits
to Poas volcano, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Sarapiqui
lowland rain forest are foreseen. All participants are requested to
make a short presentation in English on a theme related to some specific
problem (s) in their respective countries, followed by a debate; they
should therefore bring appropriate background material such as maps,
overhead slides and 35 mm color slides.

DIRECTORS OF THE COURSE

The course will be directed by M.S. Ana Báez, an independent consultant
of international prestige in ecotourism management, including training,
with field experience in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia, jointly
with Dr. Gerardo Budowski former president of the International
Ecotourism Society (headquarters in USA) and former director general of
the World Conservation Union (UICN), with a long experience concerning
the relationship between ecotourism and nature conservation, land use
and biodiversity. A number of additional lecturers are foreseen,
including Arquitect Hector Ceballos-Lascurain (Mexico), Sylvie Blangy
(France).

FEES: US $2.500.00, which includes all expenses of the participants in
Costa Rica: lodging, meals, transportation, materials, health insurance
and a small perdiem. The above mentioned payment does not include air
tickets, neither airport taxes.

All along the last 12 years, the Natural Resources Department has given
30 courses, to a total of over 500 students, coming from 30 countries of
the Americas, Europe and Africa. The participants come from
governmental and private institutions, as well as from grassroots
organizations. They are mainly engaged in development projects,
protected areas management, or working in technical assistance,
planning, and outreach activities.

UNIVERSITY FOR PEACE

Please send your communications to:
Dean of Academic Administration
E-mail: acadmin@upeace.org
P.O. Box 138-6100 Ciudad Colon
    Costa Rica, C.A.
Phone: (506) 2059000
Fax: (506) 2491929 / 2492971
Received on Mon Jun 18 14:49:15 2001