What is it?
Eco-tourism is focused towards exotic and natural environments. It is designed to contribute towards protection and minimising the damage we do. It also lets tourists meet and see how the people of the rainforest live.
Why it's good
- Tourists get to learn about people of the rainforest in an eco friendly way. This means they are very strict about what tourists bring with them or leave behind in order to reduce rubbish or pollution.
- Rainforest tribe people get help/support from people who come. Money gets given to tribes for education and medicine they might need.
- It raises awareness for the tribes, so people know more about them.
- It stops poaching. Poaching is when an animal is illegally killed for its fur or ivory.
- Eco-tourism also gives rainforest people an income (to support their family) and it provides jobs for them (teaching people about how they live).
Why is it bad?
- Some people don't respect the area and pollute it, scare the animals and are rude or obnoxious to the tribes people.
- If it's too popular it would pressure them to make more accommodations and toilets for tourists.
- For the Tribe people it is almost living in a fish bowl, they have no privacy as people walk freely around their home and community.
- People could bring diseases into their homes, which would make them very sick.
- Money does get passed on to the tribes, but not as much as the organisation is receiving for showing them the people of the rainforests daily lives to tourists.
- Tourist might not respect the animals and the people living there.