CJVA1 SEMINAR 7 Eco-tourism “Travelling, like all forms of consumption*, is not a neutral activity. Everything we do affects other people; everything we own is taken from someone else. If you can’t travel carefully, don’t travel at all.” – George Monbiot (1963 - ), author and journalist at The Guardian Task 1 – Discussion Questions 1. What are some negative or positive effects of standard mass tourism? 2. In what ways is ordinary or mass tourism a threat to the environment? 3. What do you think of the above quotation? 4. Have you heard of ecotourism? How would you define it in your own words[1]? 5. Could ecotourism serve as a meaningful alternative? 6. Is the travel industry a clean and positive form of development for poor countries? Range of definitions of the term eco-tourism 1 Tourism to places having unspoiled natural resources. The Free Dictionary (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ecotourism) 2 Tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest, typically under the guidance of a naturalist, for the purpose of observing wildlife and learning about the environment. The Free Dictionary 3 The practice of traveling to beautiful natural places for pleasure in a way that does not damage the environment there. Mirriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecotourism) 4 Touring natural habitats in a manner meant to minimize ecological impact. Mirriam-Webster Dictionary 5 Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people. The International Ecotourism Society (https://www.ecotourism.org/book/ecotourism-definition) Task 2 – Watch the video called Responsible Tourism at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_08Nxj-7RSQ&list=PL743CCA3E4A890500 (watch from the start to 2:03) and fill in the following gaps. 1) It also does so in a more __________ way and shares some of the benefits of tourism more widely with local communities, and minimizes some of the negative __________ that tourism can have. 2) Economics - …So more of the __________ of your holiday stays in local people’s hands. 3) Environment - … We are trying to reduce water use, energy __________, support local conservation projects, and avoid pumping sewage into beautiful bays. 4) Cultural impacts - …We’ve all seen places which have been swamped by tourism and how the culture’s been __________ and how tourism can run rough-shod over local cultures and local peoples. 5) Tourism is absolutely __________ to the economies of many countries around the world. 6) One in twelve people are directly or __________ employed in tourism. 7) Not only that, many of the conservation projects ... are __________ through income from us. 8) So, tourism is important for livelihoods, for communities, for jobs and for the conservation of cultural and natural __________ around the world. Task 3 – Reading for gist – Read the text below and do the following activities. Guidelines for Ecotourists Before you go on your holiday, read about the places you are about to visit and choose your ecotour operator after asking the following questions: · Does the operator comply with the EAA (Environmental Assessment Association) Ecotourism Code of Practice? · Is there economic benefit going back to, or staying in, the local community? · Does the operator use local tour guides, services and supplies where possible? While you are on tour, minimize the negative social, environmental and economical impacts of your visit: 1. Remember you are a guest. 2. Be culturally sensitive and respect local customs. 3. Allow enough time in each place to appreciate it. 4. Travel by your own muscle power where possible. 5. Be careful not to introduce exotic plants or animals. 6. Stay on the track (trail). 7. Leave an area cleaner than when you found it. 8. Don’t exploit an area when food gathering. 9. Don’t disturb wildlife or wildlife habitats. 10. Familiarize yourself with local regulations. 11. Don’t use soap or detergents in natural water bodies. 12. When travelling, spend money on local enterprises. 13. Consider the implications of buying plant and animal products. Find out if they’re rare or endangered, taken from the wild, and if the trade is approved of by local authorities. 14. Don’t encourage illegal trade by buying products made from endangered species. When you return: 15. Encourage a natural and cultural understanding of the places you have visited. 16. Consider the environmental and cultural effects of your visit. Provide feedback to tour operators, your travel agent and government agencies (who manage the areas visited). Guessing meaning from context Task 4 – Look at these verbs from the text. Match them with the dictionary definitions. Use the context of the text to help you. respect appreciate introduce exploit disturb familiarize encourage 1 to frighten animals or birds so that they run away. 2 to show that you understand the importance of something by not doing anything against it. 3 to learn or experience something so that you know about it. 4 to recognise the good or special qualities of a person, place or thing. 5 to use natural resources such as trees, water or oil so you gain as much as possible. 6 to provide conditions that help something to happen. 7 to bring something such as a plant or animal into a country or environment for the first time. Summary Completion Task 5 – Look at this summary of Guidelines for Ecotourists and complete it using some of the words below (not all of them will be needed). guests an ecotour operator respect endangered a holiday package educate local positive negative soap customers rubbish dangerous Ecotourists must choose 1 ____________ carefully. They must make sure that they follow the code of practice, use 2 ____________ guides and services, and have a 3 ____________ economic impact on the community. Certain guidelines should be followed. For example: tourists should not forget they are 4 ____________ and should 5 ____________ local habits and laws. When walking they should not leave the track and should avoid polluting water with 6 ____________.They should never buy products made from plants or animals which are 7 ____________. Task 6 Reading: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ecotourism Advantages 1.Environmental Conservation -- A Sustainable Choice The entire concept behind ecological tourism is for people to visit exotic landscapes and aid the protection and conservation of nature -- hence ecotourism offers an incentive for local people to help preserve and protect their environment and wildlife as it can provide them with a 'sustainable' income from tourism. This, as opposed to the exploitation of their surrounding environment for its natural resources -- that can only be used to make a quick singular unsustainable gain with rather negative environmental impacts. (Such an example can be observed in the video that follows) 2. Benefits to Local Small Business and People With the industry of tourism, comes an increase in the demand for local jobs and hence correspondingly an increase in employment for locals -- that are often provided through merchandise retailers, restaurants, tour guides, hotels, etc. This then contributes towards boosting the local economy -- by meeting local people's economic needs as well as teaching them life-long commercial skills with the provision of experience and assistance -- therefore genuinely 'bettering' the welfare of local people and businesses. 3. A Cultural Education Although most of the debate on the pros and cons of ecotourism lies around the environmental and economical aspects, it is also important to consider the cultural and social impacts also. As tourists visit local indigenous people and exotic landscapes and wildlife, there is a cultural education to be found. By showing tourists a wider and broader perspective of nature and differing cultures, they are perhaps instilled with a greater conservation ethic -- to act more 'green'. 4. A 'Better' and 'Greener' Tourism As tourism is, and probably always will be, a huge industry within modern-day living, ecological tourism can at the very least -- despite its negatives if mismanaged -- be considered a step in the right direction towards resolving and mitigating the potential outcomes of global climate change. Although ecotourism, as of yet is not perfect, the concept of it can certainly be judged to be better than that of traditional tourism. Disadvantages 1. The Local People In some circumstances, especially when ecotourism is severely mismanaged, local people do not always benefit economically or socially as a result of ecotourism. When assuming an influx of tourism, many often overlook the type of employment that local people get into, where they are usually low paid service jobs that are based on temporary contracts. Moreover, although countries such as South Africa are benefiting economically and commercially from eco-tourism (or more appropriately here: eco-terrorism), it is also accompanied with rather negative impacts on its people -- forced exits and displacements from their homes as well as evidence of "gross violations of fundamental rights". 2. Fails to Meet the 'Eco' Standard As ecotourism is essentially a commercial industry (with the primary objective of profit maximization), there is evidence of certain companies simply "green-washing" -- which is the process of simply making the holiday appear eco-friendly when it is in fact not. There is not much substance needed for a company to term a holiday 'ecotourism' and they often fail to get scrutinized by consumers. Hence, leading a holiday through false pretences. For example, a 'wildlife theme park' is allowed to term itself as being 'Eco'. There is however a call for regulation -- such as a Green Star system, which signals to consumers how committed the company is to environmental friendliness. 3. Wildlife Disturbance Even with the promotion of ecotourism and environmental friendliness -- it is still inevitable on some levels that 'tourism' will cause a negative impact on wildlife through consumer pressure. (For example, polar bears are meant to conserve energy through the winter months; however, as a result of ecotourism, this causes them to be constantly aware -- causing them to burn much of the needed energy. The distance of 43 metres is suggested so as not to disturb them; however, is this good enough for the demands of consumers who want close-up photos?) 4. Environmental Degradation It is almost certain that as a result of tourism, there will be some negative impacts on the environment whether it be through littering (accidental or otherwise) through to the unplanned destructive infrastructure that usually needs to be constructed. Even tourists who claim to be environmentally sophisticated and aware usually fail to realise the damage that simply travelling to their destination through means of non-renewable energy causes (e.g. 10,000 km consumes 100 litres of fuel per person." Nor do they realize the true extent of the impacts of their stay -- from the food they are eating to the water they are drinking. Task 6a – After reading the above text, write a short (150-200 words long) argumentative text on the following statement: Ecotourism is no better for the environment or local indigenous people than conventional tourism. Use the above points as well as your knowledge on the subject to restate the main arguments and express your opinion. Provide some reasons and examples that justify your position, as well as at least one good reason that supports the opposing position. You may wish to structure your text into the following paragraphs: 1) introduction, 2) points (with reasons and examples), 3) counter-points (with reasons and examples, 4) conclusion. (Note: points 2 and 3 may be in the reverse order) Source: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Ecotourism, viewed on 16.11.2017 at http://www.infobarrel.com/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Ecotourism Video: John Kasaona on 'How Poachers Became Caretakers' In his home of Namibia, John Kasaona is working on an innovative way to protect endangered animal species: giving nearby villagers (including former poachers) responsibility for caring for the animals. https://www.ted.com/talks/john_kasaona_from_poachers_to_caretakers (15:46) Task 7 – While watching the above video, formulate three good questions to share with the class. 1) 2) 3) Task 8 – Follow-up Questions – Touring in your Region 1 How has this article challenged the conventional ideas about travel? 2 If you were organising an ecotour of your region, where would you go, how and why? 3 What would be the positive effects on the region? 4 Could there be any negative side-effects of the tourism? Grammar – Word Formation – Suffixes and Prefixes Task 9 – Complete the table. Verb Noun Adjective Adverb doubt doubt doubtfully conserve conserved, -ing - destroy destruction destructively empowerment empowered, -ing - consume consumable, -ed, consumingly force force forcible, forcing, forced subsidise subsidy - develop developed, -ing - benefit benefit beneficially Prefixes: in- dis- im- mis- ir- sub- il- under- un- over- ab- self- re- de- experienced valuable perfect mature conscious rational judged loaded valued honest normal legible stable spoilt aware compatible Many combinations are possible, though not all are commonly used. List the combinations that you know and compare your list with the rest of the class. Use these lists to expand your vocabulary. Task 10 – Practice using one of the words by writing an interesting sentence about tourism. Discuss your statement with a partner. For extra practice on word formation see the link FCE Word Formation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3OgBU7GA5c (3:49) Vocabulary 1. to threaten ohrožovat 2. to weave (past participle is woven) tkát 3. thread nit, niť 4. *sights památky, pamětihodnosti 5. *consumption spotřeba 6. *benefit výhoda, prospěch 7. *supplies zásobování 8. *impact dopad 9. *local customs místní zvyky 10. track stezka 11. *exploit využít, zneužít 12. familiarise obeznámit se 13. *endangered ohrožený 14. *approve (of) schválit (co) 15. *appreciate ocenit, uznávat 16. *natural resources přírodní zdroje 17. *provide conditions poskytnout podmínky 18. *to account for představovat 19. finite konečný 20. indefinitely nekonečně 21. to bump up against limits narážet na omezení Word bank 1. to go on a sightseeing tour jet na okružní prohlídku pamětihodností 2. to go on a guided tour jít na prohlídku s průvodcem 3. to go on a cruise jet na okružní plavbu 4. to book a trip with a travel agency rezervovat si zájezd u cestovní kanceláře 5. to seek something out of the ordinary vyhledávat něco neobvyklého 6. to get back to nature vrátit se k přírodě 7. to damage / trash the countryside ničit přírodu 8. tourist industry / sector turistický průmysl 9. tourist office informační kancelář pro turisty 10. damage done to the countryside škody napáchané na přírodě 11. itinerary plán cesty 12. hoards of people davy lidí 13. ecological awareness ekologické povědomí ________________________________