Tourism and Wildlife Conservation

[planeta]

Tourism and Wildlife Conservation

Ronda Green, owner of Proprietor Araucaria Ecotours and Vice-president Wildlife Tourism Australia, proposes the following topic for discussion:

[quote]Wildlife tourism and wildlife conservation

[Carol Patterson]

In a recent survey I did on wildlife watchers, I was surprised to find that guides were ranked the lowest as a criteria in selecting a travel destination. While my study was very small, this information causes me some concern. Guides are very important in explaining what is acceptable behavior for travelers so that wildlife and habitats are not harmed. With all the information available to travelers and the steady diet of travel shows with average people seemingly doing amazing things, perhaps people think they can dispense with a guide and strike out on their own.

Other studies support this trend and show an increase in self-guided trips. This creates many concerns including the difficulty in educating travelers on responsible travel practices and in engaging them in the environment in a meaningful way. Accreditation can be a great way to ensure guiding consistency, but maybe we need to give some thought as to how we can market guide services so people are getting the orientation we want them to.

If you want to see more results from my survey on wildlife tourism it is available at no cost in my latest newsletter online http://www.kalahari-online.com/sum07.pdf

Cheers,
Carol Patterson
Kalahari Management

[planeta]

Administrative note. This topic has now received more than 1,200 views.

Also, many thanks to Carol Patterson who is taking part in a current online Q&A
http://forum.planeta.com/viewtopic.php?t=1052

[planeta]

New group on Flickr

NZ Wildlife
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nzwildlife

[RondaGreen]

There will be a workshop on wildlife tourism in Beaudesert, southern Queensland, Australia, on April 19,
covering: using wildlife for value-adding to tourism, minimizing effects on wildlife while providing great experiences, eco-accreditation, and examples of good sustainable wildlife touirsm. More details on upcoming events and details of past workshops on www.wildlifetourism.org.au, follow links on left to events

[planeta]

Gambia: on the trail of the green monkey - Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/afric ... onkey.html

In Bijilo Forest Park in Gambia, a depressing pattern of exploitation and development is threatening the local green monkey population

[planeta]

Upcoming event - Pronatura Noroeste & Sendero Mexico launch the First Mazatlan Bird
Festival / January 16-19, 2009
http://www.mazatlanbirdfestival.com

Related:
http://forum.planeta.com/viewtopic.php?t=1219

[planeta]

Updating
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/biodiversity
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/wildlife

[planeta]

We are updating the Planeta wiki with edits to the wildlife section
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/wildlife

In addition, we are seeking editors who can assist with developing sections on wildlife starting with Africa, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States.

[planeta]

More wiki updates

Australia
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/ozwild

New Zealand
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/nzwild

USA
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/uswild

[planeta]

Wildlife tourism debate: Is wildlife tourism becoming an endangered species?
http://www.iknowagreatplace.com/communi ... 84&bid=867