1 Costa Rica and Beyond A Case Study of Achieving Sustainable Development through Ecotourism Sarina Cirit and Anuja Thatte December 4, 2008 CRP 3840: Green Cities Final Project Paper Introduction Source: http://z.about.com/d/gocentralamerica/1/0/J/6/-/-/Tortuguero.jpg Greetings from Costa Rica!2 Sustainable development for communities and their ecosystems can be considered through the optic of the 3 E’s of environment, economy, and equity.1 It is unequivocal that human activities are causing the depletion of the world’s environmental resources at an unprecedented and unsustainable rate; this destructive process must be urgently corrected in a manner that is environmentally, economically, and equitably sustainable. In 2001, the United Nations created the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in order to evaluate “the consequences of ecosystem change…and the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems.”2 The findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment led to the conclusion that: over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel[,]…result[ing] in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth.3 Many avenues are being pursued in the movement to improve environmental conditions, including “the greater use of economic instruments and market-based approaches in the management of ecosystems[s].”4 This approach to the environmental crisis that the world faces has a great deal of potential because it creates the possibility for multifaceted sustainability in all of the 3 E’s. Accordingly, as globalization has led particularly to the exploitation of resources in developing countries, it is in these places that efforts to increase efficient use of resources, economic prosperity, and social justice should be directed. Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors, as the World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that travel, tourism, and associated activities will contribute to 10.6% of the world’s GDP by 2012, making it an incredibly viable economically-based means of creating sustainability.5 However, to achieve this, there must be a relationship between tourism and the furthering of the 3 E’s. Such a form of sustainable tourism is known as ecotourism. In contrast to traditional tourism, ecotourism intends to spur conservation and 1 Wheeler, 8 2 “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment” 3 Ibid. 4 Chopra, Leemans, Kumar, 8 5 “Sustainable Tourism: Briefing Paper”3community development through low-impact, non-consumptive use of local resources.6 The United Nations dubbed 2002 as the “International Year of Ecotourism.” However, it has been up for debate as to whether ecotourism actually serves to positively advance the 3 E’s. “Whilst it can be argued that tourism creates an incentive for environmental conservation, tourism is also responsible for damage to the environment. The phenomenal growth of the sector has been accompanied by severe environmental and cultural damage.”7 The conflicting environmental, economic, and equitable effects that ecotourism can bring about demonstrate the difficulty of determining how “eco” ecotourism really is.”8 By using the 3 E’s to examine and evaluate ecotourism practices in Costa Rica, the world’s most prominent ecotourism destination, this paper will reach a broader conclusion about the sustainability of ecotourism in developing countries. What is Ecotourism? The ubiquitous “environmental” movement is painting the world greener every day. Accordingly, ecotourism is now touted as the most rapidly growing form of tourism.”9 The World Tourism Organization defines ecotourism as “tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.”10 Similarly, it is intended to be a sustainable process that meets the needs of present tourist and host communities while simultaneously protecting and enhancing their future needs.11 Ecotourism sounds like a guaranteed sustainable solution, but in practice, while it succeeds in some ways, it is also fraught with negative, unsustainable consequences. Although most definitions of ecotourism are generally comparable to the one set forth by the World Tourism Organization, there is no formally established rubric as yet for what constitutes “good” ecotourism. “Because there are no universally accepted definitions of ecotourism or the ecotourist to clearly distinguish this activity from other forms of tourism,”12 tourism sites are able to “greenwash” themselves and freely self-identify as “eco” even if their 6 Stem, Lassoie, Lee, and Deshler, 322 7 “Sustainable Tourism: Briefing Paper” 8 Stem, Lassoie, Lee, and Deshler, 1 9 Egan 10 “Sustainable Tourism: Briefing Paper” 11 Ibid. 12 Weaver, 194practices are not really adherent to the sustainability of the 3 E’s.13 This problem is worsened by the lack of an official rubric for distinguishing true ecotourism from “ecotourism” that does more harm than good. This makes it necessary to evaluate the sustainability of the practices that claim to provide for the present and future needs of communities and their environments. Developing Countries and Ecotourism Because ecotourism aims to be a vehicle for ensuring environmental, economic, and social responsibility, it is naturally one of the vanguard strategies of promoting sustainability in developing countries. As a form of tourism with smaller scale infrastructural needs and less sophisticated consumer demands, ecotourism is ideally suited for the developing world. It does necessitate multi-billion dollar investments. Local, small businesses and entrepreneurs can successfully fulfill the demands of ecotourism, especially in the areas of lodging and food services. As a result, ecotourism has become incredibly popular within the developing world, particularly as a means of stimulating economic development.14 Countries of the developing world are expected to experience great economic growth in coming years, and “have something of a comparative advantage when it