Tourism, Development and the Environment - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 281

appropriation of land by outside parties to intensify irrigated cultivation
(Southgate & Hulme, 2001).
Similarly, the Galapagos, labelled the 'Enchanted Isles', also provide an
insight into the diverse benefits attainable through tourism. Situated some
600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the cluster of volcanic islands is often
regarded as the most precious and fragile of all ecosystems. Remarkably, 95%
of the reptiles, 50% of birds, 42% of land plants, between 70% and 80% of
insects and 17% of fish found within the Galapagos exist nowhere else in the
world. The designation of national park status for 97% of the islands has,
without doubt, greatly facilitated conservation although, in doing so, the
Ecuadorian government has encountered strong opposition from other groups
with vested interests in consuming rather than conserving the archipelago's
resources. Only through a blend of strong regulations and due consideration
of the needs and wants of the local population, as well as other groups with
vested interests in the islands' resources, have positive steps been taken to
conserve one of the planet's most valuable enclaves of untouched natural his-
tory. The efforts of Ecuador's national park service (Instituto Ecuatoriano
Forestal y de Areas Naturales y Vida Silvestre: INEFAN) have been aided
considerably by the popularity of tourism in the Galapagos. The income gen-
erated by tourism has grown considerably over the years. In 1997, for example,
entrance fees were $100 for foreigners, bringing in $5 million directly to the
Galapagos National Park (Honey, 1999). Thus, as Honey (1999) notes, conser-
vation has generally benefited from tourism because of the very close relation-
ship between the tourism industry and the state of the environment.
In other cases, tourism has become a 'saviour of ecosystems in crisis'
(Mieczkowski, 1995: 121). In Madagascar, for example, much of the natural
environment bares the scars of rapid population growth and its dependence
upon natural resources. Up to 85% of the country's forests have been felled
for charcoal production and to create space for cultivation and livestock pro-
duction, resulting in a greatly enhanced rate of soil erosion. Mieczkowski
quotes an Economist report estimating the cost of deforestation to be between
$100 million and $300 million a year. However, tourism has provided a life-
line for Madagascar's diminishing forests. In particular, 'nature tourism' has
become a major source of income for the Malagasy government owing to the
international interest surrounding Madagascar's unique ecosystem. Species
such as the dwarf lemur ( Allocebus trichotis ) have generated considerable inter-
est amongst the growing number of 'nature tourists' and, since 1991, the
remaining forests which provide the habitat for this and other lemur species
have been protected. At the same time, the Ranomafana National Park has
also been established. Importantly, by way of compensating local residents,
a USAID-funded project has been established in order to train locals as tour-
ist guides and to provide others with the basic skills required for the local
tourism and hospitality industry. Half of the National Park entrance fees
contribute towards the running of this project.