Ecotourism...Where's the ECO?

Costa Rica as a Case Study

By Beth Abell & Ben Winig

In this day and age of free-time, vacationing, and environmental awareness, one cannot plan for a getaway without coming across the word ecotourism. Ecotourism means many things to many people. Presently, the term is used as a catchall applied indiscriminately to almost anything linking tourism and nature. In our view, however, ecotourism should mean travel to enjoy the world's amazing diversity of natural life and human culture without doing harm to either. The Ecotourism Society gives us a more formal definition. The Society defines ecotourism as: "purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment, taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people." Is ecotourism a sustainable option? This page will allow you to make that decision for yourself.


Background Information on Costa Rica

Ecotourism: Preservation or Destruction?

Becoming an Informed Ecotourist

Wildlife and Scenic Pictures of Costa Rica

Bibliography

LINKS TO OTHER PAGES

A Costa Rica Home Page

Travel Map of Costa Rica

The Eco-Source

A Conference on Ecotourism

Go Green


This page last updated on April 25, 1997

  • Any Comments? E-mail us at: eca@umich.edu or bdwinig@umich.edu