STYLES OF ECOTOURISM
In planning for and managing ecotourism, it is important to be aware of the different styles of ecotourism. These may vary considerably in the:
- types of natural settings required;
- extent of direct experience and interaction with the natural environment;
- group sizes involved;
- use and extent of personal interaction with tour guides;
- reliance on mechanized transport and supporting infrastructure; and
- types of visitor experience.
For the purposes of this Plan, three broad ecotourism styles have been identified which need to meet the principles of ecotourism identified earlier in this chapter. The various characteristics of each style are outlined below.
1. Self reliant ecotourism* - non motorised travel generally by foot, canoe, sea kayak or similar
- only those structures and facilities needed for public safety, environmental protection or interpretation
- group sizes of 10 or fewer
- high degree of self-reliance required
- moderate/high knowledge and skills base required to make most of opportunity
- educational and interpretative messages delivered mainly through personal interaction with guide or through the use of self guiding interpretative materials
- primarily an off-site style of management through environmental education and information
- very much on experience where participants learn about the intricacies of biological and cultural systems
- examples of activities include: bushwalking with an environmental educational focus in remote areas or in remnant forest patches; camping on a coral Kay; guided dive trips; interpreted river canoeing; rafting or sea kayaking; bird watching study groups.
2. Small group ecotourism*
- non-motorized or motorized low-capacity transport such as car, 4WD, mini bus or small power boat or mountain bike
- support infrastructure needs include: roads, toilet facilities, camping grounds and interpretive displays. Possibly permanent accommodation facilities and some site hardening in popular areas
- groups sizes of 30 or fewer
- low/moderate level of self-reliance
- through guide commentaries or use of self guiding interpretive materials. Interpretive signs and other information may be common in the field
- a mixture of on-site and off-site management techniques
- an increased understanding and knowledge of Queensland environments which are probably unfamiliar to the visitor
- examples of activities include: interpreted spotlighting tours in the rainforest at night; self guided interpretive forest drives or walks; guided 4WD tours on Fraser Island; specialised dive trips to the Great Barrier Reef; interpretation of geological formations in Western Queensland; tours of the Undara lava tubes; marine biologist guided snorkeling tour; Aboriginal guided tours of north west Queensland which interprets Aboriginal heritage in the natural environment. 3. Popular ecotourism*
- motorized high capacity transport such as larger bus or high speed catamaran
- supporting infrastructure needs include: full range of facilities generally expected of high quality day trip tourism
- no maximum group size
- low degrees of self-reliance required
- little knowledge and skills base required to make most of opportunity
- educational and interpretative messages delivered by a wide variety of techniques such as videos, cassettes, commentaries, information displays and photographs
- a high degree of obvious on-site management
- a general introduction to Queensland ecosystems and some of their special characteristics
- examples of activities include: high capacity educational snorkeling and dive trips to the Great Barrier Reef; interpreted boat trips up the Brisbane River to bat colonies at Indooroopilly Island; some interpreted larger bus trips on Fraser Island; interpreted whale watching or marine education tours.
* each of the three ecotourism styles is required to meet the principles of ecotourism (ie. occur in a natural environment, include environmental education and interpretation elements, and contribute to conservation).
There are also other nature-based tourism activities which are related to ecotourism and can complement an ecotourism experience, but which are not within the definition of ecotourism.
Examples of such activities include: - visitor centres and displays of native flora and fauna in locations which are remote from their natural setting; - aquariums displaying native marine life and vegetation;
- native botanical gardens;
- zoos which display native fauna;
- human made nature-based theme parks; and
- virtual reality experiences.
While all of these examples can have substantial environmental educational and interpretive components and similar objectives to ecotourism, they do not occur in, and depend on, a natural setting and are therefore not specifically the subject of this Plan.