Osland, Gregory E.

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Butler UniversityDigital Commons @ Butler UniversityScholarship and Professional Work - Business College of Business2007Ecotourism in Latin America: Four Types ofBirding ToursGregory E. OslandButler University, gosland@butler.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cob_papersPart of the Hospitality Administration and Management Commons, and the Tourism CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Business at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted forinclusion in Scholarship and Professional Work - Business by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For moreinformation, please contact fgaede@butler.edu.Recommended CitationOsland, Gregory E., "Ecotourism in Latin America: Four Types of Birding Tours" (2007). Scholarship and Professional Work - Business.Paper 52.http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cob_papers/52~_ ~ .INDIANA~ID>UBON QUARTERLY 354 Ecolouri ... m in I.atin .\lIIl'ril-a: Four T~ Ill·... nr Binling !"OUl'" (;r('~ur~ [ . ()~I"n(L Ph.!) ~()SI~llHI<I.hlllkl-:.dll Latin America attracts Midwestern birders with its amazing biodiversity, such as the 130 species of hummingbirds found in the small nation ofEcuador. Outstanding Latin American birding areas, including rich, primary forests, are more accessible than sometimes thought. Puerto Rico, a fascinating Caribbean island with rainforests, wild beaches and widely­spoken English, is just five hours south of Indianapolis by plane. Even the most distant nation in Latin America, Chile, is in a similar time zone and has excellent air transportation both into and within the country. Both of those nations have a well-developed and safe highway system. But sometimes birders are uncertain about how to experience the avian riches. This article will describe and compare four types of birding tours and illustrate each type in descriptions ofbirding trips to a biosphere reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, the Atacama Desert and Andes mountains ofnorthern Chile, Amazonian Ecuador, and natural areas of Puerto Rico. Some of the impressive birds found in each area will be highlighted. When in Latin America visitors frequently hear about ecotourism and see advertisements about "ecoturismo," but many North Americans maybe uncertain about what this type of travel entails. This article will also describe ecotourism and use its elements to help compare the four types of birding tours. Birders traveling in Latin America are often troubled when seeing the inter-related issues of poverty and destroction of natural areas. Governments, environmental organizations, academics, and businesspeople are increasingly trying to discover ways to help develop the economies, while conserving the natural environment. Ecotourism is one of several sustainable development methods that can help address these twin issues. Ecotourism is nature-based travel that embraces principles of sustainability, and thus is managed to conserve the natural environment on which it depends, provide economic benefits to the local community and the industry, and to educate and satisfy tourists (Osland and Mackoy 2004; United Nations World Ecotourism Summit 2002). Although ecotourism can occur in virtually any nation, much attention has centered on ecotourism that may help conserve high-quality, but rapidly diminishing natural areas, some of the most significant of which are in Meso-America and South America (Myer et al. 2000). Several nations in this area are among the most popular eco-tourist destinations in the world, and birding is the most popular type of ecotourism activity. Ecotourism creates jobs in the threatened natural areas for nature guides, transportation providers, travel agents, lodge and restaurant managers 3;5 INDIANA AUDUBON QUAR=T=E=RL=:Y _ and workers. The income from ecotourism can give local residents an incentive to conserve forests and wildlife, and can help raise the standard of living of impoverished communities. However, some types of birding tours are better than others in fulfilling the ideals of ecotourism of conserving nature, providing local economic benefits, and satisfying and educating tourists. The prices of the types of birding tours vary significantly, as well. Four types of birding tours are: a full service, group tour with an in·bound, international company such as VENt or Field Guides; a customized, locally-guided tour; an eco-Iodge.provided tour; and an independent, self-guided tour. FULL-SERVICE GROUP TOUR TO EL TRIUNFO, MEXICO In March 2002 I traveled with a Victor Emanuel Nature Tour (VENT) (www.ventbird.com)inSoutheastMexicoin the state ofChiapas. VENTtnade all of the arrangements and provided three world-class birders and naturalists 

Ecotourism in Latin America: Four Types of Birding Tours

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Ecotourism in Latin America: Four Types of Birding Tours

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