Ecotourism Specialist

Tourism with a conscience? Ecotourism is just that: responsible travel to natural areastravel that conserves the environment and preserves local cultures. Ecotourism is travel with a social motive. One of the big advantages of ecotourism is that it benefits local economies directly. The monies generated go, not to big tour companies and out fitters, but instead to locally owned lodges and homegrown tour guides and artisans. Tourist dollars also help fund the management of the natural areas that are visited. E!ually important to supporting local economies is the way ecotourists see the areas they are visiting. "mall groups stay at #eco lodges# and #green hotels# $environmentally friendly lodging%, travel with educational guides, and most important, stay on the trails, where, ecotourism manager Eileen &utierre' says, #they ta(e only pictures and leave no footprints.# )lthough ecotourism is still a relatively new industry, the term was coined in the early *+,-s, when a handful of conservation biologists asserted that local economies could benefit from tourist dollars while maintaining local cultures and environments. .ringing tourists to visit an area responsibly has become a popular way to conserve natural areas and to allow travelers a chance to see destinations that they might otherwise never have a chance to see. /n 0--0, a 1nited 2ations summit in 3uebec named that year #The /nternational 4ear of Ecotourism,# signaling the official worldwide acceptance of the trade and adding significantly to ecotourism5s legitimacy as a beneficial and responsible way to see the world. Eileen &utierre' wor(s for 6onservation /nternational, based in 7ashington, 8.6. )s an ecotourism manager whose regional specialty is mainland )sia, her job is to promote economic development and conservation in those areas by creating ecotourism initiatives. #7e wor( in conservation. Our foundation deals with diverse areas worldwide that we call 9hot spots5highly biodiverse but threatened,# e:plains &utierre'. #7e wor( with communities in and around protected areas whose threats are socioeconomic in nature. 7e help provide alternatives to their livelihood that can benefit conservation.# )s an ecotourism e:pert, &utierre' wor(s on a policyma(ing level, designing and developing fundraising for ecotourism efforts. These tourism and development guidelines are carefully initiated because although they are designed to benefit communities, they could also easily threaten them. #Ecotourism plans for par(s and protected areas and provides guidelines on development and how to 'one for ecotourism. 7e design facilities $eco lodges and hotels% to be more harmonious with the environment. 7e also analy'e how community involvement and participation might ta(e place and be encouraged,# says &utierre'. Training for ecotourism is diverse. ;ore schools are offering speciali'ed degrees in environmental sustainability and even in ecotourism itself. )ccording to &utierre', the variety of bac(grounds among people wor(ing to further ecotourism5s cause is almost endless. #Ecotourism employs biologists, social anthropologists, and people with business administration degrees wor(ing within the field,# says &utierre'. #The four (ey pillars for success in ecotourism are (nowledge of international development issues, a solid foundation in business and economics, an understanding of community development issues, and an understanding of biodiversity and conservation.# These broad re!uirements mean that anyone interested in ecotourism must be prepared to get a broad education. 7or(ing in ecotourism might mean managing endangered areas, as &utierre' does, or it might involve such varied jobs as managing an eco lodge or conducting tours and educational programs. <or &utierre', this (ind of variety in her day today job is e:actly what motivates her. #)lthough ecotourism is not an e:tremely well defined field right now, there5s a lot of groundwor( that5s being done, and the creativity involved in that is great. /5ve had the chance to develop methodologies for ecotourism assessments, and it has been e:citing to be a part of that.#

Duties and Responsibilities

In this context the project plans a consultancy for a Protected Area Planning and Ecotourism Specialist with the following Terms of Reference. The consultant under supervision of the ational Project !oordinator " P!# and in close colla$oration with the national project team will% Ela$orate participatory &anagement and Ecotourism Plans for the intervention sites of the project in cooperation with local communities' private land owners' tourism operators and real estate developers "Sal% !osta (ragata and Serra egra' Ponta do Sin)* +oavista% Par,ue &arinho do -este* Sao .icente% &onte .erde* Santo Antao% !ova/Ri$eira de Paul/Ri$eir da Torre' &orro0os#. Propose a methodological approach for the integration of a PA 1oning plan into the a$ove framewor2 in order to extend and consolidate future developments of protected areas at national level. (ormulate a monitoring process that includes climate change data and car$on se,uestration potentials for inclusion in the ational PA strategy. 3evelop management plans with specific ecotourism guidelines for 4 terrestrial protected areas.

+e responsi$le for a practica$le methodology and a functional approach to integrate ecotourism into protected area management that will $e presented to the Protected Areas Autonomous Authority "PAAA#' including conflict resolution options. .erify that the management plans are coherent with national land development procedures' particularly for the development of 1ones for tourism and infrastructure development "53TI#. (ormulate and su$mit a consultancy report in Praia for approval $y the ational Project !oordinator " P!#. (ormulate recommendations for the national project team to improve their 2nowledge and lin2s with research and development institutions in their respective intervention domains.

Competencies

!ommunication s2ills for complex information and techni,ues targeted towards su$ject matter specialists as well as wider general audiences. 6ood competency in pedagogical approaches in order to transmit s2ills at various levels. A$ility to communicate effectively orally as well as an excellent level of written s2ills in order to $e a$le to present' negotiate and summari1e wor2 sessions. 6ood s2ills for efficient facilitation during meetings $etween various sta2eholders "government' 67s' !+7s' international community and communal levels#. A$ility to wor2 $oth independently as well as in coordination with the local project team in an interdisciplinary manner. A good 2nowledge of 6eographic Information Systems "6IS# software "Arc6IS 8.9 or 8.:# as well as its applications. Strong s2ills in monitoring and evaluation' and experience in implementing environmental projects at various administrative levels. A$ility to produce high ,uality reports' pu$lications and project proposals. Previous experience with 6E( projects is an added plus. Excellent writing s2ills in (rench and Portuguese' and a good wor2ing 2nowledge of English is an added plus.

https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=24298

Ecotourism Specialist Tourism, while providing great pleasure for individuals, often does considerable damage to environments and cultures around the world. Ecotourism, or sustainable tourism, seeks to provide people with ways of seeing the world while doing minimal harm to the environment and respecting the cultures in the lands they visit. Ecotourism professionals, in fact, want their business dealings to benefit the areas where they work. Ideally, ecotourism is centered in natural areas and educates travelers about those environments. It provides financial benefits directly to local people in areas visited. Rather than imposing any cultural values on local people, it respects their ways of life. And it avoids supporting oppressive regimes and instead supports human rights and democratic values, as much as possible, without engaging in political struggles. Not all businesses that claim to be ecotourism companies are genuinely interested in sustainable tourism. ome companies simply use the label while continuing unsustainable business practices. As ecotourism is a rapidly growing industry, consumers and would!be professionals must beware of these misrepresentations. An ecotourism specialist can have an e"citing and rewarding career, especially if he or she can help to define genuine ecotourism as the industry matures. #ne must be devoted to sustaining nature and can share that passion every day with co!workers and consumers. Ecotourism specialists spend time planning and coordinating tours, budgeting, and reporting. #f course, they spend a lot of time traveling with clients in outdoor locations, guiding them, teaching them, and ensuring their safety. This sort of work takes them to remote locations all over the world. $any ecotourism guides speciali%e in geographical areas or in their knowledge of wildlife, climate and weather, ecosystems and biomes. They who en&oy writing about their work often get their writing published in books, maga%ines, websites, and marketing materials. ome ecotourism specialists do not work directly with tourists. 'or e"ample, they might manage conservation pro&ects in host areas financed in part by ecotourism companies. #r they might conduct research on the impacts of ecotourism, long before the ecotourists arrive. This involves working with local people and governments, and advising them on how to create a sustainable tourism economy. There is a need in this growing industry for sales and marketing professionals who are proficient on the web. These people must be familiar with destinations and their ecosystems and local cultures, no less than the guides who actually take people there. The most obvious employment opportunities are with ecotourism travel agencies, but government park services also employ ecotourism specialists. International environmental groups such as (onservation International and Rainforest Alliance also have ecotourism programs. )ecoming an ecotourism specialist usually re*uires a bachelors or masters degree in some related field like forestry, wildlife biology, or resource conservation. (oursework in hospitality, tourism, and international studies can be useful. ome universities offer ecotourism programs. (ourses in business and marketing and e"perience with fundraising are helpful. +aving one or more foreign languages is highly valuable. ,olunteer work e"perience with an organi%ation working to preserve ecosystems or human cultures can also be a strong plus. #rgani%ations offering e"cellent information and possibly internships are listed below. -ood sources for more details are The Eco Guide to Careers that Make a Difference from The Environmental (areers #rgani%ation, published by Island .ress, and/

! Internationa !"cotourism!#ociet$!%&I"#' ! ! &he!(enter!on!"cotourism!and!#ustainab e!)eve opment!%("#)' ! ! (onservation!Internationa !%www.conservation.org' ! ! &he!*ainforest!+ iance !

http://www.cengage.com/bio og$/discip ine_content/es_careers.htm ,ecotourism http://www.ecotourism.org/universit$-consortium-certificate

http://www.hit.no/eng/.i&/+pp icants/#tud$-/rogrammes/"nvironmenta -#tudies/"cotourism-and#ustainabi it$

Sample job functions

If you are thinking about a career in ecotourism, consider the following jobs

Development and management: Tourism development specialist, sustainable tourism business development manager, sustainable development consultancy, ecosystem management and development, ecosystem management and development officer, tourism and human resources advisor

Operating ecotourism locations: Heritage tourism officer, sustainable tourism manager, ecotourism project manager, rainforest station manager, ecolodge manager, cultural tourism project facilities manager, rural tourism officer, sustainable tourism operator, ecotour leaders, green caretakers of tropical island, coastal tourism and conservation program officer, sustainable consumption and conservation manager, conservation expedition country coordinator

Managing natural lands: Nature tourism ranger, nature tourism park manager, parks and recreation director, wildlife visitor center advisor, reserve director, conservation program manager, conservation project manager, preserve manager, naturalist programmer, conservation expeditions field positions, conservation program assistant

Scientific roles: Conservation scientist, nature center research technician, biodiversity specialist, wildlife research assistant Promoting ecotourism: uidebook writers, protected areas communications officer, responsible tourism

communications manager, adventure travel promotion manager, responsible tourism marketing manager

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/green-jobs-in-ecotourism.htm

What You Will Do

0ith each assignment you will be re*uired to prepare identification sheets, containing a preserved specimen, a photograph or a drawing1 together with a description of the species2type of organism. This collection is designed to be the embryo of a resource which you may use as an ongoing aid when designing and conducting interpretive activities. 3ou will research the legal and administrative background re*uired to set up an ecotourism venture in your area. 3ou will also look at the marketing and advertising possibilities for this venture. ,isit a number of interpretive ecotourism facilities. .repare an interpretive activities sheet for an ecotourism group. ,isit a natural area and classify organisms sighted in a set time period. Identify points of interest in a natural area for an ecotourism group. Research the lifecycles of a number of plants and animals. 4esign a range of ecotours for ecotourists interested in various natural phenomena. ,isit an a*uatic environment and make observations on the organisms there and any pollution present. Identify potential ecotourism activities for a marine area. 4evelop interpretive techni*ues for minimal environmental impact. Attend an ecotour to assess the *uantity and *uality of information provided. .lan an ecotour including the destination, accommodation, transport, catering. (onstruct an ecotour display. .lan and lead an ecotour to a group of ecotourists or ac*uaintances.

This is a particularly applied course and you will be learning from case studies of work carried out by our teaching staff. Field trips form an integral part of the syllabus and you will complete an independent piece of research, possibly abroad, allowing you to explore the areas that interest you the most. The experience we provide will help you decide what role you wish to play in this expanding and varied industry so you graduate with the skills and confidence to realise your potential. You'll gain a variety of both scientific and business skills including ecological field skills, contract tendering, questionnaire design and analysis, marketing, proposal and report writing. The applied nature of this course also encourages the development of generic skills that will make you more employable including communication, IT, problem solving, research and team working. You do not necessarily need to have a biological background as you will quickly become aware of the main scientific principles. You'll also gain a strong business knowledge and valuable consultancy experience which provides you with the skills for future employment. Past students have gained employment and experience in a variety of fields including: United Nations Development Programme internship local and national government sustainable tourism projects consultancy teaching

http/22www.courses.napier.ac.uk2courses.asp"5I4678fEcotourism90:;:<;.htm

Representative courses in the TREN program include: Year 1

Sustainability, Environment, and Tourism Culture, Heritage and Tourism Sustainable Business Operation in Tourism Nature-based Tourism Human-dominated Ecosystems Economics o t!e Environment Tourism "lanning and Development Sustainable #ntegrated $aste %anagement Tourism and &'uatic Ecosystems Sustainable Transportation Et!ics, E'uity and Environmental T!oug!t Biodiversity Conservation Ecosystem-based "lanning (lobal #ssues in Tourism and t!e Environment TREN Term &broad program Honours Researc! "ro)ect or T!esis Cross-cultural "erspectives on Tourism and Environment Environmental Heritage Tourism, Se* and Healt! Tourism Et!ics

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

http://www.broc0u.ca/socia -sciences/undergraduate-programs/tourism-environment/program-structure